Ape Inside
by TheBlueLyre
Summary: When a human woman, two chimps and a pair of dogs appear in the Muir Wood forest, looking for a home in Caesar's colony, he's faced with a tough choice: Let the hatred and mistrust split up a strange, yet tightly-knit family, or rise above and accept that love comes in all shapes and sizes - for others and for himself. It was a hard decision to make, but no doubt the right one.
1. The Arrival

**INTRODUCTION:**

This is my first long-term fanfiction project, originally posted on Archive Of Our Own (user: The_Blue_Lyre). In the moment of writing this, I am in the process of posting my content from my AO3 profile onto as well, but once I've caught up with the chapters on here, a new chapter will be posted each Friday.

This story begins with an **OC/OC-relationship** but will eventually turn into a **Caesar/OC-romance**. (As of now, I'm still not quite familiar with the tagging-system on this site, so please have patience with me in this regard.)

Also, a sincere thank you should go to the guest who made me aware of the issue concerning the formatting of the first chapter – this has now been resolved. Whoever you are, thanks!

 **WARNING:**

This story is a piece of fanfiction categorized as a long, multichapter slow-burn drama/romance story, which contains elements of interspecies relationships between characters which are, within the fandom, human in terms of cognitive abilities – the author does **not** encourage/approve of bestiality in any way, shape or form and does not categorize this story as such. (Basically, if Guillermo del Toro can do it in 'The Shape of Water', then I think this will be just fine.)

 **Additional tags that can apply to this story are:** Family, Fluff, Angst, Violence, Eventual Romance, Smut and Character Death

Furthermore, this story is going to contain smut and violence further into the story, with a fair warning given in the beginning of each chapter in which they occur.

If anything in the above introduction/warning does not sit well with the reader, he/she is encouraged not to read any further.

As for everyone who chose to keep reading, I sincerely hope you'll enjoy the story!

* * *

 _ **Lydia**_

Finally, they had done it. After a year of trekking through half the country, over mountains, through valleys, crossing rivers and navigating through forests, they had reached their destination two days prior: Muir Woods, just outside San Francisco. They had taken quite a detour to get there, going north around San Pablo Bay, rather than go through San Francisco itself, but it had been necessary.

Lydia sighed, her breath visible in the chilly morning air, and turned her blue eyes towards her traveling companions: two evolved chimpanzees, an adult and a child of two years, and two rather wolf-like dogs.

Yes, the detour had been necessary.

They couldn't afford to run into any humans, who might be armed and carry a grudge towards apes after what had happened here five years ago. What had _started_ here five years ago. The Simian pandemic.

She put her khaki green jacket on and slung her weathered backpack onto her back, which provided a nice place to sit for Orion, the two-year-old chimpanzee, who promptly climbed onto her. He loved sitting there during the first couple of hours after they would set off for the day. From there, he had a nice vantage point and he got to rest a bit longer than the rest of their small group, before his energy reserves kicked in around 9 o'clock, when he'd climb down and explore the area they were going through. He was always mindful of the rest of the group, though, and never strayed further away than where he'd be able to see them.

Roy trotted over to her as Orion made himself comfortable on top of the backpack. He was an adult chimpanzee of 11 years, and formidable in both size and intellect, with pitch black fur, a light face and kind eyes. He patted the smaller chimp on the arm with an amused huff before he directed his green gaze at Lydia and began to sign with his hands. " _I hope they are still here. Will be good to see other apes again._ "

Despite his words, Lydia knew he was also concerned and knew the reason for this very well. They had already discussed the topic many times throughout their journey. She knew the apes in Muir Woods might be less than welcoming towards a human. It was only natural, really, after having been locked up and tested on in labs by humans. She was certain that many of them, up until the rebellion five years ago, had never experienced anything else in their entire lives. They had also discussed if the apes were even still alive and living in the woods anymore. If memory served her well, the authorities had spent quite many recourses on trying to eliminate them. That is, before the Simian Flu had killed off most of the world, and thus become the primary concern. Even so, it was a risk they had to take. She smiled reassuringly at Roy and signed back.

" _I'm sure they are. If they're even half as smart as the two of you are, there's no way the humans could have gotten rid of them._ "

The concern etched on his brow didn't go away, though.

" _What will you do if they… send you away?_ "

His fingers strayed towards the necklace he was wearing. They all wore one. It consisted of a crude leather string with the canine of a bear in the middle, flanked on each side by a bear claw with the hook of the claw pointing outward, towards the wearer's shoulders. Her eyes softened, yet her heart clenched uncomfortably at the thought. Honestly, she didn't know what she'd do if she was to continue on her own after they found the Ape Colony, but she wouldn't tell Roy that. The whole purpose of this year-long journey was to get him and Orion to a place where they could be with their own kind. Where Orion could grow up and learn how to be a proper ape. It wouldn't do if they turned around now, when they were so close. Not even if she had come to love these two apes as dearly as family.

"I'll go on with the dogs if that is what they want me to do."

That had sounded hollow, even to her own ears, but it was the truth. She didn't know where to go if they'd turn her away, but she knew that she'd go all the same. She reached up and grabbed Orion's hand, which was resting beside her cheek, and gave it a squeeze. He had started grooming her long dark hair with his other hand as best he could while she had it braided.

Roy seemed ready to protest, but she quickly put her fingers up to his lips to request silence, even if he didn't use his mouth to speak most of the time. It was a very intimate gesture, but not at all unfamiliar. They'd practically slept piled together for warmth for the better part of a year, so personal space was not an issue between any of them. He put his hands down and she removed her fingers, a soft look of pure affection in her eyes.

"We already talked about this. I won't risk the happy life you two could have with other apes." She grabbed her own necklace with one hand, and Roy's with the other.

"We are family, even if we are not together, even if we never see each other again, that won't change."

There was a finality in the way she said it. A certainty that left no room for arguing. All Roy could do was nod and sign for them to get a move on in a defeated manner. Lydia called the dogs over and started walking through the woods in a south-eastern direction, Roy dropping down on all fours to catch up with her long-legged strides.

He knew that Lydia only had good intentions for him and Orion, but she could be so stubborn sometimes. They had come to depend heavily on each other over the past year. So much that she was practically Orion's mother by now. A sense of dread filled the older chimp as he thought of this. Roy didn't even want to imagine how the little chimp would react to having his mother taken from him for the second time in his short life. He just hoped this _Caesar_ would be able to understand.

* * *

 _ **Caesar** _

Caesar sat silently beside Maurice and looked over the other apes moving about the colony with his usual stern eyes and slight frown. He spotted his three-year-old son, Blue Eyes, playing with Ash and Lake while Cornelia and Rocket's mate, Tinker, kept an eye on them from the side-lines. The youngsters were chasing each other around in front of Rocket and Tinker's hut, occasionally spinning around themselves and hooting playfully. He couldn't help letting a small smile tug at his lips at the scene. Maurice noticed this and huffed to get his attention before signing to him with a knowing look.

" _Proud of the village? Of your son?_ "

The Ape King, for once, wore a tranquil and carefree expression as he answered the older orangutan.

" _Yes. The apes live in peace and the children are strong and healthy. This is what I always wanted since the day we broke free. Apes living free and together._ "

Maurice grunted in response and directed his gaze towards the general direction of the city they'd come from five years ago. Had it really been that long already? They had achieved so much since then that Caesar could scarcely believe it himself. Still, he if the humans were doing alright. It had been a long time since they'd last tried to attack the apes and Caesar had noticed that the lights from the city at night had almost completely vanished. When he had occasionally ventured close to the Golden Gate Bridge, there had sometimes been cars coming and going. This had happened less and less in the past couple of years, though. Were the humans even there anymore?

" _Caesar is thinking of humans?_ " Maurice signed while giving Caesar a worried glance.

The Ape King let out a panting laugh in response before his face turned serious again. Somehow Maurice always knew what he was thinking. It could be a bit unsettling, but Caesar had gotten used to it by now.

" _I wonder where they have gone. We almost don't see any signs of them anymore. It is strange. They used to be everywhere._ "

Maurice nodded solemnly. He had noticed too.

" _This is good for apes. No humans near means peace. No more attacks._ " Caesar had to agree with that, though he knew that Maurice didn't hold any ill-will towards humans by saying this. He knew they could be cruel but, like Caesar, he was also aware that some could be extremely kind. A sentiment some apes, like Koba, would never understand.

The two apes continued their conversation, but stopped once Cornelia came over with Blue Eyes in tow. The child immediately wanted to be held by his father, which Caesar gladly complied with while Cornelia sat beside them. No doubt she was glad that her husband could take over their rambunctious child for a while as she sat and ate some fruit and berries she'd brought along.

Looking after Blue Eyes, Caesar knew, had become a challenge for Cornelia recently. Though shyer and more withdrawn than Caesar ever was at that age, the little chimp still had a knack for getting into trouble of varying severity. Especially when paired with Rocket's son, Ash, who was reckless at the best of times. The Ape King was happy to provide his wife some relief.

A sudden screech sounded through the forest, soon followed by several others and Caesar immediately tensed. It was Rocket, he was sure of it. He had left with his small hunting party early in the morning and was expected back any moment. Clearly, something was wrong. The screech was one of aggression and fear, which prompted Caesar to get up, hand Blue Eyes to Cornelia and quickly order a group of apes to follow him out into the forest. He ordered Koba to stay and protect the village when he moved over to join the group. They needed to have some kind of defence if it turned out to be a surprise attack from the humans, though Caesar doubted that was the case. Better to be safe than sorry.

When he'd gathered the necessary forces, he took to the trees outside the village gate and hurried towards the sound of the screeches with his heart beating violently against his ribcage.

He had to find out what had made Rocket so alarmed.


	2. A Choice To Make

_**Lydia**_

The four chimpanzees had appeared suddenly as Lydia's group had trekked through the forest. It had all been silent, eerily silent, when the dogs had begun to growl viciously and Roy had stood up in alarm, hackles raised and muscles tense. Lydia didn't have time to take out her bow before a chimp, slightly smaller than Roy and with bald patches all over his body, had dropped down from the trees above, looked at them as if to confirm that what he saw was real, and emitted a loud screech, which was soon followed by a series of similar screeches from three other chimps, who were still perched on the branches above the strange group.

Roy moved to stand in front of Lydia with the dogs flanking them, baring their fangs at the strangers. Orion had moved to cling onto Lydia's chest with a fierce grip on her jacket and had begun to cry from the screeching around him. A pathetic noise that tore at Lydia's heartstrings. The human herself tried to remain calm and show that she was no threat to the newcomers. It was clearly her they had a problem with, if their eyes following her every move was anything to go by. She held Orion to her chest and moved to stand closer to Roy, whose fur was still standing up in a threatening manner.

That's when fast movements could be heard through the trees.

With a dull thump, another chimpanzee landed beside the first one they'd encountered. He was tall, just as tall as Roy, and regarded them with a suspicious, yet surprised frown. More apes began to appear in the trees around them, all hooting and screeching angrily. After a moment of pause as he took in the group in front of him, the tall chimpanzee lifted his hand and all sound ceased. The only thing that could be heard was the dogs, who were still growling, their eyes trained on the large ape.

"Blaze, Storm, down!" Lydia's command was calm, yet firm, and the dogs visibly eased up. They were still on guard, but not openly hostile now. She wished the same could be said for the apes that surrounded them. Many were giving her less than friendly looks, while others openly bared their fangs at her.

The tall ape's eyes shifted from her to Roy, to the dogs and back to her again. He couldn't see the little chimp that clung to the human for dear life, but he could hear the soft cries. Lydia stepped out from behind Roy and the tall ape's eyes widened.

"Are… are you Caesar?" Lydia asked.

She tried to keep her voice calm and neutral. The other apes began to hoot in confusion but stopped once again when the tall chimp lifted his hand. He looked surprised by the question.

"Yes." He gritted out the word. It seemed hard for him to speak. He had a pleasant voice, though, and Lydia was glad he made the effort.

"Who. Are. You?" He had to take a breath between each word and Lydia idly wondered if he knew sign language. It'd probably be easier for everyone if that was the case, so she began to speak, while simultaneously signing what she was saying. It was difficult with Orion still clinging to her, though he'd stopped crying and was now looking around at the other apes in obvious fright.

"My name is Lydia and this is Roy and Orion. We've travelled far to find you."

She wasn't sure why she added that. Maybe to underline the importance of what she was about to ask of him, maybe to encourage him to listen in the first place. In any case, he signed for her to continue. So, he _did_ know it after all! What a relief.

"I have heard that you are the leader of the apes here in the woods. It's the only place I have ever heard of where the apes have gathered and live together. We've come to ask you if you'd be willing to accept Roy and Orion here into your colony."

Roy's head whipped around to look at her sternly. She knew why. She had purposely excluded herself from her request and he was angry that she didn't even try. Before she had a chance to continue, Roy began to sign to Caesar while huffing somewhat angrily.

" _Lydia too. She has no home and no one else! She is Orion's mother!_ "

This statement seemed to get Caesars attention. He looked at the chimp in Lydia's arms with confusion, though his eyes were softer than before. She had begun gently stroking Orion's back in an effort to make him stop crying and it seemed to have the desired effect. Caesar turned to Roy now, regarding the large male with a questioning stare.

" _And what are you to the child? And to the human?_ "

The question hung in the air for only a second before Roy stood up even straighter and proudly answered:

" _I have taken him as my son! I raise Orion with Lydia!_ "

* * *

 _ **Caesar**_

This was beyond confusing for Caesar, if not more so for the other apes in the colony. He had decided to take the strange group back to the village, where he could gather his council and make a decision based on their views. Still, he had so many questions running through his mind. Where had they come from? How far had they gone to get here? Did this mean there were other apes out there who, somehow, had also become smart? Why was this woman even with these apes? What was the relationship between this group's members _actually_?

Roy had proclaimed that he was the adoptive father of Orion. That he'd taken him in as his son. He also claimed that the human was the child's mother. This seemed a strange arrangement to Caesar. A human and an ape, raising a child as a pair? Very strange indeed. Unheard of, even.

Still, he was intrigued. As outrageous as this arrangement seemed, seeing a human and an ape working together like this tugged at Caesars heart. He had long hoped that apes and humans could live side by side in peace, yet hadn't had any example of this so far to show for. Even so, there was still the question of what to do with this strange little group.

They had come from the north-west, from a place the human woman called Minnesota. Caesar had only a vague idea of _where_ exactly that was, remembering that he had seen it on maps in one of Will's books many years ago. But the fact that it had supposedly taken them about a year on foot to get to the Ape Colony told him that it must be far away.

It had surprised him immensely to learn that there were, apparently, other apes out there who had been exposed to the virus that Will had created. From the humans who got infected with it in San Francisco, it had spread far and wide, and apes who had come into contact with the infected humans, in zoos, laboratories, sanctuaries, had begun to become smart.

And got killed for it.

The grown male ape who travelled with the human, Roy was his name, had explained that he and several other apes were being cruelly treated while being tested on to find a cure. Lydia had stumbled upon the facility they were being held in by chance and broken them out. It had only been Roy and the ape child, Orion, who had survived when the human captors had discovered what was happening.

The human then took over and explained that she had seen Caesar and his apes' escape across the Golden Gate bridge on the TV five years prior and heard multiple reports about it until human civilisation had fallen apart. Having no better alternative than to hope against hope that they would still be alive somewhere in the Muir Woods, Lydia and Roy had decided to start the long journey to San Francisco.

Now, Caesar wouldn't turn away apes who wanted to join his colony. Apes needed to be together. That was what made them strong.

The only question was what he should do with the human.

Koba had been adamant on killing her the moment he'd seen her enter the village, even if they had taken her backpack and the weapons she carried. Maurice was currently going through her things to make sure she didn't carry anything with her that could endanger the colony. So far, he'd found nothing. They were all gathered around the Law-Stone of the village. The one that carried the symbol of the apes, as well as the rules they lived by. Cornelia was sitting beside Caesar with Blue Eyes in her arms. His son seemed slightly frightened of the strange, long-legged being standing before him, yet also openly curious. The new ape child in her arms had clearly caught his attention as well.

" _Humans do not belong here! Not with ape! Dangerous!_ " Koba insisted for the umpteenth time. He was signing vigorously and kept shooting death glares at the human woman. Caesar had to admit he was impressed with how well she ignored it. Most humans, if not all, were frightened of Koba.

" _She took care of an ape child for a year. Protected him and brought him here from far away. Why do that if she is dangerous?_ " Cornelia interjected while giving Koba a defiant look. Caesar liked that about his wife. She had a fire in her and was not afraid to speak her mind.

Cornelia had been wary of the human too. After all, Cornelia had been born in the wild and captured by humans, so she had good reason not to trust one on principle.

However, she could see that the child in Lydia's arms felt safest with the human woman. Orion's arms were around Lydia's neck and he looked curiously around from under her chin. He had, luckily, stopped crying, but he seemed to still be frightened by all the strangers that surrounded him.

" _Humans play tricks! Humans are patient! If she stays here, all apes are in danger!_ " Koba insisted.

As Caesar looked at Rocket, he realised that he seemed to have trouble deciding what his opinion was on the matter. He was reluctant to accept the human too, Caesar knew. Though he had not agreed with Koba about outright killing her, he had bad experiences with humans as well, and thus, had his doubts about letting this one stay.

Maurice had been far more forthcoming. The fact that she had managed to take care of a small ape for so long, as well as gaining the favour of a grown male ape, spoke volumes according to him. Such devotion was rare, even among apes, he argued. Caesar had to agree with that.

Many more apes had voiced their opinion, but Caesar was still in doubt. Before he could interrupt the argument between Koba and Cornelia, the human caught Caesars eye and raised her hand, asking for permission to speak. The Ape Colony fell silent as the human began to simultaneously speak and sign.

"I see my presence here is unwelcome. I had my hopes but never really expected to be allowed to stay. I don't want to be the cause of unrest in this colony, Caesar, I hope you know that."

Her voice was calm and collected as she held her head high to meet his green stare. Koba huffed in disbelief while Caesar merely nodded. She ignored the bonobo completely.

"That's why I have decided to take this matter out of your hands. I'll leave on my own accord…"

Roy immediately turned to her and shook his head violently while grabbing her shoulder in a tight grip. Caesar observed the scene quietly with a calculating stare.

" _No! You should not have to leave! Orion needs a mother! We are a family!_ " His hands moved frantically as he signed and Caesar saw a desperation in his eyes that had not previously been there.

"I'm sure there are at least a few females here who'd be willing to take him in, Roy…"

Lydia's voice was quieter and strained now. There probably _was_ someone among the females willing to do that, Caesar thought, but as he looked at the child staring concernedly back and forth between his surrogate parents as they argued, he wondered if that really would be the best for the little chimp.

" _It is not fair that you have to leave because you are human,_ " Roy insisted stubbornly, " _you are ape inside. That should be good enough._ "

 _What a strange thing to say_ , Caesar thought. He looked over at Maurice with a raised eyebrow, but the orangutan was clearly just as puzzled by the statement as Caesar himself was.

"It doesn't matter what I am on the inside, Roy. If people are not willing to get to know you, if they fear you and keep their distance, they're never going to see that in the first place." She retorted with a stern look.

"It can't be helped. I'm not going to stay where I'm not wanted." She looked down at Orion with sad eyes and Caesar was suddenly reminded of Will, his adoptive human father. It sent a pang of hurt through his chest that he hadn't felt in a long, long time.

The Ape King tried to ignore it as he continued to listen.

"Orion should grow up with his own kind. Have playmates his own age. Find a female he can be happy with someday. Here, he'll be able to have all this and I'm not going to stand in the way of that." She looked up at Roy again, but with much softer eyes than before.

"And you need to stay here with him. You're the only ape he knows and trusts."

Her voice was breaking and Roy put his forehead to hers in a comforting gesture. Caesar was baffled by the whole scenario, though his features didn't show it, his frown and hard stare ever-present on his face.

He decided it was time he made his decision known, though there wasn't much to decide, really, since she had clearly made her choice. He grunted loudly to catch everyone's attention.

" _The human will leave,_ " he signed, " _but we should also help her, because she helped ape._ " He looked around at the other apes gathered there, daring any of them to challenge his decision. His stern gaze pointedly rested on Koba for longer than any of the other apes, but the bonobo only huffed sourly and turned his head. Most of the apes nodded in agreement to their leader's statement.

An act of such kindness should not go unrewarded.

" _We will give one of our horses, to make her travel easier, and food for three days, to show our gratitude._ " Caesar signed. There was a murmur of agreement among the rest of the apes, though both Cornelia and Maurice still looked unsure about the decision to make Lydia leave.

Caesar turned his gaze to the human woman.

" _Is there anything else you want to ask for?_ " He questioned. The woman titled her head slightly to one side in thought before answering.

"Actually, I think it'd be best if you kept the horse." She said thoughtfully and began to explain her reason for declining the gift before the apes could take offense.

"It is a very generous gift and I am honoured that you'd even consider it, don't get me wrong… but a horse would make it difficult for me to stay hidden on the roads. Other humans would notice me easier… some might even want to attack me to steal the horse," she reasoned.

"And besides," Lydia continued," I didn't bring Roy and Orion here to get rewarded. I did it because it was the only right thing to do. It was the only way I could think of that would let them live with other apes."

Caesar could see the logic in what she was saying. Yet there was one part of her statement that puzzled him.

" _You don't want to be noticed? Why? Are you not going to try and find other humans?_ "

This time it was Maurice who asked. It seemed like he had thought the same as Caesar, as his brow was furrowed in confusion at this little piece of information. Who wouldn't want to be with their own kind?

"Let's just say that I have a good reason not to trust other humans. I'd rather be on my own." Was her cryptic answer.

Caesar couldn't read her expression as she said this. The moment Maurice had asked, her face had slowly turned into a stoic mask that Caesar, despite his year-long experience with humans in his childhood, had never been met with before. Roy, however, seemed to know what she was talking about, as he gave her a sideways glance and held his head low.

He was obviously coming to terms with the fact that his traveling companion was going to leave soon.

Perhaps Caesar would approach the ape later to inquire about this peculiar answer from the human. For now, he decided to accept her explanation and signed for some of his apes to retrieve the food they'd be providing for her journey.

The Ape King would at least give her that much.


	3. A Knawing Conscience

_**Maurice**_

The supplies had been packed in Lydia's backpack, together with her personal belongings after Maurice had finished going through them. She carried many strange things with her, the old orangutan noted. A book or two, filled with maps that seemed vaguely familiar to Maurice, a pencil and a notebook, a swiss army knife, a hairbrush, an extra set of clothes and other human necessities.

Two things had caught Maurice's eye as he had searched through her things. One had been a rather crudely made cloak from what appeared to be a pelt from a bear. He had never seen a human wear such a thing before, and reasoned that she must have made it herself, though he had no idea how she'd gotten her hands on the pelt of such a dangerous animal. Even experienced hunters among the apes were wary of these ferocious beasts.

The other item had been a framed picture showing six humans standing close to each other and smiling at the viewer. He recognised one of them to be a younger Lydia, and assumed that the rest of the people must be her family, which consisted of her father, mother, Lydia herself and what Maurice thought must be three siblings. A sister, who looked older than Lydia, and two brothers, one looking to be a year or two younger than Lydia, if Maurice was to guess, and one looking to be even younger still.

He guessed they must all be dead, since she had said she didn't have anyone left besides the apes that she had arrived with.

Her weapons had been simple. A bow and a quiver full of arrows. Some were clearly professionally made, while others looked to have been made while the group had been on the road. A lot of care had been put into these arrows, though. Maurice guessed the weapon had been their main tool for getting meat while traveling. She also had a rather large dagger, which had been strapped to her thigh for easy access when she had met the apes in the forest.

All in all, Maurice hadn't learned much from going through her stuff, other than the fact that she at least _used_ to have a human family, and that she was probably a skilled hunter, if her weapons and the cloak was anything to go by.

He watched as Caesar handed the human her backpack and her weapons, which she slung onto her person before giving the Ape King a nod of thanks. She was getting ready to leave.

Lydia then walked down from the Law-Stone where Caesar stood, and approached Roy with a sad expression on her face. Orion was standing on the ground next to the large male chimp, having previously been pried from Lydia's chest with much effort. He seemed anxious and continued to sign to Lydia.

" _Why sad?_ " He kept asking.

Maurice had a hard time sitting idly by and watch as this unlikely, but clearly tightly-knit group was torn apart.

He could tell it didn't sit well with Cornelia either. The Ape Queen was holding on to Blue Eyes' hand and anxiously rubbing her thumb over his small fingers. She looked at the scene before her with saddened eyes.

The human and the big chimp embraced each other tightly and she buried her face in the hairs on his shoulder. She almost disappeared in his long arms, but she fell right into them like she belonged there. When she let go, Roy grabbed the back of her neck and pressed her forehead to his own while exhaling harshly through his nostrils. When he let go, she reached forward and grabbed the necklace he was wearing.

"Remember what I told you, Roy. We are a family. Nothing else matters." She smiled lightly at him. Then her mouth twisted in a sad frown as tears started to gather in her blue eyes.

She willed them away before they could fall, though.

"I'm going to miss you…"

He merely nodded and reached out to give a single, gentle tug on a loose strand of her hair before he let his arm drop back to his side. He looked so defeated that Maurice felt an urge to roar some sense into Caesar, yet he knew that the Ape King found this to be just as difficult, even if it didn't show on his face, which was still set into its customary hard frown.

Lydia stepped back from Roy and bent down to Orion's level. The little chimp looked up at his surrogate mother with big, watery eyes. He was picking up on what was about to happen, Maurice could see that.

The human's voice cracked slightly as she spoke to the ape child she had spent so long protecting and nurturing.

"Be good now, Orion, and do what Roy tells you…"

She gently brushed her fingers against the little ape's cheek. His eyes, green as the rest of the evolved apes', were widened at the realisation of what was about to happen.

"Don't forget me, okay? You're my son, no matter where I go from here and don't ever let anyone tell you any different." Her voice quivered when she called him her son, and from that point on, she had barely managed to finish the rest of her sentence.

He began whimpering and shake his head slightly, grabbing her hand for comfort.

It was all quiet in the Ape Colony as the human and the little ape touched foreheads. She closed her eyes and took a shaky breath before moving back to stand up.

Orion attempted to follow and reach for her, before Roy took his hand to stop him. The eyes of the ape child were still fixed on his mother, even as he was being held back.

Lydia stood up straight again, sighing deeply, and nodded meaningfully to Roy. She then turned her gaze towards Caesar and gave a curt nod, which the Ape King returned, before she turned around and began walking resolutely toward the gates leading out of the Ape Colony, her steps heavy but determined.

"Blaze, come on. Storm, to me." Came her strained voice as she clapped her thigh with her hand to signal for the shaggy beasts to follow.

The dogs got up from lying on the ground near Roy, and began to trudge after the human woman.

Orion went from whimpering to crying loudly out for her.

She didn't stop. Didn't look over her shoulder. Just continued walking stiffly towards the gate.

Then, she was gone and the only sound that could be heard throughout the colony were the miserable cries of a young ape.

* * *

 _ **Caesar**_

To say that Caesar felt like the most horrible being to ever walk on two legs right now would be a grave understatement. The heartfelt farewell between the human woman and her ape companions had been difficult to watch. Even more so knowing that he was mostly responsible for the tragic situation.

Yes, the woman had elected to leave by her own choice, but Caesar had ultimately done nothing to at least _try_ and convince his colony that it didn't have to be that way.

Who was he, really, if he couldn't accept someone into his colony who had been so outstandingly kind towards his species? Who was he if he, as a king and leader, couldn't make his people realise that this human was an obvious exception to the cruelty they had come to associate with her kind?

It was grinding at his conscience to the point that he had growled out loud while sitting in his home far up in his tree, looking out over the colony in deep thought. It was late in the evening the day after Lydia had left and Orion hadn't stopped crying since then. Also, he would let none of the apes come near him except Roy, who the child had clung to ever since his surrogate mother disappeared out the gate of the village.

It was heart-breaking.

The sound of Caesar's growl startled Cornelia, who had been readying their nest for the night behind him. She went to her husband's side and sat down gracefully beside him, laying her head on his shoulder.

She knew perfectly well why he was upset.

"Should. Have. Let her. Stay." His voice was deep, though hoarse from disuse. "Should. Have tried. Harder…"

His wife laid a reassuring hand on his arm and he looked down at her with a soft gaze he reserved for her and her alone. She began to sign.

" _You did what you thought was best for the village. For apes,_ " she hesitated for a second before continuing, " _but this human… she was not cruel, Caesar. She took care of an ape child in need. He would be dead without her._ " Cornelia reasoned.

She turned her head to look back into their hut, where Blue Eyes had plopped gracelessly down into their nest while his parents talked and was resting peacefully. Caesar followed her gaze.

Then his wife did something he had never witnessed her do before. She spoke.

"Could. Have. Been. Blue Eyes…"

Her voice was low and strained, but still had a light, feminine quality to it.

Caesar nodded while still looking at his sleeping son. _Yes,_ he thought, _it could just as well have been Blue Eyes._ The mere thought cut deep into the Ape King's heart.

What would he have wanted if, hypothetically, the whole colony had been captured by humans and put back into their cages, only to be killed when they ceased to be of use to their captors or simply became too difficult to handle, Cornelia and himself included? If his son had somehow survived such a thing by the grace of one kind-hearted human, and if he had grown to love this human as Orion clearly loved Lydia, would Caesar not want his son to remain with such a person, then?

What right did he have to separate a child from its mother, even if said mother was a human?

He was a terrible hypocrite, he realised. He had been brought up by humans himself, after all. He had felt the love and kindness they were capable of and here he was, purposefully robbing another ape of this experience.

It just wouldn't do.

He turned to look at his wife again, this time with a resolute expression on his face.

" _Tomorrow we gather the council again._ " He signed to her. Her eyes lit up slightly at the statement and she nodded before going into the hut to join their son in the nest.

Caesar stayed where he was for some time still. His gaze travelled down to Maurice's home, where Roy and Orion were staying until they could get a hut of their own. The Ape King knew Maurice probably wouldn't mind having the human stay with him as well, seeing as he was one of the members in the council who had argued in her favour.

His brow furrowed in thought. It would still take quite some convincing to let her stay, even with the support and good points his wife provided him.

Then Caesar's eyes travelled to the gates to the Ape Colony, the dark forest looming all around them. He wondered if they would be able to find her again. She'd probably travel faster alone and the forest was dense, even as autumn was approaching.

He scratched the birthmark on his chest absentmindedly before he got up and went to the nest to join his wife and son. He would need all the rest he could get.

Tomorrow was going to be a long day.


	4. An Unpopular Decision

_**Maurice**_

"NO!" Koba's voice sounded throughout Caesar's home as he got up in protest.

It was early morning in the Ape Colony, but the council members were all gathered in the impressive hut of their king, some alert, some agitated.

And then there was Koba, who was furious. He began signing frantically.

" _Caesar cannot be serious! Human has no place here! Ape village is for APES!_ "

There were a few who nodded in agreement, though in a more subdued manner. Caesar fixed the scarred bonobo with a stern look that left no room for arguing and Koba immediately sat down again. He was fiercely loyal to Caesar. He had, after all, freed him from the pain and suffering of the lab he was being held at back when the apes rebelled. He would accept his leader's final decision in any case.

But that didn't mean he had to be happy with it, that much was clear to Maurice.

" _She has proven herself. She cared for apes, rescued them when she did not have to. She could have left them to be killed, but she did not. Instead she risked her life to bring them here._ " Maurice signed calmly. It wouldn't do to further agitate Koba by making harsh gestures. " _She is worthy of apes._ " The old orangutan concluded.

Maurice had been pleased to discover that Caesar had reconsidered bringing the human into the colony to live with them. He truly believed it had been a mistake for her to leave, especially considering how little Orion was dealing with her absence.

He would not leave his adoptive father's side for even a second, perhaps fearing that he, too, would disappear as soon as he let go of his fur. No one else could get near him without him screeching as if burned, not even the other ape children.

What was more, he had stopped eating altogether.

Maurice made sure to mention that this morning and the information seemed to further worry the other members of the council, noticeably Cornelia, whose face had scrunched up in obvious concern.

 _Not like Roy is doing much better_ , Maurice thought. Unlike his adoptive son, the big male _was_ still eating, though he was obviously distressed at the way his family had been split up so suddenly. Maurice had noticed how he kept gazing towards the forest whenever he left the hut and his overall demeanour was one of depression. He talked with Maurice whenever the orangutan was home, thanking him for his hospitality and commenting on things he saw around the village, but his heart and mind was elsewhere, Maurice could tell.

" _How do we know she has not gone to find humans? How do we know it was not just an act? A lie?_ " Koba persisted.

Caesar seemed to ponder this, as other members of the council backed Koba's statement. What kind of creature, be it human or ape, wouldn't want to seek out their own kind? It was a suspicious aspect of this whole affair.

" _If we find her, we can follow her for a time, see what she does, where she goes,_ " Caesar signed with finality, but quickly added, as an afterthought, " _then, if she is not seeking out humans, we will talk with her, listen to her reason. I want to know this._ "

There was a low murmur among the council as their leader got up to prepare for the search. It was decided that he, Cornelia, Maurice, Koba, Rocket and Luca would go, while the elders of the council would stay and keep the peace as they searched.

At first, the council had objected to Cornelia joining the search. She was the Queen of the apes and a peacekeeper in the village. Furthermore, it would be the first time Blue Eyes would be without his mother for a longer stretch of time. Who knew how long it would take to find this human, if they could even find her at all?

Caesar hadn't even bothered to argue with her, though. Cornelia had already made the arrangements with Tinker, Rocket's wife, to take care of their son while his parents were absent.

Their queen could be just as stubborn as their king, Maurice mused. Especially when it was a matter that pulled at her heart, as this clearly did.

Koba was obviously disgruntled at the prospect of having to go out and try to find this woman to invite her back to the village. Maurice understood his reasons but couldn't help but feel that the bonobo's hatred was completely misplaced.

The love for the apes that Maurice had witnessed the day she left was real enough. It was almost tangible, even.

That day, it was not a human who had left her pets behind, as Maurice had often witnessed at San Bruno where he had met Caesar all those years ago. It was a mother who had reluctantly left her child in the care of strangers and, Maurice mused, maybe it was even a female who had left her beloved mate behind, if the looks Roy had been giving her was anything to go by.

It was clear they held an affection towards one another in any event. Maurice wouldn't pry, though, as strange and taboo as it was. He hoped none of the other apes would either. It wasn't really their business.

All that mattered was what she had done for apes. She had showed them kindness, and they had made her leave as a reward.

Maurice bristled slightly at the thought as the council dispersed.

They would have to show her they were better than that. That her trust in apes wasn't misplaced.

If the apes couldn't open their hearts to one human who had proven herself in such a way, how did they differ from what they'd rebelled against?

Maurice made his way to his hut as these thoughts flooded his mind, then hummed deep in his throat as another, more pleasant one presented itself: He'd be able to tell Roy that they were going to get her back.

Now Maurice just hoped that they would actually be able to find Lydia. He looked at the huge redwood trees with a slight frown.

It _was_ a very big forest…

* * *

 _ **Lydia**_

It was three days since Lydia had left Orion and Roy behind with the colony and since then, her trek through the forest had been more or less aimless. She knew she was going in a somewhat northern to north-western direction, but that was about it. She doubted she would be able to retrace her steps and find the Ape Colony again, even if she tried.

 _That's probably for the best_ , she thought sadly.

The image of Orion's watery eyes and the sound of his distressed cries would not leave her mind, no matter how hard she tried to rid herself of the memory.

The dogs seemed to be looking for the apes as they followed her between the giant trees. Blaze would stop every now and then and sniff the air, sometimes looking back the way they had come from and start whining. Storm stayed close to Lydia at all times, licking her fingers occasionally. She usually never did that and Lydia couldn't help but think the dog was aware of her distress and was trying to comfort her. They were smart creatures, dogs.

She was glad that she at least had them with her, so she wouldn't be traveling completely alone. She would probably not be able to sleep at night without the dogs anyway. They had proved good watchdogs more than once during their cross-country journey, waking the group with vicious growls whenever they had sensed danger. Sometimes it had been a bear, sometimes an approaching car or gunfire – Lydia had taught them that particular trick, since she really didn't want to encounter other humans. It was just safer that way.

Almost as if the mere stray thought of other humans had conjured it, a road came into view between the giant redwood trees ahead and Lydia was pulled out of her stupor. She slowed down her steps considerably as she approached, then came to a full stop just before her feet met the cracked asphalt. She crouched down and looked left and right down the road before stepping out onto it when she didn't spot any other beings nearby.

Lydia noticed a few cars along the stretch of road and tensed at first at the sight. All stood still and many had their doors and trunks opened. She relaxed as she deduced that they were all abandoned.

One of the vehicles closest to her was an old pick-up truck a bit further down the road, parked hazardously across one of the lanes. It was rusted and as Lydia got nearer, she noticed that the windows had been broken and all the tyres were flat. She decided that she better take the opportunity to investigate the vehicle and check for anything she could scavenge. It had become a habit now to look for useful stuff whenever the chance came along and Lydia could certainly use a few things. Something to patch up her pants, for example.

No such luck, however. She went through the truck meticulously, but only managed to find a _really_ old-looking pack of cigarettes, some broken sunglasses and a whole lot of filth from the surrounding forest. It wasn't even worth cutting patches of the fabric that made up the interior of the truck – it had clearly been in a bad condition even before it had been abandoned.

With a heavy sigh of resignation, Lydia rounded the truck to sit gracelessly on the end of the flatbed, resting her legs after having walked for the better part of a day already. She realised that her pace had increased now that she wasn't adjusting her long-legged steps to Roy's slower gait and her legs were just starting to get used to the increased speed.

She leaned forward to rest her arms on her knees and sighed once again. She looked as hopeless as she felt.

 _What good is a faster pace when I don't even know where I'm going anymore?_ Lydia thought as she looked down at her hands.

Blaze, who had been sniffing around the truck while Lydia searched it, chose that moment to come up in front of her, putting his rather large front paws on either side of her and resting his head in her outstretched palms. He began to whine again as he averted his brown gaze from her eyes, looking anxiously towards the forest from which they had come.

"I know, boy, I know, but we can't go back." She soothed the large canine while scratching him absentmindedly behind his ear. "They are where they need to be... it's best this way…" It sounded hollow, even to her own ears. Blaze didn't seem to judge her, though. He just nuzzled further into the hand that was petting him. His fur was a striking light grey, slightly darker at the tips of the hairs on his back, and extremely soft to the touch, despite their life on the road. Storm, on the other hand, had dark fur the colour of stormy clouds right before thunder breaks loose, and so Lydia had given her a fitting name.

"But I miss them too, boy," she spoke sadly.

Suddenly, Storm, who had laid down by the back of the truck, tensed up and started to growl menacingly in the direction the truck was facing. Blaze soon followed suit as he put his paws back onto the road. That's when Lydia heard it, the distinct sound of a running engine getting closer.

A car was coming their way.

"Shit!" Lydia cursed as she quickly jumped down from the flatbed and hurried towards the forest, the dogs hot at her heels. She threw herself into the nearest dense undergrowth she could find and observed the road from behind the vegetation intensely.

The car, a dirty jeep, she noted, passed her hiding spot at high speed, swerving between the abandoned vehicles scattered along the road. So, she hadn't been seen, of that she was sure. Otherwise, they would have stopped or at the very least slowed down. A lone woman in the middle of nowhere was always worth investigating, no matter if your intentions were good or bad.

Lydia didn't want to take that chance either way.

She released a breath she hadn't known she was holding as she rose from the ground and dusted herself off. They had to move on, she concluded. Staying near the road was not ideal.

Turning her back on the road, she faced the forest once more, steeling herself, and started her aimless journey anew, seemingly unaware of the eyes following her every move, far up in the trees.


	5. A New Home

_**Caesar**_

Caesar watched the human woman jump off the truck and dart into the forest as the jeep appeared in the distance.

He was perched on a branch high up in one of the trees, his wife and advisors all around him, and they all looked at each other perplexed. Even Koba seemed, at the very least, curious at this point.

They had found her about half an hour before she had reached the road, and as they had agreed back at the colony the previous day, the apes watched her from a distance to try and figure out where she seemed to be heading.

It had taken the group quite some time to find her. Longer than Caesar had expected, since he had thought she would leave clearer signs of her presence around the path she was taking. Broken branches, trodden-down undergrowth, anything that would normally be left behind when a human moved through nature. Not that there hadn't been any such signs, but they had been few and far between, making it near impossible to make out a clear path for the group of apes to follow. In the end it had been the trails that the dogs had left which had alerted Rocket, one of their most experienced trackers and hunters, to her presence. They had left clear tracks and trails through the bushes and because of that, the apes were also able to find some footprints from the human woman herself nearby. Immediately, Caesar had noticed something.

She was going the exact opposite direction of the city of San Francisco, contrary to what Koba had theorized when they first set out to look for her. He had been insisting that they should go in that direction if they wanted to find her. Towards where the last of the humans' electric lights still shone brightly through the night, though they were getting fewer and fewer as the months went by. He was sure she had been lying when she said she wanted to avoid people. Certain that she would hurry to the humans in the city and tell them the exact location of the Ape Colony first chance she got.

Only she hadn't.

Caesar signalled for the others to follow him down so they could cross the road as well, following her further and further through the dense forest.

After a few more hours the trees opened up to reveal a huge lake where she seemed to have decided to stop and make camp. The water was calm and a few ducks were making their way merrily across the surface. It seemed the ideal place to settle down for the night.

The thing about the woods, though, is that danger can present itself at any given time, even in the most idyllic of places.

And sure enough, as Lydia was pulling out a weathered, green canvas that Caesar suspected she used as a makeshift tent from her backpack, the unmistakable grunting and panting of a bear sounded from the edge of the forest.

Lydia visibly stiffened as she turned her head toward the bear and her dogs began to growl viciously at the huge predator loping cautiously towards the human. Like it wasn't quite sure what to make of her. Caesar vaguely heard Cornelia's sharp intake of breath beside him as the woman slowly got up from her crouching position over her backpack.

Something in Caesar told him to interfere. To make sure the woman wouldn't get killed. He wanted to roar at the top of his lungs and chase the bear away and from the way Cornelia tensed beside him, he wasn't the only one.

Something held him back, though.

It was the way she just slowly rose to her full height, perfectly calm in the face of one of the forest's most fearsome predators, which was slowly making its way towards her. There was no panic written across her features, no trembling limbs and no hesitation in her movements as she reached for her bow on her back.

She wasn't seriously going to attack the bear, was she?

The look on her face was stern, bordering on furious anger, as she kept her eyes trained on the bear. Caesar caught himself thinking that he wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of that stare, and it seemed as if the bear was beginning to get the same idea as its steps came to a halt.

She began to reach for an arrow in the quiver she wore on her back and the dogs seemed to take that as a hint to start barking madly at the bear. This visibly startled the huge beast and it jumped a few steps backwards as a result, then hesitated, but finally got the message when the woman shot a warning arrow right in front of its paws.

Then it fled, as fast as it could, back into the forest.

The Ape King let out a breath he didn't realise he was holding and Cornelia visibly relaxed beside him. He turned to share a look with Maurice, who looked so baffled it was almost comical. Luca and Rocket were looking to him as well, waiting for him to give them orders on what to do.

Koba's eyes were still trained on the human and Caesar could not for the life of him discern the expression the bonobo was currently sporting. He seemed almost… approving? Yes, that was it, he seemed to approve of this obvious display of courage, even if there was still a clear trace of his persevering distrust for humans in general, there seemed to at least be a spark of respect in his gaze now.

Caesar turned his eyes towards the woman down by the lake once again.

She had sat down on the trunk of a fallen young redwood, against which she had started to make camp. Her bow was lying against her backpack on the ground and the dogs were sniffing around the area, probably making sure the bear was truly gone.

Before the Ape King could signal for his entourage to follow him down the tree to approach the human, she called out into the silent forest, not turning her head away from the lake she was currently staring at.

"Are you going to come out and talk to me or not?"

The apes looked around at each other in bewilderment. She had noticed them? How long had she known they were there?

Caesar began to make his way down the tree, his wife and advisors following suit. His feet hit the ground with a dull "thump" and he calmly walked over to the woman they had been shadowing for the better part of a day. She still didn't look at them as they approached.

The dogs, recognising the apes, came over to sniff at them with wagging tails. Koba growled when Blaze got near, but the other apes reached out their hands to briefly pet the canines' heads.

"Have you come to kill me?" Her voice sounded, ever calm as the water in front of her.

"No… Not. To kill." Caesar was taken aback by her question. Did they really seem that hostile to her? He knew she wasn't exactly received with open arms when she and her companions first showed up a few days past, but had their behaviour really warranted such a suspicion from her?

She cracked a subtle smile before replying.

"I figured as much. I suppose you would have already done it long ago if that had been your intention, instead of following me around for hours on end." She turned her head to look Caesar in the eyes, her expression serious.

"Sorry for suspecting such a horrible thing of you… It's just a bad habit of mine to always expect the worst…" She hesitated for a fraction of a second, the shrugged. "Though it _has_ kept me alive up until now."

Caesar nodded. He could understand the logic behind that very well. Then he began to sign.

" _How long have you known we were there?_ " He just had to know what had given them away.

"Since I left that road a couple of hours ago. I heard some branches creaking behind me and caught a glimpse of Maurice as he climbed back up into the trees." She smiled almost apologetically at the orangutan, who in turn rumbled low in his throat before signing an answer.

" _Not used to move quietly through forest. Spend most of my time in the village._ " She nodded with a slight smile before turning back to Caesar.

"I wasn't sure what to make of you guys following me, so I figured I'd just continue on my way and that you'd approach me if you wanted something." She said. Caesar had to admit that he was impressed by her attitude towards this whole situation. She spoke to them as he would expect her to speak to any human, not animals, as most of her species thought them to be.

" _We want to invite you to come back with us. To the Ape Village. To live._ " Caesar signed, blunt and straight-forward as ever. It was better to get to the point and not beat around the bush. She seemed like the kind of person who would appreciate such an approach.

Her eyes widened slightly in surprise at his words.

"What…? But that's… Why the sudden change of heart?" She seemed utterly confused.

This time, it was Cornelia who answered. She stepped forward before Caesar could as much as raise his hands to answer and began to sign with graceful movements.

" _You have proven yourself. Showed great kindness to apes. We have decided to return this kindness._ " She then hesitated before continuing her explanation in a more subdued manner. " _You said you have nowhere to go. No one to go back to…_ " Then she smiled kindly at Lydia. " _Go back with us. Back to Roy and Orion._ "

Lydia's eyes softened at the mention of the apes she had come to see as family, and looked to Caesar for confirmation. He nodded seriously and she smiled truly for the first time.

"I'd be honoured to live with the apes and I'd do anything to be with Roy and Orion again… They are my family…" She then looked down in thought. "but wouldn't it cause problems for you if I came back? I don't want there to be unrest in the colony because of me… I know your people has no reason to trust me…" A frown marred her features as she said this.

" _What you have done for apes should be reason enough to trust you. Anyone who says otherwise can come to me._ " Caesar signed. His eyes were ever serious and he made sure his movements as he signed left no room for discussion. She nodded in understanding.

" _But we have some questions before we go back to Ape Village,_ " Caesar continued. Again, she nodded.

"Seems only fair. What do you want to know?"

Maurice stepped forward and began to sign now.

" _Why are you not with humans? Why do you run away from them?_ " Caesar noted how the orangutan kept his movements calm and his stare kindly towards the woman. The Ape King turned to her for an answer, staring at her expectantly.

"That's… not something I usually like to talk about… but I guess I owe you an explanation." She took a deep breath before exhaling into a somewhat hopeless sigh. "You see, most of my family died when the virus broke out. My mother, my older sister and youngest brother all died within the first month after you guys had made your escape across The Golden Gate Bridge. After that, it was just me, my dad and the last one of my brothers that was left."

Caesar noted that she got a far-off look in her eyes as she spoke about her family. Like she wasn't really there anymore. Her expression was neutral and her shoulders were slumped.

"After about six months food began to run seriously low and it was hard to find clean water. The power had also started to fail, since many of the people who usually worked with this stuff were either dead or dying. That's when people started moving together into colonies in the bigger cities. Me, my dad and my brother moved to the one in Minneapolis, which was the closest to where we lived."

She turned her head to look out across the lake again, still maintaining her neutral mask.

"It was alright at first. A bit crowded, but alright. There was food, water and we still had a warm place to sleep at night… That lasted about three years. Then the third winter came, and people were struggling to make ends meet and they began to do what many humans trapped together in small spaces with no recourses usually do. They began to steal, fight and then kill for whatever scrap they could find. Some started to gather in smaller groups within the colony and gang up on others, threatening them with all kinds of things if they didn't hand over a share of their rations…"

Caesar's stare grew harder as her story progressed. He had a pretty good idea of where this was going. Cornelia reached for his hand and squeezed comfortingly.

The Ape King exhaled deeply through his nose in an effort to calm himself and continued to listen.

"My dad refused every time they came to threaten him. They wrecked our living quarters when we were out, broke our windows and threatened our neighbours so they wouldn't help us fix our place when it got trashed… When that didn't work either, they decided that we were a waste of recourses… That our food and water might as well go to other, less stubborn people…"

A hard look appeared on her face, not unlike the one she had worn against the bear only moments ago and she turned to Caesar, staring right into his verdant eyes, "Three of them cornered us in our living quarters one night and a fight broke out. They slit my brother's throat and stabbed my dad so many times I lost count… They would have done the same to me, if I hadn't gotten hold of the dagger we kept near my dad's bed…"

She trailed off and looked down into her hands. The look on her face was now a strange mix of rage and hopelessness.

"My dad managed to get a hold of his gun and shoot two of them before they got to me… And I killed the last one by stabbing him in the throat when he grabbed me." She looked up again and Caesar could see in her eyes that the memory plagued her. There was an unease behind the look she gave him and the Ape King felt a twinge of sadness for the woman in front of him. She wasn't that old for a human now, as she sat before him. She had been even younger when this had happened.

"After that, I cleaned the wounds from the fight as best as I could, grabbed everything I needed, and ran away… There was no way I was going to stay in that place, or any other place with humans for that matter. I've seen how ugly people can be, how cruelly they can act for their own benefit… I never want to see that again. That's why I ran away when that car came down the road. That's why I avoid humans at all costs. They're simply not worth the risk." She concluded.

Cornelia moved forward and put a tentative hand on the woman's shoulder and Lydia looked at her reassuringly. She smiled slightly at the Ape Queen.

"I wandered around alone until I found Roy and Orion and the other apes about five months later, and broke them free from the place they were being held captive…"

Surprisingly, Koba was the one to speak up now.

"Why. Save. Apes?" Came his breathy, rough voice. Caesar had to admit he was curious too. What had compelled her to free the apes? Putting her own life at risk to save creatures her species saw as nothing but pets. Sometimes even less than that.

She looked at Koba as if it was a strange question he was asking.

"Why wouldn't I have?" She questioned, cocking her head to one side. The movement reminded Caesar of a dog.

"Human. Keep. Apes. In. Cage." Koba rasped out, "Human. Do. Not. Care. For. Apes." He gestured to the scar across his milky white eye as if to prove his point.

"Well, I do." Came her resolute reply. "What should I have done? Leave them to be killed when those bastards were done with them? I could hear their screaming from miles away, way before I could even see the building they were kept in." She clenched her fists resting on top of her knees, as if the mere thought made her blood boil. "No one deserves what they did to those apes. No one."

Cornelia grunted to get Lydia's attention.

" _How did you free the apes?_ " She signed with an inquisitive look in her eyes. Caesar had wondered about that too. From what Roy had described, there had been quite a few people to guard the facility. People with guns.

The question brought Lydia out of her angry state and she looked thoughtfully at Cornelia while she answered.

"Well, I snuck around the place and figured out how many people were there and where it would be easiest to sneak in unseen. The building was pretty run-down and had holes in the walls so it wasn't hard to get in once I knew the guards' routine. The hardest part would be opening the cages, since they were locked tight so the apes wouldn't escape." Cornelia nodded for her to continue.

"Once I was in, I discovered that some of the apes, a female with a baby and one of the males, were signing to each other. Later, I found out it was because they'd been raised in labs and trained to do that before the virus broke out- "

"How. You. Know. Sign?" Caesar interrupted. He just had to ask. He had been wondering that since he first saw her do it. He knew not many humans could sign and had wondered if maybe Roy had taught her, but her sign language seemed too fluent for her to have learned it in the span of just one year.

"Oh, my brother was born deaf, so I've known it since I was little." She smiled fondly, "I was kind of a translator for him when we were younger. He wanted to take lessons in jiu-jitsu, a kind of sport where you fight hand-to-hand, but no one there knew sign, so I had to attend the lessons too so I could translate what he was signing." She squared her shoulders a bit, "I actually became quite good at it, the fighting, I mean. It has come in quite handy several times since the virus broke out."

Caesar nodded. He didn't really know what this jiu-jitsu was or why someone would take such lessons if they didn't expect to fight, but he could see how having learned that would be useful for a lone female on the road.

"Anyway, I caught the eye of the female with the baby and began signing to her, telling her that I wanted to get them all out of there and asking if she knew who had the keys to the cages. She didn't really trust me in the beginning, though I can't really say I blame her. But she warmed up to me and told me her name. She was called Mara…" A sad look temporarily clouded Lydia's features before she went on. "She described the guy I needed to look for to get the keys. It went pretty well, since he was quite drunk, sitting in his " _office_ "," Lydia brought up two hands and made sarcastic quotations with her fingers. Caesar almost huffed out a chuckle at the gesture.

"Then I went back to the cages and started letting out the apes, starting with Mara and her baby, then the male she had been signing with earlier. He didn't like me much but I suppose he figured I wasn't a threat, since he didn't attack me or anything. I gave him the spare key and he helped me unlock the rest of the cages. We were almost done when the ape in the second to last cage jumped out, knocked me to the floor and screeched at the top of his lungs. The first male pushed him out of the way but… the guards had heard the commotion and came to investigate. We all ran for our lives…"

Lydia's expression became unreadable to Caesar and once again, he was pretty sure he knew where this was going. Yet he dared not interrupt.

"I ran with Mara and the male, who you probably already guessed was Roy. Then Mara… got shot in the back… She handed me her baby after she tried to get up but couldn't… Roy couldn't run and carry her at the same time."

A lump formed in Caesar's throat. This must have been a nightmare… He looked to his wife to find that she was visibly shaken by the story. She had reached forward and grabbed one of Lydia's hands and was looking at the woman with teary eyes. His wife's words from two days ago rang through Caesar's mind then. " _Could. Have. Been. Blue Eyes._ "

"I grabbed the child and ran with Roy as fast as I could… We never saw her again…" She sighed shakily before confirming what Caesar had been guessing at since she mentioned the female and her baby. "She was Orion's mother… His _real_ mother…" There was no bitterness in her voice, only regret. She looked to each of the apes in turn, before her gaze finally settled on Caesar. "I adopted him after that. And Roy decided to stay and help me raise him. It wasn't long after that I remembered seeing you guys on the news a few years back, and decided that your colony would be the best chance Orion had of being with apes his own age. All the others from the facility were killed, after all."

There was a sombre silence after that and the Ape King took some time to look, really _look_ at the woman sitting in front of him. She had a slender build, long legs and a slightly slumped posture. Her thick, dark brown hair, gathered in a braid, greatly contrasted her relatively pale skin tone and she had deep blue eyes. She wore a weathered khaki green jacket which stood open to reveal a grey shirt underneath. Fingerless, black gloves covered her hands and her jeans were dark blue with holes on the knees. Caesar assumed she had worn them thin for them to look like that. On her feet she wore light boots which had, at some point, probably been a much darker shade of brown. Now, they were bleached by the sun and covered in dirt. Around her slender neck, the leather string with the bear tooth and claws was still displayed proudly.

It was clear that she had been hardened, in body and soul, by past events and judging by the way she had dealt with the bear, she had a healthy amount of courage too. _What was the phrase humans used to describe that?_ Caesar thought. _Ah! Guts_ , that was it, she had guts _._

Her story had been a lot to process, even for Caesar. But he was glad that he had changed his mind. This woman had truly gone above and beyond for the apes and had expected nothing at all in return. There was no way he was going to turn his back on someone like that.

He reached forward for her to grab his hand to help her stand up.

"Come." He said, "We. Go. Back. Now… To Apes."

* * *

 _ **Maurice**_

It had taken them quite a while to get back to the colony. Lydia had insisted on walking herself as opposed to being carried by Luca. Her reason had been that she had two perfectly good legs to move about on.

Also, she didn't like to be carried, she later revealed. She liked to be in control of her own movements.

Maurice could only chuckle at that.

So, Luca had offered to carry her backpack instead, which she had agreed to, and with the extra weight off her shoulders, she moved quite quickly through the undergrowth beneath the apes. Even without any hunting experience himself, Maurice could tell she must have been skilled at it. Her movements were quick and silent, so much so that they reminded the orangutan of a mountain lion on the prowl.

When she had left the colony, she didn't have any particular destination to reach and so, her trail had been weaving through the forest aimlessly, even if she had walked in a general north/north-western direction. Because of this, her three-day journey hadn't really brought her _that_ far away.

Now though, they had a set destination and with the apes navigating them effortlessly through the forest, it took about a day for the group to get back.

As they passed through the gates leading into the Ape Colony, the occupants of the village began hooting excitedly. Their leader was back.

A happy squeal sounded through the air, and Blue Eyes came barrelling through the crowd towards his parents, throwing himself into his mother's waiting arms. Cornelia hugged her son tightly to her chest and Caesar laid his arm protectively around his family, cooing soothingly at the child. The scene brought a warm smile to Maurice's face.

Then he turned his attention to the crowd once more.

Maurice guessed that the elders had probably informed the rest of the village about the reason for their absence, because no one seemed surprised by the human woman who was with them. Most seemed apprehensive and hesitant to get near her, but that was to be expected. Maurice looked to her to gauge her state of mind.

She seemed calm as ever, though her eyes were searching through the village. Maurice knew exactly who she was looking for.

Soon, a sharp intake of breath told him that she had spotted them and he followed her gaze.

Roy stood with little Orion clinging to his chest at the entrance to Maurice's home, and the old orangutan guessed that they had probably been huddled up in there all day. The chimpanzee looked like he didn't quite believe what he was seeing and it wasn't until Orion turned his head from Roy's chest to look at what had caused all this commotion that he seemed to realise what was happening.

Before the older male could as much as let go of the child, though, Orion had flung himself out of Roy's grip and darted towards Lydia at a pace which surprised even Maurice.

She only managed to take about two steps forward and drop down to one knee before Orion jumped into her arms and gripped her jacket tightly, whimpering all the while pressing his teary face against the side of her neck. Her arms wrapped protectively around the little chimp as she tried to calm him.

"Shhh, it's alright now." She cooed soothingly. "I'm back and I'm never going to leave you ever again…"

Soon, Roy had made his way over to the woman and ape child, albeit at a much slower pace than Orion. As he stood in front of Lydia, she raised her eyes to meet his before she stood up and let go of Orion with one arm, pulling Roy into a fierce embrace. He returned it instantly and breathed out an audible sigh of relief.

The colony was silent save for a quiet hoot here and there from the crowd.

Then Lydia let go of Roy and turned toward Caesar with a serious, yet teary-eyed look before stepping forward and bowing down in front of him on one knee. It seemed difficult, as Orion was still clinging to her chest, but nonetheless, she stretched out her right arm and held her palm upwards for him to swipe his fingers against, as any of the apes would do.

It seemed to surprise Caesar that she even knew the gesture at all, as Maurice noticed how his leader's eyes momentarily widened at the woman. He quickly got over it, though, and gently ran his rough fingers against her soft palm.

She retracted her hand to her chest afterwards and looked up at Caesar, her face filled with sincere gratitude.

"Thank you." She whispered shakily.

And just like that, a human became part of Caesar's Ape Colony.


	6. Routine and Rulebreaking

_**Caesar**_

The sun was just peeking over the horizon as Caesar sat at the entrance to his home high in the main tree of the village, already sporting his intimidating war-paint and looking out across his kingdom calmly. Soon the village would be teeming with life, as the males of the village would prepare to go hunting. Most of the females would separate into smaller foraging-groups, tasked with looking through the forest for berries and roots, while the young would be looked after by the remaining apes. They would spend half the day being tutored by Maurice in the ways of the apes, until he'd release them and let them do as they pleased for the rest of the day.

The Ape King caught sight of Roy as he made his way out of his hut to sit at the edge of the wooden walkway leading up to the peculiar family's home. The ape started checking his spear for weaknesses, preparing for the day's hunt. It did not take long before his human mate, well, Caesar at least supposed she was Roy's mate in some sense, stepped out of the hut, sat down behind the chimp and began grooming him absentmindedly while looking at the colourful sky to the east. Caesar couldn't help pondering the strange family-scene.

It had been one and a half year since they first arrived at the colony in the early days of autumn.

Since then, there had been some major changes happening in the Ape Village as a result. Most of the apes had been wary of the human woman, hesitant to even get near her despite the fact that she actually seemed to adapt well to life in the village. She had done everything to contribute to the community in every way she could, which had been no small feat.

First of all, Lydia was a skilled hunter, which had made itself apparent just a few days after the family was settled in Maurice's hut while waiting for their own home to be built. She brought home a doe and five rabbits on the first day the apes had allowed her to go armed into the forest. Koba had objected to let her go unsupervised into the forest with a weapon, still not trusting the human woman and believing she would turn on them first chance she got. Caesar had dismissed his advisor as soon as he had finished signing his complaint. Koba saw fault in most things Lydia did and had been proven wrong time and time again ever since.

Caesar remembered one time, when their first winter with the family had come to a close, Lydia had approached Caesar with a suggestion. She had showed him an arrange of different packages that she had scavenged on her journey with Roy and Orion. The packages had pictures of different fruits and vegetables on them and she had explained that they contained seeds of the plants on the pictures. She then went on to explain that she would like to try and grow some, as an experiment, to see if it was even possible. If it turned out to be a success, she reasoned, they could plant more to supplement the colony's diet and perhaps limit the time spent foraging. Koba had been certain she was trying to poison them, to which Maurice had rolled his eyes and replied that she would have already done that through the kills from her hunts if that had been her plan.

Caesar had seen no flaw in her reasoning and welcomed the opportunity to have a stable food source nearby, at least for as long as the plants would bear fruit, should the woman's experiment succeed. If it failed, then no harm had been done and they would continue as usual. It was a no-risk option and thus, it was a no-brainer to the Ape King. He granted her permission and selected a spot within the village, considering her advice concerning sunlight and watering of the plants, and Lydia went on with her idea. Cornelia, who oversaw the foraging, had taken immediate interest and begun to help the woman tend to the plants, which quickly caught the attention of the other females, who then also began to help. That summer and autumn, the village had enjoyed the fruit of their labour, feasting on tomatoes, onions, strawberries and a few other things. Needless to say, it had been a huge success and Caesar had already ordered that the garden be expanded and seeds from the fruits be picked out and saved for next time.

From that point on, Koba simply had no more ammunition against the woman and had to recognise that her presence was actually benefitting the Ape Colony. She almost always brought home a kill from her hunts and even on the rare occasions that she didn't, she would briefly return to the village to eat, only to head out to the river to see if she could catch some fish. Caesar had to give her at least that, she was quite industrious.

As this continued, the other apes began to warm up to the new resident of the village and some even began befriending her as time passed on, including Caesar himself, as well as his wife, the Ape Queen.

Her friendship had, without a doubt, smoothed things along for the woman, Caesar was sure of that. It had been Cornelia's motherly instincts which had first made her urge Caesar to bring back the human, but it was a genuine, though guarded interest in the woman herself which had helped form the friendship they now shared. Cornelia would often invite Lydia to sit with her and the other females when there was a task for them to do, which encouraged the others to take an interest in the woman as well.

In that way, Blue Eyes got to spend a lot of time with Orion and had, in a way, taken it upon himself to tutor the younger child in the ways of the village, with Ash and Lake soon tagging along as well. Caesar was proud of his young son's initiative to take Orion under his wing, and it also seemed to put Lydia at ease to see that her adoptive son was not an outcast in the community because of her.

As Caesar looked on, Lydia had brought out the war paint from within the hut and was halfway through applying it to Roy's body, creating a skeletal pattern on his face and fur, not unlike the rest of the hunting party's attire. Afterward, the male took hold of another bowl of war paint the human had brought out, and proceeded to paint her face as well. Her paint was unique. The apes used white and red because of their dark fur and, therefore, black paint was of little use to them, whereas Lydia was pale-skinned and almost exclusively used black war paint to contrast her light colouring.

Roy ran his paint-covered fingers over and around her eyes, making the area look like empty sockets in a skull when she closed her eyes. Afterwards, he dragged three lines down from each eye across her cheeks to her jaw. It was a simple, yet intimidating design which highlighted her blue orbs even more when she opened them.

While they had been decorating each other, Orion had come out to sit in his mother's lap, enthralled, as always, by the activity. The child seemed to be fascinated by most things, to be honest. He was an attentive observer and because of this, a very fast learner, his already well-developed sign language a testament to this fact.

Lydia got up with Orion cradled in her left arm, walked down from their hut towards the Law-Stone where Maurice was already waiting for the children to gather, dropping off her son at school for the day. It was then Caesar realised how late it had become. He must have been staring for quite some time.

He raised himself from his sitting position and made his way down the wooden walkway from his home towards the centre of the village where his hunters were gathering with their spears. Roy had already joined the group and nodded respectfully to Caesar as he approached.

Caesar liked this ape. He was calm and respectful, good at following orders and, like his… uhm, mate, a good hunter.

When everyone had gathered and were ready to head out for the day, they met up with Lydia at the gate, as per usual.

In the beginning of their stay, she had gone out alone with her dogs to hunt. Though she was a decent climber, she would never be able to keep up with the apes in the trees. Besides, her hunting method differed greatly from Caesar's hunting party. The apes relied on surprise attacks, making the prey run into a carefully set trap consisting of a wall of hunters with spears.

Lydia's approach relied on stealth, moving swiftly through the undergrowth with her bow strung, sneaking up on prey and making quick work of it before moving on to the next target while her dogs guarded the kills or startled birds and rabbits out of hiding for her.

So, she hunted alone at the opposite end side of the forest from Caesar's hunting party and when food was plentiful, she was usually the only one out hunting. There was only one problem with that, however. While she _could_ bring down more than one stag or doe on a trip like that, she had no way of bringing it back herself. She could only carry one big kill at the time, and that wasn't nearly enough to feed the whole colony.

Therefore, it was soon agreed that one ape would accompany her on these trips to help her carry any extra kills back. Usually, it was one of the gorillas who got tasked with this, since they were among the strongest and could easily carry two deer at the same time. Also, the gorillas were usually charged with protecting the village and only few of them joined the hunting party. To them, it was a rare opportunity to get out of the village, so quite a few readily jumped at the chance to get out and catch a break while Lydia worked. Today it was Luca who would accompany her, while another gorilla was left in charge of the guards. The arrangement had resulted in the gorillas being quite friendly with Lydia, as she usually would strike up a conversation before and after the hunt with whoever was assigned to help her.

Caesar had to smirk slightly at this thought. She seemed to get along with most of the apes nowadays, be it young, old, male, female, chimp, orangutan or gorilla.

Luca and Lydia were already at the gate, waiting to plan their route with Caesar and his hunting party before heading out for the day, so the two groups wouldn't cross each other and spoil their chances.

 _Right_ , Caesar thought, _enough of these wandering thoughts, it is time to go hunting_.

* * *

 _ **Lydia**_

The sun had only just begun to paint the sky in orange hues when Lydia made her first kill. An unfortunate doe had chosen the wrong trail on her way down to the river and that had been her doom. The arrow flew through the air without a sound and hit the animal square in the neck. She had then fallen gracelessly into the vegetation under the formidable redwood trees. Luca made his way to the kill and tied the does legs together with a crude rope before throwing it across his back with a slight grunt.

Lydia approached the gorilla with a smile and padded his arm.

"Looks like luck is on our side today, huh, Luca?"

He smirked slightly at her before replying.

" _Do not get ahead of yourself. There is a limit to how much I can carry, remember?_ "

She laughed heartily at his comment, thinking of the time she had brought down a bull elk, a doe, four rabbits and three ducks. Luca had had to reach out and make her lower her bow when she had spotted another deer, the bull elk on his back and the rabbits hanging in a crude string around his neck weighing him down immensely.

Even if Caesar's hunting party had taken a break that day, the colony had eaten well.

"Don't worry, my friend, I'll go easy on you today." She smiled teasingly and turned to move up the trail the doe had come from. If they were lucky, she'd have a few friends not far off who were none the wiser about what had happened. The colony could use some meat to dry, and Lydia was always looking for skins to make clothes of.

She had all but grinded her old jeans into tatters by now, holes appearing in new places every day. The two shirts she owned for everyday-wear weren't faring much better. The fabric was worn thin and threads were beginning to come loose at the seams.

So, she had begun to attempt fashioning her own clothes from scratch the moment she had arrived at the colony to stay. At first, it had been a disaster. Pressing one of the thick needles though layers of rough animal hide was difficult, and the homemade thread was rough and irritated her skin. Also, her measuring hadn't been _quite_ accurate to begin with. She didn't even want to think about all the pelts that had gone to waste because of her miserable attempts at tailoring. Good thing the apes didn't exactly need the pelts, using them only as primitive doors or padding for nests.

Now, though, she was happy to say that her clothes weren't only wearable. They actually looked quite nice on her, if she said so herself.

She had fashioned herself a new pair of pants of doeskin leather. They fit like a glove and she had even managed to fit beltloops and pockets on them. She had also seen fit to make herself a coat of the same material, equipped with both pockets and a large hood. It was one of her favourite creations. She had managed to sew it to fit her shape rather well and it was warm enough to easily get her through winter if she wore one of her thick shirts of leather made from rabbit skin underneath it.

Today, however, it was a rather warm day, considering it was in the middle of spring, and she had elected to just wear her chest guard, which she had made with the leather from the bull elk and belt buckles she had scavenged, underneath her coat. The design had been occupying her mind since she realised that her bra was practically beginning to disintegrate. She'd had to come up with something versatile and comfortable, and the chest guard she was currently wearing had been the best she could manage. Sure, it showed more skin than what she would normally have been comfortable with, but she didn't want to sweat like a pig and the apes didn't seem to be bothered by the extra skin. Truthfully, they seemed more intrigued by her clothes than what they covered.

Lydia's cheeks flushed slightly as she remembered one particular incident, when she had been sitting with Cornelia, Tinker and most of the other females preparing animal hides. She had just finished her new pants and Tinker was amazed with her handiwork, but also confused as to why Lydia was wearing the garments at all. It had been a rather warm day for the season not so long ago, and Tinker had argued that there was no point in wearing the extra layers when it wasn't that cold anymore.

It had led to a rather embarrassing conversation, on Lydia's part, about humans and their sense of modesty. She had explained that for humans, some bodily areas were considered intimate and, therefore, were kept concealed. The apes seemed to get the idea, nodding along while she had explained, but still seemed amused by the notion.

Lydia shook her head with a smirk, ridding herself of the memory. Roy had also been curious about this when they had first met, so it's not like she had never had to explain the phenomenon before. It was just that… Everything was different with Roy.

Her blush deepened further and she was glad Luca was behind her, unable to see it.

At first, when she had saved Orion and Roy, the large male chimp had been wary of her, having previously only bad experiences with humans. He had, however, warmed up to her quickly and formed a strong bond with her, which soon evolved into a rather… intimate relationship that Lydia couldn't quite define.

There was no doubt they loved each other dearly, Lydia was certain of that, and they had no problem being physically affectionate with one another in the privacy of their hut. She had no idea when this mutual infatuation had begun, really. She just knew that she didn't want to be without it.

Lydia's head snapped to the left as movement caught her eye, pulling her away from her thoughts. It was another deer, a stag this time, clueless of their presence. She held her hand up to sign for Luca to be still behind her. Blaze and Storm had their eyes trained on the beast, bodies tense and ready to heed Lydia's command.

She quietly strung her bow, every muscle in her body ready to release the arrow.

Lydia exhaled calmly to prepare herself, steadying her aim.

She had a feeling that today's hunt was going to be _very_ successful.

* * *

 _ **Blue Eyes**_

" _Come on, Blue Eyes!_ " Ash signed enthusiastically at his best friend before turning and running towards the back of one of the many huts in the village.

Maurice had let them and the other students go for the day, and the two four-year-olds had decided to show their three-year-old friend, Orion, something amazing. The outside of the village.

Now, normally, the adults did not allow the children to go unsupervised outside of the village's walls, considering the many dangers that lurked in the forest. Ash and Blue Eyes had, however, found a way around that restriction about a month ago. They had discovered a gap in the outer wall behind one of the huts, just big enough to fit a young ape through after they had dug the dirt away a bit. Today Ash had decided that Orion just _had_ to come and explore with them, as opposed to playing with Lake and the other girls, as Orion usually did when his two friends disappeared to go adventuring on their own.

Blue Eyes was running after his friend with Orion hot at his heels, eager to show the younger ape the amazing sights outside the village. He was particularly looking forward to showing Orion the river where Caesar and Rocket had so often taken them to fish.

His father had told him that the little chimp had seen much of the world, but had not had any ape friends his age to play with, which had prompted Blue Eyes and Ash to want to show him all the fun things there was to do in and around their home. Also, Orion had not spent much time outside the village since he arrived a year and a half ago, since his mother didn't forage with the ape females. She was a bit of a special case, mother had told Blue Eyes. Well, he would have to agree with that.

The human woman had scared him a bit at first with her strange appearance. Long legs, hairless skin, protruding nose and strange eyes. They were blue like his own, though a few shades darker than his pale ones. His mother seemed to like her, though, and after Blue Eyes had spent more time with her, he could understand why. She was fun and always had time for the ape children of the village who dared venture near her. Her smile was kind and her hand movements were nice and fluent when she signed. Ash seemed to be very fond of her, though he would never admit it to Blue Eyes and Orion. The two had once caught him handing the human woman a flower, which she had gingerly taken and proceeded to pat Ash on his shoulder, thanking him while lodging it behind her ear. Their teasing had been relentless after that.

Blue Eyes was pulled from his thoughts when Ash hooted for him again, softly pounding the dirt with his knuckles while giving his friends an impatient look. Blue Eyes turned to look at Orion, who had come to a stop beside him and was now looking slightly apprehensive.

At first, Orion had been hesitant about leaving the village, especially in such a sneaky manner. Although he did have a fun-loving nature, he also had an annoying habit of wanting to ask his parents for permission all the time, which had prompted Ash to call him a Mommy's Boy and tease him relentlessly until he had agreed to come with them.

Blue Eyes gave the younger ape an encouraging grin and a hoot, patting his back and telling him that they'd look out for him.

" _Do not worry, Orion, it will be fun. We know the forest well, so we will not get lost._ " The Prince signed to the younger chimp. Ash immediately backed him up.

" _Exactly, we have lived here all our lives. Just do what we do._ "

Orion still looked sceptical, casting a backwards glance towards his hut before turning around with a resolute expression on his face, chin jutting out.

" _Okay, I will come_ ," Orion replied before quickly adding, " _just promise we will be home for dinner._ "

Blue Eyes nearly rolled his eyes at his younger friend. He really _was_ a Mommy's Boy.

" _Sure, we will be home before they even notice we were gone! Blue Eyes and I have done this many times before._ " Ash signed before turning towards the hole in the outer wall. Blue Eyes smiled reassuringly at Orion again before gesturing for him to go first.

There was nothing to worry about.

The three children squeezed out of the narrow gap between the trunks that made up the village's protective wall, and sprinted as fast as they could into the bushes, careful not to get spotted by the gorillas on guard duty. When they were sure that they had made it without raising the alarm, Blue Eyes and Ash nudged Orion to get his attention and signed for him to follow as quickly as he could. Orion only nodded in anticipation before following his two friends as they shot across the forest floor with all the speed the little chimp could muster.

It didn't take long for them to be completely out of earshot from the village and the trio relaxed their pace and began to goof around, throwing twigs at each other and knocking one another over in their playfights. They tumbled for a long time while trailing down the paths the animals of the forest had left in their search for food, hooting and gibbering all the while.

Blue Eyes could hardly contain his excitement when they could suddenly hear the river and looked over at Orion with a smile.

" _The river is not far now! You are going to love it! Ash and I go here all the time with our fathers. One time_ _a fish almost jumped into my hands when we were fishing!_ "

Ash let out a snort and huffed in laughter at his friend.

" _Jumped into hands? It hit Blue Eyes' head!_ " Ash nudged Orion with his elbow and pant-laughed, Orion only smiled and looked at Blue Eyes for confirmation with an amused glint in his eye.

The Prince huffed annoyedly at Ash, but before he could even think of a snarky reply, a rustle in the bushes a few yards away caught the trio's attention.

They all froze when they heard a low growl, fear finding its way across their features as they realised what _exactly_ it was creeping towards them.

Blue Eyes felt a stone sink to the bottom of his stomach as he saw a glimpse of the predator between the leaves.

There was no way he and Ash could protect Orion from _that_ …


	7. Mother's Fury

**WARNING: Fight-scene/slight gore ahead  
**

 _ **Caesar**_

The hunt had only been a partial success for Caesar's hunting party, though he couldn't really complain either. They had managed to kill two black-tailed deer of a decent size, but the forest had otherwise been silent on their end. He hoped Lydia and Luca had better luck than them. Otherwise the portion of meat on their crude wooden plates tonight would be measly.

As Caesar and his apes neared the village, he saw that the duo was already at their designated rendezvous-spot, Luca carrying two deer on his back, a buck and a doe, while Lydia had just unloaded another doe off her back. She also had a couple of rabbits attached to her belt by a leather string, which she quickly untied to lay the rabbits on top of the doe. She smiled as Caesar approached with his group and reached out to brush her fingers against Roy's shoulder when he reached her, a tender smile across both their faces.

The nature of their relationship, the extent to which it went, was one of the things many apes in the village gossiped about, though none had dared ask the pair about it, including Caesar. It was a private matter and though apes in general were more open about such things than humans, no one would outright question another ape about his or her relationship with their mate. That was just a line that was not to be crossed.

So, it remained an enigma to everyone, though Caesar didn't really mind. He was more concerned with running the village anyway and keeping track of his son, who was growing more and more adventurous every day.

" _So, five deer and a couple of rabbits. Do you think it will be enough?_ " Lydia signed to him, to which he nodded. It had to be.

" _The females will see to that._ " He smirked slightly at her then, eyeing her homemade attire with amusement. " _Will you be experimenting more with the new skins?_ "

She lifted an eyebrow at him as the apes around her huffed in amusement. Most had wives who had been present when she had explained about "human modesty" and had, thus, also been informed of this concept. Also, most of the village had witnessed her attempts at sewing, which had been quite amusing in the beginning, when nothing would fit and Roy would have to assist her with pressing the needle through the thick skins. The other males had teased him about it, though he faced it with dignity and got to throw it right back at them when Lydia's sewing began to look better and better, to the point that it was actually beginning to look quite decent. Then again, she _had_ ruined a lot of good pelts to get to this stage…

" _Now that you mention it, if you could spare me one or two, I was thinking of trying my hand at making a bag or satchel. Could be useful for gathering fruits, perhaps?_ " Her gloved hands moved swiftly through the air. They were fingerless gloves, keeping her hands warm while still ensuring a good drip on her arrows. It was one of the few things she wore which were not made by herself.

 _Yet_ , Caesar thought, _it will not be long before she makes an attempt at this too, I am sure_.

He nodded at her suggestion. The colony did have bags and baskets, but they were mostly woven and didn't last long with such frequent use. Bags made of leather would last way longer, the Ape King was sure of that much.

They started moving toward the village, the load of the day's kills being distributed among the apes. That's when they heard the sound of a vicious feline roar from the eastern part of the forest and everyone froze. Mountain lions were not uncommon, though this was unusually close to the village.

Not long after, frightened, high-pitched screeches sounded through the forest and everyone's eyes widened in horror. Caesar would know that scream anywhere.

"Oh, no…" The King heard faintly beside him.

Before he, or any of the other apes could move even a muscle, however, a blur of brown leather and dark hair passed Caesar and he only managed to glimpse Lydia's back as she dashed in the direction of the sounds between the trees, her dogs hot at her heels.

Caesar roared, lifted his spear and took to the trees with his apes, following the sound as Lydia had done, hoping against hope that nothing had happened to the children, whose distressed calls resonated through the forest.

The apes moved fast through the trees, but Lydia was still faster, Caesar noted with surprise. Her long legs easily carried her over the uneven terrain, jumping over fallen logs and across streams so fast Caesar almost feared she would stumble and hit the ground face first. He needn't worry, though, as she tore through the bushes undeterred while twigs and branches whipped at her viciously.

She only had one thought, Caesar knew, one goal motivating her to push on with still harsher breaths. Orion was in danger.

Like Caesar had recognised his son's distressed calls, Lydia had heard Orion's wails of panic, pulling her towards him like a piece of metal is pulled by a magnet.

Through his fear for his own offspring, Caesar was once again able to witness the devotion the woman had to the child. She truly was his mother.

* * *

 _ **Lydia**_

Lydia dragged air into her lungs violently as she pushed onwards, only faintly aware of the apes' angry hoots behind her. Her focus was on Orion's screams, and the roaring of the mountain lion she knew must be the cause of his distress.

It wasn't long before she burst through the bushed surrounding the clearing where Orion, Blue Eyes and Ash had encountered the beast. Her eyes wild with fury as she drew her bow and pulled an arrow from her quiver. The dogs had arrived before her and were now barking angrily, but were unable to reach the cat.

The children had sought refuge in a tree, inching out to the thinner branches away from the beast, which was now making its way up the trunk after them.

It hadn't even noticed Lydia and the dogs' arrival, so focused on the supposedly easy meal that all else melted away in the eyes of the hungry cat.

Not for long, though.

Lydia drew her bow and screamed at the mountain lion with such anger that it momentarily startled the cat, as well as the children higher up in the tree. The arrow missed the ribcage of the animal by barely an inch and it hissed angrily at Lydia, perhaps thinking she wanted to steal a kill from it.

Her next arrow hit the beast in its left hind leg and made it scream out in pain before it jumped down from the tree, now targeting the offending human.

She was only faintly aware that Caesar's hunting party had gathered around the clearing high up in the trees. None of them did anything, though, besides hooting and screeching angrily at the mountain lion to scare it off.

No such luck.

Even as the cat hissed and looked around at the apes in fury, it would not budge. Instead, it began circling Lydia, who was angrier than the animal in front of her could ever be.

Storm and Blaze bit at the cat's heels and quickly moved out of the way when it turned to jab them with its deadly claws.

It jumped back when Lydia shot another arrow at it before lunging at her. She reacted fast, rolling to the side before the animal could get a hold of her, and reached for another arrow.

Her eyes widened in realisation.

She was out of arrows. _Shit!_

She whacked the beast in the face with her bow when it lunged at her again before throwing the bow away and pulling out her large dagger from its holster on her leg.

 _Fighting a mountain lion with a dagger… not the greatest idea I've ever had._

Orion's faint whimper reached her ears and was enough to fuel her anger, though.

And so, when the beast sprang at her again, she made sure to slice at it as she spun out of the way.

* * *

 _ **Caesar**_

Caesar looked on in horror at what was going on down below. He had ordered Rocket to climb over and collect the children while Lydia had held the predator at bay, himself lifting his hand to prepare for his apes to attack.

It was then Roy reached a hand out in front of him, stopping the king from giving the order.

Caesar turned to face the other male, so confused that he momentarily forgot that Roy had effectively defied his leader. The other ape signed hurriedly at Caesar.

" _Must not attack. Could hurt Lydia…_ " He turned his attention back to the fight before adding, almost as an afterthought, " _And she might lose focus. Could get killed for that._ " He was anxious, that much was clear to Caesar.

The king nodded slowly, also turning back to the fight going down below them. Still, he could not understand how Lydia was supposed to get through this unscathed without their help.

She moved out of the cat's reach time and time again, rolling, spinning and jumping. She had lasted longer than Caesar would have expected, though the beast _had_ managed to rip her skin open here and there, most notably on her right thigh, where blood was now trickling down her pantleg. Another jab from the animal soon left four deep wounds on her exposed left hip, right above her pants, and blood immediately splattered across the forest floor. She let out a groan of pain as she jumped out of the way, mindful of her injured leg.

Looking at the mountain lion, Caesar was pleased to note that the beast was not faring much better. It still had an arrow lodged in its hind leg, which had caused it to limp heavily. It also sported several cuts on its front legs, though these didn't seem deep.

The dogs had not sustained any injuries, serving merely as distractions with their attempts at biting the huge predator. Still, it left several openings for Lydia to get out of harm's way, which was probably why she had lasted this long against the vicious animal.

It was then that Roy thrust a spear down towards the cat, startling it so much that it sprang backwards and turned to hiss and spit at him. Caesar saw an opportunity and signed for Rocket to throw his spear towards the cat as well, while the Ape King himself did the same only moments later. It distracted the predator to such a degree that Lydia was able to roll forward and rip Rocket's spear out of the dirt before the cat turned on her again with renewed hatred.

It didn't match the look on the woman's face, though. Her eyes, still sharply contrasted by her black war paint, were wild with unrestricted fury. It reminded Caesar very strongly of the look she had given the bear that had appeared the day he and his council had followed her to bring her back to the colony.

Only this was much, _much_ worse.

The cat lunged forward a few more times, getting jabbed with the spear in the face, which made it move back to circle the woman once again, before attacking once more from a slightly different angle.

At last, it sprang forward again, opening its mouth in a vicious roar, only to have a spear thrust down its throat with all the power the furious human woman could muster.

The beast gurgled as blood welled up in its throat and spilled from its jaws, clawing pathetically at the spear before going completely limp and hitting the ground with a dull thud. Lydia stood over the cat, panting heavily and clutching her hip in obvious pain. The dogs both circled the mountain lion uncertainly before losing interest and sniffing around the area.

Lydia's eyes were still trained on the animal, as if it would spring back to life any second and retaliate.

Roy was the first to reach her as the apes silently climbed down to examine the slain beast. She startled when he touched her shoulder gently, though her eyes immediately went soft when she looked at him. Their foreheads touched and her shoulders instantly slumped with exhaustion, the adrenaline finally leaving her body completely.

When she opened her eyes again, Caesar had moved in front of her and was now taking in her appearance. Blood was trickling steadily down her legs from each of her wounds. The cat had also ripped a few holes at the left sleeve of her coat, though it seemed to only have affected the garment. She did have a rather nasty-looking wound on her right arm, though, and Caesar was sure she must have some bruises on her back from all this rolling around. There were a few sharp stones sticking out of the ground in the clearing, after all.

The Ape King bent down and pulled out the spear from the cat's throat and presented it to her.

"You. Did. Well." He rasped in his gravelly voice. He was truly impressed with her display of courage, though he did also think she was being quite reckless.

Not like he wouldn't have done the same for Blue Eyes, though, had he gotten there first.

She took the spear from him and weighed it in her hands, studying it briefly before looking up at Rocket, who had moved over to them as well.

"No," she replied with a slight smile, before handing the weapon to Rocket, " _we_ did well." She looked around at the apes before returning her gaze to Caesar, who nodded in agreement.

A sudden whimper sounded behind Caesar and he turned around to face the three children who had gone up behind them, keeping a safe distance from the corpse of the mountain lion.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see a stern look forming on Lydia's face as she looked down at Orion. Caesar and Rocket fixed each of their own sons with a similar look.

" _What were you three doing outside the village? Alone?_ " The Ape King was the first to sign, his green gaze trained on his son, though he was speaking to all of them.

" _We snuck out…_ " Came Blue Eyes' timid reply. He had never seen his father so angry before. Especially not at _him_ , Caesar knew.

" _Why?_ " The king pressed on.

" _To show Orion the river…_ " Blue Eyes answered as he visibly shrunk under his father's stern look.

" _It was my idea, please don't be mad at Blue Eyes!_ " Ash quickly signed with a timid but desperate look in his eyes. Rocket's head whipped towards him so fast Caesar thought his neck would snap.

" _Ash? Why? Why did you not ask an adult? Your mother? Maurice? You know you cannot go alone! Have I not told you how dangerous it is out here for young ape?_ " Rocket signed fast, his movements jagged by his anger and worry.

Lydia said nothing, yet to Caesar it seemed that Orion was the one feeling the sorriest for this whole mess, even if he wasn't being reprimanded. His eyes were fixed on his mother's form, darting from wound to wound while his green orbs glistened with unshed tears.

It was not Caesar's job to tell Lydia and Roy how to raise their adoptive son, but through his anger and fright for his own child, he felt a twinge of sympathy for the young ape. He knew why they said nothing to Orion for now. The wounds the fight had left on Lydia was enough punishment.

Caesar grunted before anything else could be said and ordered that the cat be brought back to the village with them.

It was time to get home.

The Ape King watched as Roy turned to Lydia with a raised brow as he looked her over.

" _I do not suppose you will let me carry you back to the village?_ " There was a certain hint of sarcasm in the way he said it, though the worry in his features was still clear as day.

Lydia scoffed with a slight smirk, despite her current condition and the severity of what had just happened.

"You know me too well." She started limping past Caesar towards the village, nodding at him as she passed.

Roy let out a defeated huff and picked up Orion, who curled up on his chest.

" _You really should not walk in your condition…_ " He signed half-heartedly.

Caesar shook his head as he picked up his own son, who clung to his shoulders and buried his face in his father's neck.

"There's nothing wrong with my condition, Roy, can't you see I'm still standing?" Lydia challenged in an exasperated tone.

 _Truly_ , Caesar thought, _if they are not mates, then I have no idea_ _ **what**_ _they are…_


	8. No Pain, No Gain

_**Maurice**_

"Sparrow, please, just let me deal with this myself first." Lydia's patient voice sounded through the hut where Sparrow usually treated the injured. They had just come home from their, eh… excursion, if you will, and Cornelia had told Tinker to take Lydia to the infirmary the moment the Queen saw exactly what kind of state the woman was in. Maurice had to admit, that wound on her hip did look quite painful.

Now, stripped of her coat, she was sitting in the nest in the middle of the hut, trying her best to keep Sparrow, the female ape in charge of healing, at bay. She had asked Roy kindly to go fetch her "the bottle in her backpack". Maurice had a faint idea of what exactly that bottle contained. He had, after all, looked through her backpack when she first arrived here all that time ago.

" _You must let Sparrow do her work, Lydia._ " Caesar signed beside Maurice. They were standing near the entrance to the hut, Rocket and Koba nearby. The bonobo was looking at the woman strangely and Maurice couldn't help but wonder if Koba had, at last, found a shred of respect towards the woman within himself.

The two had avoided each other ever since she joined the colony, the mutual dislike clear whenever they crossed paths, though neither acted on it. Now, however, Koba seemed to see the woman in a different light. The dislike he always regarded Lydia with had dissipated in favour of a look of mild wonder. After all, it wasn't every day someone killed a mountain lion.

"I will, I promise, but I would like to deal with the wounds my way first." She stated simply, before Roy re-entered the hut holding a bottle and a square item Maurice recognised as a med-kit. Travel-size, the orangutan noted.

"Thank you, Roy…" Lydia said as he handed her the items.

The apes looked on with raised eyebrows as she opened the med-kit, took out a few pieces of gauze and proceeded to open the bottle Roy had brought. She had already cleaned the cuts thoroughly with water, so Maurice, as well as the rest of the present apes, were all very puzzled as to what she had in mind.

All except Roy, that is. He was regarding the woman with calm eyes as he followed her movements. He stayed close to her, seemingly ready to spring forward if something were to happen.

The strange, piercing scent of alcohol filled the hut and Koba immediately recoiled with a hiss, obviously remembering the scent from his time in the labs. Sparrow, too, seemed to connect the scent with something unpleasant as she took a step back from the nest. Caesar, Rocket and Maurice himself only wrinkled their noses in distaste.

The old orangutan knew the smell of alcohol quite well, as his caretakers in the circus would sometimes reek of it on certain days of the week. Once he had even witnessed one of them drinking it while cleaning out the cages. He understood that it made humans act… differently, and that the effect on behaviour often differed from human to human – some would be more carefree and affectionate, others would be emotional and teary-eyed, while others still would turn aggressive.

What he couldn't understand, however, was why Lydia would need it now.

Almost as if reading his thoughts, she turned to the apes and fixed Caesar with an almost apologetic look before explaining herself.

"It's used to minimize the risk of infection in wounds. It's supposed to kill germs that cause it." She stated simply. Out of the corner of his eye, Maurice saw Caesar nod slightly in understanding.

Lydia returned to her strange task and held the pieces of gauze over the mouth of the bottle, tilting it to soak the fabric with the tangy liquid. She then put the bottle down after screwing the cap back on and took a short moment to look at the item in her hand in obvious trepidation.

"This is gonna hurt like hell…" Was all she said before she put the soaked pieces of gauze onto the cuts on her hip and rubbed it against the wounds.

The reaction from her was instantaneous and made all the apes in the room, except Roy, who seemed to have been expecting the reaction, jump slightly in surprise.

Her eyes widened momentarily before squeezing shut as she launched her head and torso forward with a strained groan of pain. Roy immediately put a supporting hand on her back and held onto her upper arm with the other while hooting comfortingly. It was obvious that he had witnessed this before.

"Yep… That hurt…" Was all that came from Lydia as she straightened her posture. She proceeded to take new pieces of gauze from the med-kit to repeat the process.

" _Are you sure this is necessary?_ " Maurice signed with worry on his face. It didn't look to be the least bit helpful. She smiled slightly at him as she replied.

"Might be that it isn't, but it's how I've always dealt with it since I left human civilization and I haven't had an infected wound yet, so I don't fancy taking any chances."

Well, he could see the logic in that… Still, it seemed counterintuitive to him to cause pain in order to get better.

Once again, she seemed to read his mind, though.

"No pain, no gain, Maurice." She said as she dabbed the cut on her thigh through the rip in her pantleg. She continued this process with the rest of the cuts that littered her right forearm, now only hissing when the gauze made contact with the skin.

When she was done, she finally allowed Sparrow to treat her wounds the way the apes did, with homemade ointments covered with leaves. As Sparrow finished up, the council members left with Roy and emerged from the hut to find Tinker and Cornelia sitting not far from the entrance with Ash, Blue Eyes and Orion, the latter looking lost and anxious without his parents.

Lydia emerged from the hut only moments later, still limping and now with leaves covering her skin in various places. The ones on her hip were tied in place with gauze to make it stay put.

She thanked Sparrow with a kind smile of gratitude before turning her attention to the apes, her eyes finally landing on her son.

"We need to talk." Was all she said as she trudged toward the hut she shared with Roy. Her limp was more profound now that the wounds had been treated and were getting used to the ointment and leaves grinding against the cuts, but her strides were still purposeful and dignified. She nodded briefly to Caesar and Rocket as she passed them, Orion following her dejectedly.

Roy didn't follow, which struck Maurice as odd.

" _You do not go with your family?_ " Caesar signed to the male beside him. Seemed like he had the same thought as Maurice and the orangutan almost panted out a chuckle at the notion.

" _Some things Orion needs to hear from his mother. Others, he will hear from me._ " Roy signed calmly at his leader, adding with a meaningful look, " _Lydia was the one who got injured today, so Orion needs to hear this from her._ "

Caesar nodded with a thoughtful look on his face and Roy went in the direction of the hut where they skinned the kills from the hunt, probably intending to be of use elsewhere while Lydia spoke with their son.

Cornelia and Tinker left the infirmary-hut with their own sons, going to their separate homes while Caesar, Rocket and Maurice moved toward the Law-Stone to sit and talk. Koba had long since left the group in favour of getting something to eat, an unusually thoughtful look plastered across his face.

Maurice let out a laboured huff as he sat beside his leader and long-time friend.

It had been a long and eventful day and it was not even time for the evening meal yet.

He turned to sign some uplifting words to his friend when he noticed the verdant stare was focused on something and followed Caesar's gaze. Not far from where they sat, in front of their hut, which conveniently neighboured Maurice's own home, Lydia had just sat down, with some difficulty, on the edge of the wooden walkway. Orion, looking to his mother with worry, sat down beside her.

The woman's sigh was so heavy that it made her shoulders slump visibly, as if she was steeling herself for a complicated task, and she turned to her adoptive son with a hard look.

From where they sat, the three apes were only _just_ able to hear the woman as she spoke.

* * *

 _ **Lydia**_

"Orion, I am very disappointed in you." Lydia made sure her voice was stern. Today's attack had frightened her beyond belief and she wanted to make sure that Orion understood the severity of the incident.

"You could have been _killed_ today. You, Ash and Blue Eyes broke one of the most important rules for apes your age. This is the very reason you're not allowed to go alone."

She kept her voice calm, though she felt anything but calm on the inside. Ever since Orion's scream had pierced through the air, her insides had been a whirlpool of shifting emotions, from fear to fury, hurt, confusion, anger, pity and everything in-between. For now, she had settled for the emotion she knew would convey her point best to her son: Disappointment.

The small chimp bowed his head in obvious shame.

" _I know, mother…_ " He signed timidly in reply, still not meeting her eyes. She knew he could feel her stare on him, though.

"If you know, then why did you do it anyway? I know Ash said it was his idea, but at some point, you must have agreed. Otherwise we wouldn't be having this conversation."

It was really beyond Lydia's understanding. Orion was usually very reasonable for a child his age and though he did cause mischief on occasion, he never outright defied the rules. He never rebelled before and had always asked an adult for permission when in doubt. It was a habit she had made sure to imprint on him ever since he was thrust into her arms that faithful day two and a half years ago. In the beginning she had been constantly worrying, afraid that he would wander off and get lost or taken by predators and so, she had made sure to go the extra mile to make him understand the importance of staying together, telling others where he was going and asking permission from his elders. So far, it hadn't been an issue.

Until now.

He looked up at her, finally meeting her eyes with a pleading expression and Lydia fought the urge to just reach out and pull him to her chest to comfort him. She had to get some answers before she would do that. She had to make sure he understood.

" _They said it would be fine… They know the forest… Said we would be home before dinner…_ " Orion hesitated before adding, " _Please do not be mad at Ash and Blue Eyes… They are my friends._ "

She almost let her stern mask slip at his plea. Even now, when she was reprimanding him, he was worried that his friends would get in trouble. Perhaps he feared losing them as friends, Lydia thought. After all, these were the first friends his age that Orion had ever had, and she knew that he viewed them as some kind of older brothers. They had introduced him to the Ape Village in their own, childish way and Orion finally had someone who saw things from his perspective, that much had been clear to his adoptive parents. Lydia and Roy could play and tumble with him all they wanted, but they'd always be adults. They could never understand him in the way that his peers did. And it wasn't their place to do so.

She sighed again.

"It's not my job to be angry at Ash and Blue Eyes. Their parents will talk with them, just like I'm talking with you now, so don't worry about that, sweetie." She added the endearment as a small form of comfort. Yes, she was angry and yes, she was disappointed, he needed to know that, but he also needed to know that she still loved him. He sniffled a bit beside her.

" _I just wanted to be with friends… Did not want to say no to them…_ " Orion replied.

 _Ah, there we have it…_ Lydia thought, _my son has a hard time with peer-pressure, it would seem._

It made perfect sense when she really thought about it. Orion never having had friends his age, he would never have had to stand up for himself to his peers. It was a skill he simply lacked due to his upbringing. Lydia suddenly felt guilty for not having had this talk with him before.

She should have seen this coming, really.

"Listen, Orion, I know it's difficult to say no to your friends, trust me, I do." She laid a hand gently on his shoulder and rubbed his soft fur with her thumb. "But it's something you need to learn how to do. I promise, true friends will still want to be with you even if you don't follow their lead every time they get an idea. Sometimes, that actually makes friendships stronger."

He nodded so subtly the movement was barely caught by Lydia. She continued, now with a slight smile on her face.

"To stand up to your friends when you know something isn't right is a sign of great strength, Orion. More so, I would say, than standing up to those you don't like in the first place."

Orion eyed the areas where he knew her injuries were. Then he looked up into her eyes and Lydia had a feeling he understood now.

" _I'm sorry, mother… you got hurt because I was not strong…_ "

 _Or maybe not_ , Lydia thought. She had forgotten how easily Orion blamed himself sometimes.

"That's not what I meant, dear. I'm just trying to tell you that next time something doesn't feel right to you, stick to what you believe, no matter who it is that came up with the idea." She shook her head before continuing. "And it's not your fault that I got hurt, that mountain lion had it coming." Lydia grabbed hold of the necklace she was wearing with her other hand and looked meaningfully at the little chimp.

"No one threatens my family." She said while looking her son in the eyes.

She knew he probably didn't even remember the incident that led to them wearing their necklaces. After all, for him, it was literally half a lifetime ago.

He understood it all the same, though, and grabbed hold of his own necklace with a nod. Even if he didn't remember it anymore, the story had been told enough times for him to, at least, understand the meaning behind his mother's actions.

Lydia smiled, satisfied that her point had been made clear to the little chimp, and opened her arms to him.

"Come here, you little rascal, I think we both need a hug after being scared half to death today, right?"

That was all the encouragement Orion needed and he readily crawled into her waiting arms, mindful of her injuries, and breathed a sigh of contentment as Lydia's arms closed around him.

 _Much better_ , Lydia thought as she too was filled with a sense of peace at the contact, finally being able to comfort her child the way she wanted.

She lifted her gaze and caught Roy's eye halfway across the village as he was putting aside the skin of a deer. Lydia knew he had been discreetly observing them the whole time and nodded at him. He smiled slightly at her before returning to his work and Lydia knew the matter was resolved.

* * *

 _ **Cornelia**_

Cornelia sat with her husband by the Law-Stone later that evening, eating her share of today's kill. Blue Eyes was keeping near her, still shaken from the incident with the mountain lion and very much ashamed after Caesar had a talk with him. She had to hand it to her husband, though. He handled it quite well. Better than she'd imagined he would, in fact.

It had been the first time Blue Eyes' life had been threatened and Cornelia had been sure that Caesar's temper would get the better of him when reprimanding their son. She loved her husband dearly, but also knew his moods all too well. He often reacted outwardly when his loved ones were threatened.

He had told her long ago about the reason behind him ending up in the San Bruno Primate Facility where they had first met all those years ago. Back then, it had been his human grandfather who had been harassed, which Caesar had explained led to him biting the offending human's finger off. Even though this was ultimately what had led him to discover the horrid conditions other apes were living in, which in turn was why he had ended up freeing everyone, Caesar still regretted the attack itself to this day. He had told Cornelia as much.

Yet this time, he had sat down and talked calmly with Blue Eyes, explaining to the young ape that he, as one of the older children, should have been more responsible and not have aided Ash in putting pressure on Orion.

The conversation had been quite long, longer than any other conversation Cornelia had witnessed between the two, and had ended with father and son embracing.

When Cornelia had inquired about the reason for Caesar's change in approach, he had told her about the conversation he had witnessed between Lydia and Orion earlier, and explained that he thought Blue Eyes would benefit from that more than an outright scolding. Caesar had often been using that method with Blue Eyes in the past when the child had misbehaved and it only ever seemed to work for shorter amounts of time.

Perhaps this approach would have a greater impact on him, Caesar had said.

Cornelia had to admit she was proud of her husband, even if she also found it amusing that the inspiration for this had come from a human.

Speaking of Lydia, she was sitting beside Roy and Orion together with a group of other apes, one of them being in the middle of a captivating story about a fishing-trip gone wrong. They were all smiling and huffing out laughter while eating and it struck Cornelia how well the human woman had come to fit into their community. Even if she hunted differently, wore clothes and spoke out loud more often, she really did blend into the Ape Colony nicely. Not that she wasn't noticeable, but her interactions with the apes around her were so natural that it seemed she had lived all her life among them and not her own species. Also, her relationship with her child was something Cornelia could strongly relate to and it warmed her heart whenever she saw Orion run up to his mother as she returned from her hunts.

Cornelia was glad her husband had reconsidered letting the woman stay.

When most had finished eating, Caesar rose to address the crowd, all falling silent as he stood in front of the Law-Stone. Cornelia got up as well in support of her mate. Then, he began to sign for Lydia to come forward.

The human woman looked surprised but otherwise did as she was told and approached the King and Queen with a respectful bow. Then, Caesar began to sign.

" _Today_ _Lydia has done what few apes ever have. She has killed a mountain lion, one of the most dangerous animals in the forest. She has proven herself as true warrior and saved ape children. She did not hesitate to put herself in danger._ " He paused and looked at Lydia while Cornelia moved to fetch something from behind the Law-Stone.

She was sure Lydia would appreciate it. The surrounding crowd was hooting quietly in agreement with their king.

" _That is why we honour her now, by giving her the pelt, claws and skull of the animal._ "

Cornelia took out the items and presented them to Lydia. The pelt had been neatly folded and the clean-picked skull and claws were lying on top of it in Cornelia's hands. She handed it to the woman, who seemed to be more than just a little touched by the gesture, if her slightly teary eyes were anything to go by.

She bore it with dignity, though, cradling the items in one arm, while extending the other to Caesar, her palm upwards in the supplicant gesture that ape customs dictated be used. He swiped it gently and spoke, so low that only Lydia and the council members around them could hear.

"Thank you. For. Saving. My son."

Rocket grunted beside him in agreement.

Lydia could only smile and incline her head at the royal couple before she turned around and limped back to her family. The surrounding apes hooted in acknowledgment. Cornelia noted that there were still those who chose to remain silent and skulk at the human, no doubt still feeling that her presence was somehow an affront to them. The Ape Queen could only sigh and shake her head at their inability to accept the woman.

As Caesar had said, Lydia had proved herself.

Luckily, she did not seem to pay those apes any heed as she sat back down by Roy and Orion, the latter examining the skull with a strange mix between curiosity and apprehension in his eyes.

The next day, the skull had been fixed above the entrance to the family's hut, the pelt was put aside for Lydia to deal with later and two of the beast's claws were added to each of the trio's necklaces.


	9. Girl Talk

**WARNING: Suggestive themes/mentions of sex**

 _ **Lydia**_

"Damn… I picked the wrong one again, didn't I?" Lydia sighed in exasperation. Cornelia, Rain and Tinker only shared amused looks before the latter nodded her head.

The human looked at the offending mushroom in her hand before throwing it carelessly to the ground.

Ever since the incident with the mountain lion five days ago, Lydia had been joining the females on their foraging trips, seeing as Caesar had deemed her unfit to hunt again until her injuries had healed and she would no longer be limping. Thinking back on it now, she had _wanted_ to protest, but could also see the logic in what the Ape King was saying. So, she had joined Cornelia and the other females on their quest to find edible roots, berries and mushrooms, wanting to at least still feel somewhat useful.

There was only one problem with that.

It had quickly become apparent that Lydia, while being an avid huntress, possessed absolutely no skill at all when it came to finding the plants they needed, not to mention recognising them from the ones that were not edible or downright poisonous.

It was pitiful, really. The last couple of days Lydia had felt more like a young child in need of constant supervision rather than the capable adult she knew herself to be. Luckily, the other females seemed to view her struggling as an amusing break from a repetitive task rather than an annoying distraction from important work. Honestly, she was just glad that she could tag along with Cornelia, Tinker and Rain as they had split into smaller groups.

Cornelia patted her reassuringly on the back with a gentle smile gracing her feminine features. Lydia could understand why Caesar had chosen her for his wife. She was kind, understanding and had more patience than anyone, human or ape, that Lydia had ever met. But she did also have a stubborn streak to her personality, which only made the human all the more fond of the Ape Queen.

" _How about we take a break?_ " She signed. Now, Lydia wouldn't say no to that. The sun was high in the sky with no clouds to block its rays, and they had been out foraging since morning, having left not long after the males had gone hunting.

And so, they found themselves a peaceful clearing to rest in, sitting down on the soft grass while Storm and Blaze sniffed around in a bored manner before settling near the group for a nap. Most of the apes had been wary of the rather large dogs when Lydia's little family had first arrived, and a select few, including Koba, still gave the canines a wide berth. Others, however, had become quite accustomed to Lydia's fluffy and generally good-natured companions and had no qualms about patting them and handing them morsels of meat at mealtimes. When Lydia would let the dogs run free around the Ape Colony, she would often find them sniffing around the school-area, being rubbed behind the ears by the ape children, or near the entrance to the village, where the Gorilla Guard resided and where many of the burly gorillas off-duty would scratch the dogs' bellies. Now, though, Storm was resting in the shadow of one of the huge trees, while Blaze was lying on his belly, dozing off while leaning against Tinker's thigh as she rubbed him behind the ear.

Lydia was pleased to see how comfortable her dogs were with the apes of the village and smiled fondly at the image before her.

She breathed in deeply as she leaned slightly backwards in her cross-legged position on the ground. The light from the sun was filtering through the leaves of the massive redwood trees and birds were chirping happily all around them. All in all, it was an outstandingly pleasant day in the middle of spring.

The three apes and the human discussed different things going on in the village, which was, to be honest, pretty mundane, until Tinker gave Rain a mischievous look that promised mortification for the slightly younger female.

" _How is it going with Flint? Still no luck?_ "

Rain looked at them bashfully. No blush appeared on her face, as Lydia knew it would on a human's, but her embarrassed expression and slightly hunched shoulders at the mention of the object of her affection was enough confirmation for the others, even Lydia. She had been around apes long enough to know their tells.

Cornelia pant-laughed along with Tinker and Lydia could only smile knowingly. It was no secret among the females that Rain was more than a little interested in Flint, but had yet to approach him about it.

" _He is… difficult to figure out._ " Came the timid reply from Rain.

" _Males can be like that. Do you think it was easy to catch Caesar's eye?_ " Cornelia replied good-naturedly, a raised eyebrow accompanying her question. Lydia turned to her with an amused smile.

Now, _here_ was something she didn't know. While she often talked with both Caesar and Cornelia, neither had really mentioned how they got together.

" _Caesar was oblivious, was he?_ " She signed at the Ape Queen, who nodded with a fond, reminiscing smile on her face.

" _My husband was very focused on doing good for all apes in the beginning. Building ape society. Not making time for romance at all. And so stubborn too! Listened to no one! Not me, not Koba, not Rocket. No one…_ " Cornelia huffed, " _And had no experience with ape females. Did not know how to show his interest when he realised his feelings. It was so frustrating for both of us._ "

She shook her head in an exasperated manner before continuing.

" _He has come long way since then. We both have._ "

Tinker nodded in agreement and Lydia turned to her as she began to sign.

" _Was difficult with Rocket too._ " Tinker said, scratching her shoulder absentmindedly.

" _But Rocket must have had experience with other apes, right? He must have known how to approach you, surely?_ " Lydia signed in confusion. From their talks, she knew that Rocket had been with other apes for most of his life, unlike Caesar, which she had learned from her private talks with him.

Tinker huffed and shrugged before replying.

" _He did. But took long to realise. Was like Caesar. Very focused on following him and was not looking to me for many months. Only when…_ " She paused and seemed to look for the right words before continuing, sending Lydia a questioning look. " _When dust settled?_ " Lydia nodded encouragingly. Many of the apes had picked up on the metaphors she used in her daily speech, either finding them funny or simply very fitting for nuancing their language, which was usually simplified and straightforward.

The female ape continued.

" _When dust settled after fights with humans, he noticed me and began to show interests. Offering meat from his hunts, sitting together at meals,_ " her hand reached fondly up to her neck, where a necklace with an arrange of sculpted animal bones, honed into circles and claw-like points hung on a crude string. " _Give me gift to show his devotion…_ " The slight smile on Tinker's face at the memory quickly turned to one of mischief as she finished. " _But he still was awkward and brutish... Did not know how to be soft._ "

All the females laughed. Lydia could picture it quite well in her mind. Rocket handing Tinker his finely crafted gift in a tight fist, thrust awkwardly towards her with an unsure, yet determined look on his dark face. It only made her laugh all the more.

" _Not in nest either?_ " Cornelia signed with a teasing expression at her friend when they had settled down, and the question caught both Rain and Lydia off-guard. Tinker didn't seem bothered by the question, and answered casually.

" _No. Hopeless. Had to learn what female likes. Took long time for him too!_ " She said before adding with what Lydia could only describe as a downright naughty expression. " _But he learned well…_ "

Rain looked both curious and mortified at the same time, while Lydia came to a sudden realisation.

This was _girl-talk_. Like any group of female humans would have with each other. She almost laughed out loud at the thought. Turned out ape and human females weren't so different after all. At least not when it came to chatter about their relationships.

She turned to Cornelia with a curious expression, not sure if she'd cross a line by asking, but taking the chance anyway, since she felt fairly close to the Ape Queen.

" _What about Caesar? Did he have the same problem as Rocket?_ "

To Lydia's relief, Cornelia only huffed out a laugh and nodded. So, she wasn't offended by the question, at least.

" _Not the same problem, but was difficult. My husband was unsure. Very careful in the beginning._ " She looked slightly bashful, but still maintained a smile as she signed her answer to Lydia.

" _Treated me like I was dry twig. Like I would break._ " She continued, shaking her head, " _Needed to learn to let go. Take charge. Was worried he was too strong. Too rough._ " Lydia and the others nodded, though Rain looked shocked at the information. To be honest, it only made sense, in Lydia's opinion. Caesar was the biggest chimpanzee in the Ape Colony, taller and burlier than any other male, so naturally, he was also stronger than most and very aware of it. She could understand why he would be hesitant in the beginning when being intimate with his considerably smaller wife.

In truth, it wasn't much different with Roy.

Lydia blushed at the thought and quickly turned her attention back to Cornelia's signing.

" _But didn't take_ _ **long**_ _to learn for him._ " The Ape Queen smirked at the group. " _Caesar is fast learner._ " She added with no small amount of mirth in her eyes.

Tinker huffed out a laugh and Rain gave an amused smile. Caesar's intelligence and ability to learn quickly was a well-established fact. Him being able to apply the same skills in the nest quickly too should come as no surprise.

The conversation continued along those lines for about five minutes before Tinker turned her attention to Lydia with a raised eyebrow. She looked expectantly at the human woman, though Lydia could see that her friend was still hesitant to voice what she was about to say.

" _What about you and Roy? Everyone wonders but no one asks._ " She paused before elaborating, " _You two are… close? In the nest too?_ "

Lydia should have expected the question, she really should. She knew well that her relationship with Roy was a hot topic in the Ape Colony, even if no one dared confront either of them with it directly. Even Koba had restrained himself from commenting on it, though Lydia didn't know if it was because he had been ordered to by Caesar, or if he was simply too disgusted with the concept, or simply didn't care.

Somehow, she doubted the latter of the three options.

Now, faced with her friends' questioning gazes, she saw no other option than to spill the beans. They had no qualms about sharing their own intimate experiences, so why shouldn't she be able to do the same? Even if it _was_ rather strange or even taboo.

After all, she couldn't help who she loved. Neither could Roy.

 _Another aspect of girl-talk_ , she mused briefly. _Feeling that you owe the others something for their willingness to share their intimate details_. While she remembered that she had always refused this impulse before the Simian Flu, when she was having similar talks with the few human female friends she'd had, she somehow felt more at ease with sharing such things with the apes sitting before her now.

Maybe it was because she had matured and didn't feel so insecure about it now. Maybe it was because the females sitting before her felt like closer friends than those she had before the outbreak. Or maybe it was because she actually had concrete experiences to share now, instead of just thoughts and imaginings about how it _would_ be.

Either way, she found herself smiling slightly at the three apes before nodding somewhat timidly at Tinker's question.

The three had the decency to look surprised, though Lydia sensed that they might have guessed that the answer would be in the affirmative. None of them looked to be judging her, though. If anything, they looked more curious than before.

" _How far you two go?_ " Tinker asked, a teasing look somewhat covering up her curiosity.

Lydia found it in herself to smirk at her friend.

" _All the way._ " The human woman replied. " _How else? After so long?_ " She teased back. Did Tinker really expect her and Roy to just cuddle through the dark nights for these past few years?

" _What is it like?_ " Cornelia asked with a wondering expression.

At this, Lydia paused briefly, looking for the right words to explain her experience with this strange arrangement she had with Roy.

" _In the beginning it was probably like with you and Caesar… Roy was afraid to hurt me…_ " She gestured to her own, rather slender body as she explained further, " _I am not among the largest of human females myself, and he is a strong male. Even male humans are not as strong as apes. He thought he'd break me in half most of the time._ "

The other three nodded in understanding. Roy was almost as tall as Caesar himself, so it was obvious why he would show extra care with Lydia.

" _It got better over time. He is very attentive still, but he has learned to let go now. At least a bit._ " Lydia smiled.

" _Does it feel weird for you? Compared to human male?_ " Rain spoke up. She had been quiet for some time now, having nothing of her own to share on this topic but listening intently and sucking up information like a sponge.

It was a good question, though.

" _I honestly couldn't tell you, Rain. I have not been with a human like that. Ever._ " She decided to elaborate when their looks of confusion caught her eye. " _I was 16 years old when the flu broke out, so I was quite young, some would say too young, for such things._ "

 _That makes me 21 years old now_ , Lydia realised. Who would have thought she'd end up as an adoptive mother at the age of 21? Well, she had been even younger when she'd first found Orion and Roy. 19 years, to be exact. Barely a proper adult herself.

She'd had to grow up fast.

" _But I guess it_ _ **does**_ _feel different. It must, though I have nothing to compare it with._ " Lydia said.

" _How so?_ " Cornelia asked with a slight tilt of her head.

" _Well… It does tickle a bit sometimes… Because of the hair._ " Lydia explained. " _Humans usually don't have that much hair. And the biting is definitely different than what a human would do…_ " She reached up to move her thin jacket out of the way to reveal a set of old bruises along her shoulder for the others to see. They were a week old and had almost faded away completely, but were still clear enough to be seen up close.

Cornelia and Tinker both hooted excitedly and gave Lydia teasing looks. Such marks were not as visible on apes because of the hair covering the skin, so Lydia's marks were a sight to behold for the other females.

" _I see why you wear clothes. Must be hard to hide._ " Tinker teased, referring to her numerous jabs at Lydia's "human modesty".

" _You have no idea…_ " Lydia sighed with a smile.

" _Is Roy good?_ " Cornelia inquired with a curious smirk of her own. Lydia could only roll her eyes in disbelief at the Ape Queen, usually so regal and dignified, but now reminding Lydia of a giddy teenage girl hungry for gossip. She herself had been quite elaborate in describing Caesars prowess in the nest earlier and now it seemed that it was Lydia's turn.

The human woman smirked naughtily at her friend. It was no secret that Roy was a rather good-looking male, and many of the female apes in the colony had sent him longing looks ever since he had arrived. All knew of his loyalty to Lydia, though, even if they didn't know the exact nature of the relationship, so it was no use chasing after him. No doubt most of them thought it was a waste of a good male.

Lydia had no complaints, though.

" _Amazing._ " She signed simply, to which Tinker gave a dissatisfied grunt.

" _But what is he like? Rough? Gentle?_ " She elaborated Cornelia's question, " _Takes his time? Or finishes fast?_ " She paused before adding her last addition to her barrage of questions, " _Any special… tricks?_ " Tinker lifted her eyebrow as if to underline her point and Lydia found herself chuckling at her friend's impatience.

" _It really depends on the mood, Tinker. He can be both whenever he wants to… Or whenever I want to._ " She winked at the others suggestively. Rain looked more and more shocked with every sentence, but Lydia sensed that it was mostly due to her inexperience in the area rather than a sense of disgust for Lydia's relationship.

" _To answer your second question, well, he usually takes his time. I don't think he's ever finished_ _ **too**_ _quickly… He has always made sure I was satisfied before that._ " Lydia continued. Cornelia and Tinker both nodded approvingly at the information. Seems like it was looked badly upon, even among apes, if a male didn't tend to his female in this regard.

 _How different are our species really?_ Lydia pondered.

" _As for your last question… Hmmm…_ " Lydia had to think. Roy did several things while being intimate, though Lydia had no idea which ones could be considered "special".

" _I don't know if any of the things he does would work for a female ape, but… Well…_ "

Blushing more profoundly, she proceeded to explain a couple of the things which usually sent her "through the roof" at home. Most of the things the other females nodded at with knowing looks, clearly having similar experiences of their own. One thing seemed to catch the three ape females slightly off-guard, though.

" _He has you be on top?_ " Tinker asked with an amused look on her face, almost as if she didn't quite believe what she was being told. Cornelia looked quite taken aback as well, as if the mere notion of a powerful male such as Roy giving up control during intimacy was lunacy to her.

 _Ah_ , Lydia thought, _so this isn't normal for apes… At least among the chimpanzees in front of me_.

" _Well, yeah. It was me who started it, really, but he seemed to like it from the beginning. It's quite normal among humans._ " Lydia said with an embarrassed smile.

She knew dominance was a big part of the apes' lives and many of the interactions they had with each other. To hear of a female, a human no less, take charge like that must have seemed strange to them, now that Lydia thought about it.

Oh well, at least they didn't judge her for it. In fact, Lydia had the feeling that they were even more intrigued than ever.

The conversation had gone on for a while longer before the group decided to get back to work. In a strange way, Lydia was glad for their girl-talk session. It was liberating, in a way, to talk about such things with other females, especially now, when she could give her own inputs.

The feeling was only amplified when Tinker approached her the next morning, before setting out on their foraging expedition, with a satisfied smile on her face and a victorious look in her eyes.

" _Good trick._ " She said simply before going to find Cornelia.

Lydia's suspicions of what Tinker meant were immediately confirmed when she noticed Rocket sending his wife a particularly longing look before heading out with his hunting party. His eyes briefly strayed towards Lydia as he turned towards the entrance to the village, and gave the human woman a smirk and a subtle nod.

And then Lydia knew, she just _knew_.

Oh, Tinker was _so_ in for it!

* * *

 _ **Roy**_

The hunting party had separated into smaller segments to surround a herd of black-tailed deer further ahead and Roy, like usual, went with Rocket's group to flank the prey.

He had noticed something was off about Rocket lately, though he couldn't put his finger on exactly _what_ it was.

He suspected it had something to do with the nod he gave Lydia a few days ago before they had all left to go hunting.

Roy had noticed the exchange but refrained from mentioning it. It seemed like any other friendly interaction the two had had so far, though Lydia _did_ look slightly shocked when it happened, only to shake her head in exasperation moments later.

Perhaps he should inquire about the scene when he got home. No doubt Lydia knew what was going on with Rocket.

It didn't take long for the apes to surround their prey and chase it into a barrage of spears further down the hill, giving the deer little room to manoeuvre around the danger and no room at all to halt their sprinting down the sloping terrain.

Today's catch was good, though it would probably have helped to have Lydia's hunting as backup. The last week had been measly, and with Lydia recovering from her injuries now, the colony had lost the safety net it had become so accustomed to for the past year-and-a-half.

Perhaps it was time to focus more on fishing, Roy mused as the groups started to gather for a short break before continuing on to another hunting ground.

He sat down and began tightening the strings holding his spear together when Rocket came over to him and sat down unceremoniously.

Now, there was nothing unusual about this. The two had become fast friends when Roy and his strange family had been properly settled into the Ape Colony, and they often shared long conversations, with topics ranging from balancing hunting spears properly to stories about their pasts.

Needless to say, Roy felt comfortable with the older ape. Mostly.

This was different, though. Rocket had seated himself in front of Roy, with his back to the rest of the group, almost as if to hide what he was about to sign to the younger male.

Roy fixed him with a raised eyebrow, urging him to say what was on his mind.

" _Tell Lydia thank you from me, will you?_ " He signed discreetly, but with a slight smile on his rough lips.

Roy was taken aback by the request.

" _Thank her for what?_ " He asked confusedly. He really had no idea what this was about.

Rocket huffed out a laugh.

" _Did not tell you? Had talk with Tinker. Gave advice. Good advice._ " The older chimpanzee clarified, though Roy still felt out of the loop. What exactly had Lydia said? What kind of advice?

Seemingly sensing that Roy needed more info to understand what he was talking about, Rocket leaned closer and raised an eyebrow suggestively while signing.

" _Intimate advice._ " Was all he said, and Roy's eyes widened in surprise and slight worry.

" _What did she say?_ " He refrained from asking further questions, like who else had been present to hear this advice, and instead let his eyes dart behind Rocket to the other males. They didn't seem to take notice of the exchange but Roy still felt cautious.

His and Lydia's relationship was quite… Unconventional, and he knew many had their speculations. He also knew that some might not take kindly to it if they knew exactly _how_ far their relationship went in terms of intimacy.

He'd had problems getting used to the idea himself when it had all first started so long ago. He had a vague idea of how others might see it, not knowing how great and how _natural_ it actually was.

Rocket immediately grunted to get his attention focused back on him and smiled as he replied.

" _Just told about some human tricks. For mating. Nothing bad._ " He assured. Roy now had a vague idea of what he was talking about and nodded in understanding at his friend. He was still confused but now, it was about something else.

" _Why would she talk about that with others? She never has before…_ " Roy asked, to which Rocket let out an amused huff and patted him on the shoulder in a reassuring way before replying.

" _Women talk, Roy. And we do that too, even if you never join. It is not a bad thing._ " He winked at Roy before adding, " _And I do not judge. Neither does Tinker… Or Cornelia… Or Caesar._ " He smiled teasingly as he jerked his head towards their king, who was busy discussing something with another hunter.

Roy resisted the urge to bury his face in his hands in mortification, which was only made harder when Rocket continued.

" _If you have any other advice, please tell._ " Rocket winked again teasingly, before his expression turned a bit more sombre.

" _You are lucky, Roy. Be happy she can live so well with apes._ "

Roy gathered himself enough to nod and smile slightly as Rocket got up and left his presence. It was true. He should be happy that Lydia was doing so well among the apes. She had friends she felt comfortable enough to share personal things with now, though he might have to talk to her about how to go about it. He was sure she knew what she was doing, however, and he didn't mind it all _that_ much, if he was honest with himself. He knew he was not half bad at pleasuring his female, if Lydia's reactions and praise was anything to go by.

Also, it seemed to have benefited one of his closest friends.

Roy smiled as he picked up his spear and stood from his spot on the ground. The group was moving on now and he'd better keep up.

Yes, he was lucky, he realised. He was surrounded by his own kind, had a strong and smart adoptive son who was doing well and had many friends. He had a roof over his head and a warm nest waiting for him every night, and a mate who he couldn't get enough of, even if he couldn't show it openly in public. Life was good, he decided with a smile.

Really, who was he to complain?


	10. Those Sleepless Nights

**Warning: Mentions of blood and illness**

 _ **Caesar**_

Caesar woke with a start, his eyes opening wide as he suddenly found himself staring up into the ceiling of his hut. His heart was thundering on in his chest like he was back on the Golden Gate Bridge, running towards his freedom all over again, and he quickly jerked his head to the side to check on his family. Beside him, his wife and son were sleeping peacefully still.

He was relieved that he hadn't woken either of them. This time, at least.

It was still dark outside, the Ape King noted as he looked through the balcony of his home. The annoyed grumble that left his throat made Cornelia stir in her sleep, but he quickly caught himself before it would wake her. It was the third time in two weeks that he'd woken up like this, in the middle of the night, startled awake from faded memories that still clung to his mind.

He got up from the nest, so soft and inviting, yet unable to provide the comfort he needed to fall back into his slumber. The logs that made out the floor of the hut creaked in meek protest at his weight as he moved towards the entrance to their home, where an animal skin made for a make-shift door to shield them from the crisp air of the night.

He needed this air tonight. To think. To rid himself of the images that woke him.

He trudged down the spiralling ramp leading up to the hut, his expression set, as ever, in a stern frown.

The torches and fires around the village, tended to by the sentries assigned to stand guard that particular night, provided him with enough light to survey the village as he made his way through it. There were no lights in any of the huts and the only sound at this hour was the chirping and buzzing of bugs, accompanied by the soft calling of birds and bats in the sky, as well as squirrels darting around in the trees.

It was so peaceful compared to how the village was during the day that Caesar barely recognised it. Had he not known the infrastructure of the place by heart, every nook and cranny, every piece of bark and every dangerous stub sticking out of the ground, he would have thought he was in another place entirely. Another world, even.

He made his way, as he did most nights this happened almost subconsciously, to the Law-Stone. The dirt was moist from dew and stuck to the rough soles of his feet.

The Law-Stone. It was a good place to think. To regain composure.

 _To talk_ , he thought, as he spotted Lydia sitting there already, her blue gaze turned upward, towards the stars that twinkled above. At the sound of the Ape King's approach, she whipped her head towards his direction in mild alarm, only to have her features fall into a kind smile as their eyes met. She scooted over slightly on the smoothened, worn platform to make room for him to sit, her legs crossed and her posture relaxed.

His movement were slow and calculated as he sat down by her, feeling as if a careless movement might wake the whole village, ruining the quiet sanctity that veiled it at night.

"Couldn't sleep?" She asked in a low, pleasant voice. A sympathetic look was etched onto her features and Caesar couldn't help but sigh in a hopeless manner. He closed his eyes and shook his head dejectedly, his lips forming a thin line as he frowned.

"Me neither… again." She said with a slight slump of her shoulders. It was a common thing for them to meet each other at night, as they each woke from uneasy sleep with frequent intervals. She had yet to divulge exactly what it was that kept her awake on these nights, though Caesar was fairly sure he could guess at least one or two of the causes. She had experienced much horror, seeing her family die, one by one, turning her back on her own species after having witnessed the selfishness, greed and tyrannical tendencies surfacing when humans grew desperate.

Yes, she had seen a lot. She had as good a reason as any to be up at this hour, sleepless.

An easy silence grew between them as they took in the low lights of the fires dotting the village, like fireflies in a field, dancing tantalisingly over the shiny blades of grass.

Suddenly, her voice sounded, cutting through the silence like a white-hot blade through soft butter. What surprised Caesar, however, was not the fact that she had spoken. It was what she said that caught him off-guard.

"I dreamt I was alone again." She didn't look at him. As he turned towards her, he noticed she was staring ahead with a calm expression, almost like she had merely told him how nice the weather was. Her hands were fiddling in her lap, her long fingers twisting around each other, pinching, rubbing, scratching.

Uneasy.

"Alone again?" Caesar questioned, dumbfounded for once. He had trouble keeping his deep, baritone voice down to a whisper. It was already a strain to speak, even if he was better at it than any other ape was. It came out too loud, yet it didn't seem to bother Lydia, who nodded briefly.

"Like right after my dad and brother died. Before I found Roy and Orion…" She clarified. If it hadn't already been so quiet all around them, Caesar doubted he would have even heard her at all.

The Ape King gave in to the sudden urge to pat her shoulder comfortingly, which made her look at him with a sad smile.

"You never. Spoke. Of this. Time." Caesar said. He was still trying to mimic her quiet tone. And failing miserably.

"I try not to think about it most days." She said, then shook her head as if to rid herself of an unpleasant thought. "It was… agony."

Caesar's eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "Agony? How so?"

The question slipped out before he had a chance to contain it. Luckily, she didn't seem to mind explaining what she meant. She looked more relieved than anything else, really.

"I was all alone, no family, no friends, no company at all except my own…" She paused as she looked down in thought, picking at a piece of dirt stuck to her boot. "One thing humans and apes have in common is that we are not made to be alone… It's not in our nature. We're social creatures… But I turned my back on that when there was no one left I trusted. Nothing left to tie me to the last of humanity…"

Caesar tried to imagine what that must have been like. Living without the social life together with his apes. The apes communicated with each other through most of the day and had many occasions to touch as well, for example when grooming. Imagining life without any interactions, without his friends, wife and child, Caesar could understand why Lydia used the term agony.

"How. Did you. Survive?" He asked tentatively. He remembered her saying that she had been on her own for… what was it? Five months? After she left the human colony she had resided in. Almost half a year on her own. With nothing but her own mind to keep her occupied, be it day or night.

He shuddered at the thought.

"Mostly stubbornness, I guess." She leaned back against the Law-Stone, still not meeting Caesar's eye. "I wasn't going to let my dad and brother's sacrifice go to waste by just dying off from hunger or some idiot robbing me. But I didn't know _where_ to go. What to _do_ with myself."

Her gaze turned to him, finally, yet the look in her eyes was unreadable to Caesar.

"I didn't know how to hunt either. I had never held a bow in my life. I went to sleep hungry many times during those months. The only reason I survived was because I scavenged houses and shops for canned food. After three years, most had already been found by others, but I did occasionally catch a lucky break."

Caesar was surprised by this revelation. She was a skilled hunter for as long as he'd known her.

"You. Learned to. Hunt. Then?" He asked while trying to contain his bewilderment. Her sheepish look told him all he needed to know.

"It took a loooooong time. I came across a shop that had sold equipment for extreme sports. I had originally just come to see if I could find some clothes I could hoard, but the bow caught my eye. I figured that I needed to learn how to hunt if I was going to be on my own, so I grabbed it."

She chuckled for the first time that night and shook her head in disbelief at herself.

"It was so hard on my arms to even string it that I almost gave up as soon as I had begun. A pistol would have been much easier to handle, but I reasoned that a bow would be better because I could make the arrows myself later on. With a gun, I'd have to look for ammo all the time. Even then, I didn't hit anything at all until a few weeks before I met Roy and Orion. I basically lived off scraps."

Lydia crossed her arms over her chest and Caesar noted how well-toned her arms were. They were still slim and feminine, fitting the rest of her body, but it was clear she had trained hard to be able to pull back the string on her bow.

"Seems. To me. That it. Worked. Fine." He said with a playful glint in his eyes, catching up with the changing mood of the conversation. He was happy she didn't seem so gloomy anymore.

She chuckled lightly and leaned her head back to look up at the stars. "Yeah. It did."

He too leaned his back against the cool surface of the Law-Stone, and they fell into another bout of silence. Caesar was glad that she confided this in him. The talks they usually shared on such nights were rarely personal. In the beginning, he had inquired about humans. How they were doing, how wide the virus had spread, how the humans that were left managed to survive.

His thoughts turned to his own reason for being awake as he recalled their earlier conversations.

 _Will…_ Caesar thought sadly, his adoptive father's face flashing before his eyes.

As if she had read his mind, Lydia gave him a sideways glance and a worried expression soon found its way onto her face again.

"What… What about you?" She asked hesitantly, almost as if she expected him to recoil at the question, before she grew braver and elaborated. "What keeps you awake?"

Some part of him didn't want to tell her. It was a matter that only his wife, Rocket and Maurice had been told about. Koba had probably figured it out too. The bonobo was observant like that. To tell something so personal, so well-hidden to someone, and a human at that, seemed wrong.

And yet, another part of him, a bigger part, told him that it was alright. That he owed it to her, for sharing her pain so readily with him. They were in the same boat, as she would sometimes say. Also, she had proved on more than one occasion that she could be trusted.

She was a good human… Like Will had been.

So, Caesar told her.

"I dreamt. About my. Father." He said in his gravelly voice. "My… human father." He clarified when she turned to face him fully.

"He was. The one who made. The drug. Making apes. Smart… And humans. Sick…"

Her look of surprise told him that Cornelia hadn't shared that little piece of knowledge with the human woman, and he half-expected Lydia to frown and start talking badly about Will. It was, after all, the drug that Will created that was the cause of her current situation. In a way, Will was responsible for the deaths of her mother, sister and brother… Though Caesar would still try to defend his adoptive father against such accusations, the Ape King wouldn't blame Lydia if that was what she thought.

She didn't seem resentful, though. Instead, a thoughtful expression graced her features as the torches' light bathed them yellow and orange hues.

"Why did he make it? The drug?" She asked curiously.

"His father. Was sick. Forgot things. Like how to. Use forks… Got into trouble." Caesar said in a simple manner. He didn't know the name of the sickness that plagued his adoptive grandfather, Charles, but he knew it made him do illogical things. Dangerous things, at times.

"Sounds like Alzheimer's… or dementia." Lydia replied. Caesar faintly remembered the label on the vials he stole from Will's lab. _ALZ-113_. He reasoned that it must be the first option, then. The letters fit, after all.

"He was. A good man." Caesar said solemnly, to which she nodded in understanding and, daringly, grabbed his hand in a comforting gesture. They rarely touched, which made the move all the more surprising.

Yet Caesar was happy for it. It was a small gesture of comfort from a creature that reminded him of Will in many ways. If he closed his eyes, Caesar was almost certain he could pretend it was Will's hand covering his, if he tried to focus hard enough on his memories of his adoptive father's scent.

The Ape King sighed as she removed her hand from his.

"I remember. The last time. I saw him." He said, voice almost breaking from the continued strain. "He was. Sick… Dying."

She nodded for him to continue, her willingness to listen, her _understanding,_ apparent in her eyes.

And Caesar lifted his hands to sign, the torches' fire making the shadows dance across the Law-Stone as Lydia followed his movements intently.

* * *

Caesar noted how beautiful the trees were on this bright day in late autumn. The colours of the leaves ranged from green, to yellow, orange, red and brown, and they swirled in the air on their way down from the branches. It seemed so tranquil, as Caesar made his way down the street to the house where he had once lived.

It had been roughly six months since he and his apes had escaped into Muir Wood forest, and the humans had been relentless in their pursuit of them ever since. He had been wary of leaving his apes for this very reason, though their current location seemed to be relatively safe. For now.

He just _had_ to check on Will. Something was wrong, Caesar could just _feel_ it. The humans chasing them had dwindles steadily in numbers, and when he had stealthily made his way to the edge of the forest, he had noticed several improvised graves scattered across the roadside.

They couldn't be the results of clashes with the apes, who had spent most of their time just trying to escape.

It had to be something else.

The bridge had been largely unguarded when he'd snuck across it, as were the streets as he made his way towards Will's house. Sirens howled in the distance, though, and Caesar could make out the distressed calling of humans from somewhere within the city. He paid it no mind, though.

He had one goal. One destination.

Will.

Finally, the house was within sight and Caesar sped up as he swung through the trees.

Most of the houses had yellow plastic tape stretched out in front of them, blocking people from entering the unkept front yards. Windows were broken and most of the houses seemed empty. Caesar only spied a few, scattered inhabitants moving within their homes, white masks covering their mouths.

He thought he saw some of them being stained with a dark substance, but shrugged it off as he pressed on.

He landed with a dull thump in front of the house he used to call his home. The yellow plastic also flapped in the soft breeze in front of this house and Caesar felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Making his way through the front gate, slipping under the plastic blocking his way, a lump started to form in his throat.

Two of the tyres on Will's car had been punctured, seemingly long ago, if the dry dirt covering the vehicle was anything to go by, and the bushes around the house had not been trimmed. Usually, the place was tidy and well-kept, testament to Will's orderly nature.

Perhaps he wasn't there anymore, Caesar reasoned. And yet, he pushed on and went around the back, careful not to be seen. Even now, so long after it had happened, he was still subconsciously looking out for Will's neighbour, who Caesar had attacked when he'd harassed his grandfather.

The backyard was even worse-looking than the front, grass reaching up to Caesar's knees and bushes growing their branches out in natural, twisting angles, almost as if to mock the tidy condition they had previously been kept in.

Caesar approached the backdoor warily, at any moment expecting someone to jump out and attack him, even if no one seemed to be around. He reached forward hesitantly, softly grabbing the handle and wiggling it, only to find it locked.

He weighed his options as he stepped back from the door and examined the windows. They all seemed to be shut, though Caesar's eyes soon rested on Will and Caroline's bedroom window, hope finding its way into his chest. They had always kept it open to let in air, since it often became clammy in there.

Poor ventilation, Will had called it.

Caesar climbed up using the drain on the edge of the building, swinging swiftly over to grab hold of the windowsill and hauling himself up to open the window wider. His feet hit the carpeted floor silently and as Caesar stood up to his full height, eyeing the room, he was immediately alarmed by the state of the houses' interior. Brown dust covered every surface except the bed, which seemed to have been used recently, the covers rumpled and unkept. Books were scattered across the floor in a careless manner. Will would never treat his books like that.

The scent of the house was even more worrying to Caesar. The air was stale and the iron-like smell of blood made the evolved chimpanzee crinkle his nose in distaste.

He moved into the hallway, where things weren't much different from how they were in the bedroom. Caesar could, however, make out the faint sound of the television down below, _the news_ , he thought. It sounded like the news programme to Caesar, a reporter speaking indistinctly.

As he made his way down the stairs, the steps creaked under his weight. He had forgotten about these noisy floorboards.

It seemed to have alerted the occupant of the house, as a faint "who's there?" could be heard from the living room. Caesar recognised the voice, even if it sounded raspy and raw from disuse.

Soon, the ape reached the bottom of the stairs and went to stand in the open doorway leading into the living room. He spotted his father immediately, though the sight was like getting slapped across the face.

 _Or stung with the electric stick Landon used back at San Bruno_ , Caesar thought.

There, lying on the couch, propped up weakly on one elbow and holding on to the back of the couch with his other hand, was Will. He was covered in an old blanket, both that and the old t-shirt he was wearing stained with dried blood.

His red eyes widened in shock as he spotted Caesar, perhaps expecting some other human to have entered his home through force, coming to either rob him or kill him while he lies there, weak and helpless.

The mere thought made Caesar's blood boil.

"Caesar." Will called weakly, a soft, paternal smile gracing his features as he recognised the ape he had cared for since infancy. "Is it really you?" He asked, sitting up straighter on the couch.

The ape nodded, the lump in his throat blocking him from answering with his newly developed verbal language. He made his way over to Will and bent down in front of him so they were at eye-level with each other. Then he reached forward with his hand and grabbed the back of Will's neck, pulling him forward until their foreheads touched. Both exhaled, Caesar evenly so, while Will's breath was raspy and laboured.

When they pulled back, Caesar signed questioningly. " _What happened? Why are you sick?_ "

Will's eyes saddened, his happiness at seeing Caesar again fading as guilt clouded his features.

"It's the drug, Caesar… The one that made the apes smart. The one to help dad. It's killing people. Humans are dying everywhere…" Will's voice broke when Caesar's head shot up to regard him with widened eyes, realisation dawning on the ape.

" _Caroline?_ " Caesar signed with trembling hands.

Will only shook his head regretfully, his eyes downcast.

The ape felt his heart clench tightly together in his chest. Caroline was gone? His adoptive mother, with her kind voice and calming scent, gone? He had a hard time wrapping his head around it.

He had known when Charles had died, while he was still in San Bruno. Will hadn't said anything, but his demeanour when he had visited told Caesar all he needed to know, and the ape had mourned the loss, alone in his cold cell.

But Caroline had died without his knowledge. Died from something Will had created. Something Caesar had turned loose.

And it wasn't just her. It was everywhere, Will had said. Humans getting sick and dying. Suddenly the state of the city, the graves on the roadside, the people hiding in their houses, wearing masks… it all made sense to Caesar then.

So, this was the price for the apes' freedom. The price for Will's determination to help his father.

"Caesar. Sorry." The ape managed to grind out, squeezing his green eyes shut to prevent tears from falling. He felt Will's hands land gently on his hairy shoulders, pulling the chimpanzee into a comforting embrace. Caesar laid his arms around his father, clenching Will's dirty shirt as guilt and shame crept its way into his heart.

"It's not your fault, Caesar." Will insisted gently, his voice still hoarse as it sounded beside Caesar's ear. "It was never your fault."

They sat like that for a while, Will's raspy breathing mingling with the sounds of the tv, until the human fell victim to a sudden coughing fit that made Caesar recoil backwards in alarm.

Blood spilled from Will's mouth as he reached up to limit the crimson spray with the blanket lying across his lap. The sight made Caesar hoot nervously. When the coughing finally stopped, Will wiped his mouth with the blanket before looking back up at Caesar with glossy, reddened eyes.

" _You are… dying too._ " The ape signed hesitantly. It was not a question, but an observation.

"Yeah… I am." Will confirmed shakily. "It's taking longer than with Caroline. Some die very fast, while others live with the symptoms for months… Getting worse and worse until the body shuts down. Gives up." Despite the severity of the situation, Will's tone remained clinical and matter-of-factly. Caesar appreciated that his father spoke to him as an equal right now. Recognising him as an adult, capable of accepting the cruel situation revealed to him.

Yet there was a part of Caesar who wished he hadn't. Wished that he'd spoken to him in softer, simpler terms. Like he was still the sensitive toddler Will had raised.

Like things could still be fixed.

Caesar's eyes searched the room, then. Noticing scattered plastic trays and dirty forks lying on the coffee table.

" _How do you get food?_ " He asked, curious as to how Will could not already have died from starvation. He knew food came from the shop, but in Will's condition, he wouldn't even have been able to drive there, even with the car's tyres intact. Besides, the shop was probably not open anymore, the ape reasoned.

Will smiled at him, which would have been comforting if his teeth and lips weren't smeared in blood.

"They come with food once a week for the people who are quarantined. Impressive, actually, since it would seem most of human society is slowly coming apart." He gestured to the tv, where images showed hooded figures breaking shop windows to steal whatever they could from inside. The screen then flashed to a group of heavily-clad men with shields on their arms and visors covering their faces, beating people with clubs. Caesar turned his gaze away when the screen showed a sidewalk filled with white body bags.

Will sighed dejectedly as he grabbed the tray he had been eating from earlier, its contents still mostly intact, if a bit jostled from being picked at with a fork.

"It tastes horrible, but I guess I shouldn't be picky." He smiled again and Caesar understood what he was hinting at. He had often reprimanded Caesar when the ape had tried to avoid eating certain things, telling him it wasn't good to be a picky eater. The ape huffed out a meek laugh as Will set the tray back on the table, distaste clear in his eyes.

Caesar moved to sit beside Will on the couch and the human turned off the tv.

"Missed. You." Caesar said, his baritone voice echoing in the now silent room. "Much." He added when Will didn't say anything at first.

"… I missed you too. It's very quiet here now." The human fiddled with the remote in his hands for a while before setting it down on the coffee table, looking at Caesar apologetically.

"I would offer you a cookie from the jar in the kitchen, but I'm afraid they've gone bad long ago." He scratched his stubbled chin. Caesar hadn't noticed that before. Will had always been clean-shaven, but now his jaw was covered in stiff hairs, most of it stained with dried blood. As the ape studied his father more closely, he also noticed that Will's hair had grown longer and hung in greasy ringlets. He was also considerably thinner, to the point where Caesar was sure that his ribs would be showing if the human shed his t-shirt.

And he was paler now, the healthy colour his skin previously held now all but a distant memory.

" _That is ok._ " Caesar signed, " _Not hungry._ "

He reached over to lay a rough, hairy hand on Will's shoulder and the human slumped back into the couch, his breathing laboured.

"I'm glad you came, Caesar. I really am…" Will said, "But I wish your last time seeing me wouldn't be like… this…" He gestured towards his face in an uncaring manner.

He knew Will was right. It was most likely the last time he'd see his human father alive. He didn't look like he could continue like this for much longer. Besides, no matter how much he wanted to, there was no way Caesar could bring Will with him to his apes. They wouldn't understand and the journey alone could kill the human, of that Caesar was certain. Still, the words stung and the ape did his best not to whimper. He hadn't done that since he'd first arrived at San Bruno, and he wasn't going to start now.

He had to be the strongest branch.

Another coughing-fit struck Will, this one longer than the last, and Caesar gently patted his back to help clear the human's airways.

" _How long… left?_ " He signed at Will when the coughing had subsided. He had to know. Will only shrugged, his eyelids looking heavy.

"Anything from a few days to a few more months…" He replied, still in that clinical manner of his.

"Caesar. Stay." The ape said, though he knew it would never work out. He had his apes to lead, and there wasn't much more he could do for Will. Still, it seemed heartless and wrong to just leave the man who had raised him. To let him just waste away, alone and forgotten in an empty, dirty house. It made bile rise into the back of Caesar's throat to just think of it. "To. Help. Father."

Will's head whipped towards Caesar, much faster than the ape had deemed him capable of in his current state, his eyes wide and glossy with unshed tears.

"You know you can't. The apes need you." He said in a shaky voice. Then he smiled and reached forward to pull Caesar in, their foreheads touching once again. Will had never initiated this gesture before and just by that fact alone, Caesar knew that this was Will's way of saying thank you. His way of showing, one final time, that he loved Caesar.

His way of saying goodbye.

"I'm proud of you, son." His voice sounded, exhaling shakily.

And tears started falling from Caesar's eyes.

They had said their goodbyes not long after, Caesar leaving the house with a solemn expression across his face. He didn't regret that he'd come, but he wished with all his heart that things could've been different. As he swung through the trees in the last rays of the evening sun, he observed his surroundings with much more clarity than before. He spotted a van in front of one of the houses down the street, two figures in yellow plastic suits carrying a heavy-looking body bag. So, this is what would happen to Will when his body, too, would give up.

The ape hurried on as the heavy load was shoved into the back of the van.

There were many bad humans in the world, he pondered as he reached the bridge. People who had treated his species with cruelty and carelessness. People who wouldn't hesitate to shoot him and all his kind. But that didn't mean that all humans deserved the fate that had been handed to them by the virus. Especially not people like Will or Caroline.

He visited again a couple of weeks later to check up on Will.

The house was empty. The trays removed. The grass around the building taller than ever.

And Caesar knew, he just _knew_.

His father was gone. And with him went the last remnants of Caesar's carefree childhood.

* * *

The Ape King sighed deeply as he finished his story. It was harrowing for him to talk about, but strangely, he felt better for having done it. Lydia had listened intently, hanging on to every word, unshed tears glinting in the light from the torches around them. She hadn't uttered a single word the whole time, hadn't even lifted her hands to attempt signing a question or comment.

She grabbed his hand again, stronger this time, and stared into his eyes.

"He _was_ a good man." She said simply, agreeing with Caesar's statement from before he started telling his story. The Ape King only nodded.

When she let go, he felt oddly cold. It was rare for anyone besides Cornelia to hold his hand, but it was a comfort he hadn't realised he'd craved.

"I'm glad you told me…" Lydia spoke softly, a comforting smile gracing her lips.

"Just. Don't tell. Anyone." Caesar said, trying hard to keep the after-effects the memory had on him out of his voice. "Few apes. Know this."

"I promise." She replied with no hesitation, only sincerity.

As Caesar laid down in his nest some time later, his wife and son still sleeping soundly, he calculated that he had about two to three hours of sleep before another day would begin. Normally, it would annoy him to have had so little sleep, but tonight, he felt oddly relaxed. At peace, even.

It was nice to have someone to confide in. Someone who knew the world of humans. Cornelia had been captured from the wild, and Rocket and Maurice had only ever experienced their bad side, so none of them could truly understand Caesar's predicament, no matter how hard they tried. And then there was Koba. While being like a brother to Caesar, the bonobo still nurtured a burning hatred for humans and would never understand the connection his king had had with Will. Also, Koba had never been one for deep talks and comforting words to begin with.

Lydia had understood, though. She knew that humans could be caring and loving. She was such a human herself, after all. Through her quiet listening, Caesar had sensed her mourning his loss and felt comforted by the fact that she truly recognised what kind of man Will had been. She didn't judge him for what he'd caused, even though she had lost so much because of it.

No. she understood the desperation. The anguish. The love.

With that thought going through his mind, Caesar closed his eyes to finally let sleep claim him. The padding of the nest was softer than it'd ever seemed before and the calming, familiar scent of his family enveloped him. _Caesar is home_ , his words from when he and Will had parted ways in the forest swam through his mind.

Another deep exhale and Caesar finally slept.


	11. Fuzzy People

_**Maurice**_

Maurice was sitting casually with Caesar and Cornelia, making small-talk. It was one of the days where the King and Queen had not arranged their respective hunting and foraging-trips and Maurice had finished teaching the children early today. The weather was pleasant and a lazy kind of feeling had settled over the village. Not long after they had settled, Roy had come over with his family to join them, obviously having pulled Lydia from one of her clothes-making tasks, if the look on her face was anything to go by.

Maurice huffed amusedly at her slightly annoyed glances towards Roy. Whenever she wasn't hunting, skinning her kills or fishing, she could most often be found sitting at the walkway in front of their hut, practicing her sewing skills and making new clothes for herself.

And she hated being pulled away from her work. It broke her focus, she said. Slowed her progress.

Her expression went from annoyed to bright and inviting as Cornelia smiled at her and patted a spot beside her. It was an honour sitting beside the Ape Queen, but it was something Lydia had earned long ago now, so no one made any mention of it.

Lydia sat cross-legged with Roy on her other side and Orion placed comfortably in her lap as she joined the conversation. It didn't take long for Rocket, Tinker, Koba and a few others to join. Koba still kept his distance from the human woman, but he had stopped sending her his scathing looks and seemed to listen intently to what she said now.

It was a development that eased Caesar's worries greatly, Maurice knew. It was just a pity that it had taken such a dangerous situation to bring it about.

The orangutan's gaze landed on where Lydia's injuries were. It had been a little over three weeks since the incident with the mountain lion, and they were all healed up now. All that remained were angry, pinkish scars where her skin had been sliced, starkly visible against her otherwise pale skin. She would probably never get rid of those scars, Maurice noted. They would fade with time, but never leave her skin, remaining as a badge of honour and proof that she deserved her place among the apes.

The conversation continued as Maurice let his eyes scan the village. Everyone was settling into groups of their own, old and young, relaxing and conversing peacefully as thin clouds calmly passed in front of the sun. That's when he noticed Blue Eyes and Ash running towards them, only slowing down when they were about to collide with the adults.

The Prince was greeted by his mother's waiting arms and he didn't hesitate for a moment to jump into them and turn to Orion, waving his hand in a vigorous greeting. Orion reached over and the two bumped fists clumsily. Ash, having briefly greeted his own mother with an embrace, came over and repeated the gesture to the younger chimp.

Then, Ash's eyes found Lydia's and the child immediately beamed at her. It was obvious to everyone that Ash was fascinated with her, if not downright infatuated, and Maurice saw the child's parents share amused looks.

The old orangutan couldn't quite help himself either and let a small smile pass his lips. Especially when Blue Eyes rolled his eyes at his friend and honorary cousin.

Ash's eyes soon found Lydia's angry-looing scars on her hip, visible just above her pants, seeing as she was only wearing a leather chest-guard with metal buckles due to the warm weather, leaving her stomach bare.

A frown marred the young chimps features and he looked apologetically up at the human woman.

" _They still hurt?_ " he asked timidly. He had felt very responsible for the whole thing and had apologised to her several times.

Lydia took it in stride, though.

" _Nah, not anymore, Ash. They just pinch a bit from time to time._ " She smiled good-naturedly. " _But I'm tough, remember?_ " She wiggled her eyebrows at him and he pant-laughed at her silliness. Maurice had to give it to her, she knew how to diffuse any tense situation as well as make others feel better when they were sad. She'd make a good teacher, he mused.

"Just promise to invite me next time you decide to go on an adventure, eh?" She said as she held out one of her hands in a clenched fist, extending her pinkie towards the child with a meaningful look.

Ash looked at the outstretched pinkie confusedly and turned to Orion for an explanation to his mother's weird gesture. He clearly had no idea what it was supposed to signify or if he was supposed to somehow reciprocate it.

Neither did Maurice, to be honest. He had never seen anyone do this before and judging from the looks of the other apes, neither did they. Caesar seemed especially interested in the gesture and his eyebrows knitted together in thought.

"It's a pinkie promise." Lydia clarified with a playful smile, "Once made, you _have_ to keep it."

Ash still looked questioningly at the offered limb, until Orion huffed in exasperation and jumped forward, out of his mother's lap and towards his friend.

" _Like this._ " He signed, grabbing Ash's hand and shaping it in the same manner as Lydia held her own, pulling it forward and linking the two's pinkies together before letting go.

Lydia smiled and shook Ash's hand gently, like a normal handshake, one time before letting go of his pinkie.

"Now, it's a promise, Ash." She said as Orion hopped back into her lap.

The child looked at his pinkie momentarily before turning his gaze to the human in wonder. He was oblivious to the amused looks of the adults around him and Maurice had to admit it was a sweet gesture. There was no doubt in the orangutan's mind that Ash would honour that promise.

What he signed next surprised Maurice, though.

" _Soft touch._ " Ash said, scooting forward and tentatively grabbing Lydia's hand for further inspection.

Most of the adults, including Maurice himself, huffed out laughs at the youth's curiosity and obvious lack of subtlety. He would surely get teased with this by his mother when he got older, Maurice had no doubts about that.

" _No hair._ " Ash elaborated as he inspected the back of Lydia's hand, where the apes' coarse hair would start to appear, running his fingers along the skin.

"I do too have hair." Lydia protested amusedly. Maurice noted how Roy, sitting beside her, eyed her with obvious fondness.

Ash looked up at her with a scrunched-up face as if she was taking him for a fool.

" _Did not mean on head. Lydia has lot of hair on head._ "

She laughed out loud at that and Maurice saw both Orion and Blue Eyes share a look of bewilderment at the exchange.

"I didn't mean on my head, Ash. I have hairs on my whole body, just like you do. See?"

She showed him her forearm before he could protest her statement and he leaned close to inspect it further. Blue Eyes leaned closer too from his position in his mother's lap. Orion seemed unbothered by the whole deal and Maurice suspected that he revelled in, for once, knowing something his older friends didn't.

" _That not hair._ " Blue Eyes signed at the human. " _That… fuzz._ " He struggled to remember the sign. Caesar, who Maurice noticed had restrained his reactions to a degree throughout the exchange, couldn't hold back a full-out pant-laugh at his son's observation.

Lydia laughed too, answering the two children with poorly acted, false indignation.

" _Fuzz_? I'm not some peach, you two! This is _hair_!" She huffed slightly before continuing. "Actually, humans have just as many hairs on their bodies as apes do!"

Now, the adults looked as sceptical as the children did.

" _That cannot be true, surely?_ " Caesar signed with raised eyebrows. Maurice had to agree with his king. Humans couldn't _possibly_ be as hairy as apes. They looked so different. So… bare…

"It _is_ true, I promise you." Lydia turned to Caesar with a look that left no room for arguing. "Hair for hair, we have the same amount. Humans just have way smaller hairs because we don't need them the same way apes do. Trust me, some human scholars actually took the time to _count_ it."

Caesar's face scrunched up in disbelief, as did many of the other apes'.

" _Why would they do that?_ " Maurice inquired. He just _had_ to ask.

"I suppose they had more time on their hands than most." Came her reply as she shrugged.

Well, Maurice could definitely imagine that some humans might spend their time doing something so mundane and seemingly meaningless as that.

"Well, it is probably because apes and humans are supposed to have a common ancestor, long, long ago, like, millions of years ago, so I guess they wanted to see if we had something in common." She added more elaborately.

" _Common ancestor? How so?_ " Maurice was intrigued, to say the least.

While he could see the similarities in terms of their hands, ears and general posture (at least for chimps), as well as some behavioural patterns, he really had a hard time picturing how humans and apes could have ever come from the same creature, once upon a time.

Judging from the looks of the others around them, so did they.

"A common ape ancestor species. They are believed to, at some point, have separated into several groups and come down from the trees and evolve to walk on two legs, branching into several species of humans who were sometimes just as different in appearance from each other as chimpanzees, orangutans and gorillas are today. They all ended up dying out later for one reason or another, leaving only one species of humans alive today." She explained. "Others of this common ancestor evolved differently due to their different lifestyle and has evolved into today's apes. Mind you, this is something humans call the theory of evolution, but it's supported by many findings humans have done throughout the world, not only concerning humans and apes, but also, for example, wolves and dogs." She finished.

It was a lot to take in, even for Maurice, but looking at Lydia's hand compared to Cornelia's, as the Ape Queen sat beside her, five fingers, the same number of joints, blunted fingernails, no claws and the intricate patterns on the palms.

Yeah, based on this alone, the old orangutan could see the sense of her explanation.

Also, Lydia seemed to be very knowledgeable, so Maurice continued the conversation by asking her another question that had stuck to his mind while she talked.

" _Why do human not need as big hairs as ape?_ "

Lydia smiled at the inquisitive question and Maurice briefly felt like one of his own students. He didn't mind, though.

This was interesting.

"Well, it is believed that it is because humans used to hunt based on stamina. When you guys hunt today, you go by ambush. But humans, back in the early days, lived almost exclusively on the ground and often had to venture out into open terrain to find prey."

Caesar seemed just as interested in this as Maurice himself was, and even the children around Lydia seemed to hang on to every word, even if there were probably many things that they didn't understand.

"Humans back then had to rely on another method and evolved to run after the prey until it got tired and had to rest to cool down. Humans could do that because we sweat. A lot. Whereas other animals, such as deer, get overheated after some time and must stop and pant to get cool again, just like Blaze and Storm do when the weather is hot." She pointed towards her dogs lying not far from where the group was sitting, taking a nap.

"That way, the prey can be hunted over long distances, either tiering it enough for the humans to catch up, or the prey simply dies from exhaustion." Lydia then gestured to her own arm.

"If humans had hair like apes do, the heat would get trapped under the layer of hair and we wouldn't be able to get rid of the excess heat, meaning we would not be able to hunt efficiently."

Unexpectedly, Koba spoke up then.

"Humans. Do. Not. Hunt. Like that." He seemed to challenge, though perhaps it was just because Maurice was used to Koba always disregarding what Lydia had said for the past year-and-a-half. The bonobo _did_ , however, seem interested in the conversation.

Lydia nodded towards him in acknowledgement.

"Not anymore, we don't. That was a loooong time ago. Faster and less exhausting ways have been figured out since then. Like bows for example, which don't require running for hours on end. But for thousands of years, that was the only way humans could hunt and so, we had to adapt. That is also believed to be the reason why we have so long legs and straight posture when standing. It seems to be more energy-efficient when running." She finished explaining.

Maurice nodded in understanding at that. Lydia _was_ a good runner. Though the apes, on all fours, could outrun her fairly quickly, they struggled to keep up over longer distances, while Lydia could go at it much, _much_ longer. The old orangutan had no doubt that she could probably keep that up for at least an hour. Maybe even two.

" _You know many things._ " Maurice remarked, " _Many strange things too._ " He added amusedly.

Lydia scratched her shoulder absent-mindedly and looked slightly bashful at his praise.

"Well, before the outbreak, I watched a lot of tv and read tons of books. I like learning new things, so I watched a lot of documentaries about different topics. Like nature, history and many other subjects."

Maurice nodded in understanding once more and, for the second time that day, the thought that she would make a good teacher struck him.

Her gaze jerked down suddenly when Blue Eyes' hand gently grazed over the hairs on her forearm, barely touching it and making her arm twitch in response.

"That tickles, Blue." She said with a grin.

He looked up at her briefly before inspecting her arm again, repeating the action and once again making her arm twitch involuntarily. The Prince kept his eyes trained on the jumping muscle on Lydia's forearm before turning back to her and signing.

" _I still think it is fuzz._ "

To which all the adults chuckled, save for Lydia, who sighed in defeat.


	12. Honest Mistakes

**WARNING: This chapter contains nudity and smut! The beginning and ending of the smut will be clearly marked, and while it is not recommended, is skippable.  
**

* * *

 _ **Caesar**_

The sky was covered in grey, bleak-looking clouds as Caesar looked for Lydia. He had been told that she had just returned from her hunting trip and he would like to talk with her about how they should arrange themselves tomorrow in terms of hunting grounds. He wanted to get out as fast as possible the next day, since he hadn't sent out any hunting parties for quite some time, as they'd had plenty of meat to last the village for an entire week. For the last couple of days, though, supplies had been running short, and they really needed to get out there again now. Therefore, he thought he would get the planning out of the way so they could waste less time coordinating themselves in the morning.

She had returned early today, he noted. And with only two hares and a buck. A large one, to be sure, but still only one.

The king just hoped that the two smaller groups he had sent out earlier would have more luck. Otherwise it would be a measly evening meal. One buck was barely enough to feed one fourth of the village.

But he had much confidence in Koba and Rocket, who had hand-picked the members of their respective hunting parties for the day. Roy was part of Rocket's group, as per usual. They had yet to return.

As his thoughts strayed to the slightly younger male, Caesar felt only a deeply rotted respect. Roy was patient and wise while also being strong and determined. This made him a good hunter, adding to the skill he'd gained from a year on the road with his mate.

 _Yes_ , Caesar thought, that _was_ what they were. His wife had confirmed it about two months ago, after a rather… intimate talk with Lydia, Rain and Tinker. He had resisted the urge to press for details, though. It was not his place to snoop into their personal affairs.

 _Women…_

He shook his head as he passed the gates and ventured up the hill a bit away from the village. Lydia often went there to clean herself off or take a swim in the small waterhole further up the hill. It was secluded and quiet, and since the apes didn't swim themselves, the human woman pretty much had the sight to herself. The Ape King had often found her sitting with her feet dipped into the water, perched on the trunk of a tree that had fallen halfway into the pond long ago. Sometimes he would sit with her for a while there, conversing about every topic that came to mind, like he often did with Maurice.

Caesar had found out long ago that Lydia was pleasant to converse with, and he usually walked away after their talks with a bit more knowledge than when he first set out.

The walk up the hill was steep in some places, but it didn't bother the Ape King, who trudged along quietly.

Too quietly for Lydia to hear, as Caesar exited the thick bushes surrounding most of the tranquil waterhole. Too quietly for the human woman to notice the ape stop dead in his tracks, his wide, green eyes fixed on her form in the water.

Her very _naked_ form, that is.

She had her back turned to him, the water reaching up to about the middle of her rounded buttocks.

Caesar was transfixed as he saw how the little droplets ventured down her smooth skin, her muscles flexing underneath as she moved her arms to scrub her skin with a wet cloth. He noted how her dark hair, soaking wet, clung in thick strands to her naked body, reaching down just above the spot where two dips appeared on her lower back.

Her shape was slender and her skin pale in the weak light fighting its way through the grey clouds high in the sky above them. The surface of her body wasn't completely void of imperfections as a few small scares could be seen along her back and shoulders, evidence of her active, and sometimes dangerous, life. It did nothing to discourage Caesar from further admiring the human woman as he felt his large fingers twitch involuntarily in anticipation.

What it was exactly he was anticipating, he scarcely knew himself.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, however, he reasoned that he should leave before she noticed him there. Saving both from embarrassment, he should return to the village and wait for her to finish her task. Yet he couldn't move a muscle and kept ogling her for far longer than what could ever be considered accidental.

He could just about make out the outline of her breast as she turned slightly and he couldn't help a sudden, sharp intake of breath.

Lydia froze at the sound before turning her head quickly, her blue eyes widening in horror.

"Caesar!" She yelped before she quickly lowered herself into the water until only her head, neck and shoulders were visible, splashing water all around her. She then turned fully towards him, cheeks red and her head bowed in embarrassment.

"I… I didn't hear you coming…" She said. She didn't lift her gaze to meet his.

Caesar felt like, what was the human saying? A deer caught in the headlights? Yes, that was it. He was caught.

And since she wasn't looking at him, he'd had to speak up.

Well, shit.

"I. Did not. Know. You. Were bathing." He managed to say in his usual, raspy voice. "I apologize." It seemed only fair. He should really have known that she might be doing just that.

She finally lifted her gaze and smiled slightly, though her cheeks were still tinted red.

"It's ok. I should have told someone I went to bathe… You couldn't possibly have known."

 _Perhaps_ , he thought, _but I could have turned away. I could have left. I **should** have left_.

Lydia lifted her head further, looking slightly worried.

"How much did you-?"

"Not. Much." He interrupted before she could finish. Ok, _that_ was a lie. He had seen _a lot_. Though he somehow figured she'd be more embarrassed if he'd also seen her naked front, which he hadn't. So, technically, it was also a truth.

A small voice inside his mind argued that he was fooling himself. He had not seen _as much_ as he'd _wanted_. That was the difference.

He quickly choked that voice before it had a chance to fester, instead focusing on what he'd originally come resolve with her.

" _I came to ask where you hunt tomorrow. To plan ahead._ " He signed quickly, only to worry if she had even seen it. He didn't trust his still-developing voice at this point.

"Oh, um… I think I will take the western path, if that's okay with you…" She said in a small voice.

He didn't blame her for her hesitancy. He, better than most apes, understood humans' sense of modesty. After all, he'd grown up with tv like most American children, and when Caroline had moved into the Rodman household, he had also learned that women were usually a lot more prone to it than men.

And yet he couldn't find it within himself to be sorry for what he'd witnessed.

She was beautiful, after all.

" _That will be fine. Then I will take my hunters east._ " So much trouble for such a small amount of planning. Usually, they'd go into more details. How far away each would go, how many apes Caesar would bring with him, who Lydia could take to help her carry the prey back home.

This would have to do, though, if they both wanted to get back to the village with their dignity and good relation intact.

" _I will go back, then… And sorry about this…_ " He added as he turned around and left, hearing only her quiet "cya" as he entered the bushes again.

He went back to the village at a much slower pace than when he'd been going towards the waterhole, despite going downhill now. He had to calm his racing heartbeat.

As well as… other things…

Caesar grinded his teeth together, frustrated with himself.

The Ape King could not deny that he found her form attractive. Human women were very different from ape women, certainly, but he had grown up knowing only the former for eight years of his life. He had grown accustomed to it. The slender shape of human females, their long legs and always full breasts, contrasting ape females', which were only like that when they had small infants to take care of.

Still, it was wrong of him to think like this about her. Caesar had his wife, his wonderful, loving wife who he desired with a burning passion. On top of that, Lydia had Roy, who would probably not appreciate Caesar's stares at his mate, Ape King or not.

This was madness. A one-time slip-up reawakening something he had buried within himself long ago. It didn't help matters that she was also kind and intelligent, traits he'd picked up on long ago, but which only now seemed to enhance the beauty he had just witnessed.

He shook his head as he tried to clear his mind of her image.

It just wouldn't do. He'd have to face her when she got back from the waterhole. He'd have to face her every day as they planned hunts, as she visited Cornelia, as she approached him about the village's growing garden and whatnot.

He sighed as he re-entered the Ape Colony.

It was going to be awkward for the next few days, of that he was sure, but he was determined to make the best of it and act normal.

And NOT tell anything to anyone else.

Especially not Roy.

* * *

 _ **Lydia** _

Lydia hadn't wanted to tell Roy about the incident at the waterhole earlier that day. It had been awkward enough as it was. Caesar had not dared look at her for the rest of the day, even at the evening meal.

Luckily for the both of them, nobody seemed to notice the king's sudden avoidance of her. She thanked her lucky stars for that.

She just hoped it would blow over quickly and they could get back to normal. She treasured her talks with Caesar at the waterhole, as well as the times she had woken up and gone out to just sit and look at the stars. He would sometimes come down and sit with her, himself unable to sleep for one reason or another, and they'd talk long into the wee hours of morning.

In the end, though, she felt that she needed to be honest with Roy. She had told him everything about herself so far, things no one else alive knew.

He hadn't been pleased about the whole thing, to say the least, even if he appeared calm and collected on the outside, Lydia knew he was simmering on the inside. He respected Caesar and deep down, he also knew that it was an honest mistake on the Ape King's part. An accident.

Still, it didn't keep him from feeling possessive, which became quite clear as they laid together in their nest later that night.

Orion was fast asleep and had been pushed gently to the far side of the extra-large, padded nest when Lydia had first felt Roy's hand run up her side gently.

She had always felt awkward being intimate with Orion so close, but she also didn't want to kick him out of the nest and make him sleep by himself. Apes slept together. So, whenever the urge struck, Orion would simply be carefully nudged to the far side of the nest, huddled in furs to replace his mother's warmth.

Thank goodness he was a heavy sleeper.

She was lying in her side with Roy spooning her from behind, his warm body pressed firmly against her back. She wore only her panties and a loose, salvaged t-shit that had seen better days. The skins she usually covered herself with for warmth had been discarded a while ago.

 **(Smut Begins Here)**

This was the position they usually went for when neither wanted to move from the nest. And after a long day's hunting, that was often the case.

Lydia made a pleased noise as Roy's rough hand fondled her breast, the other reaching up to cover her mouth. Another arrangement of theirs. They had found out that Lydia could be rather vocal when caught in the throes of passion, and while she knew Roy _did_ enjoy this, it was no good when trying _not_ to wake up Orion.

Also, Lydia did find it rather hot on some strange level, to have his rough palm cover her mouth like this.

Roy's lips found the back of her neck and he began to lick along her shoulder and up her jugular, behind her ear, where he began to nibble at her sensitive skin. She whimpered as she exposed her neck more to him and a low growl came from his throat while she clawed helplessly at the soft fur-padding of their sleeping-area.

The hand on her breast began to travel slowly down her stomach, his fingers splaying across the expanse of skin sensually. When he reached her abdomen, he pulled her backwards, towards his pelvis, as he thrust forward with his own hips. She felt the bulge of his evolved, rather human-like member press against her rear and arched her back with a moan, muffled by his hand. The movement curved her so that his member slid down under her buttocks, now jutting hotly against her still-clothed core.

At the same time, his fingers finally reached their destination underneath her panties, the rough pads on his fingers rubbing against her clit. She grabbed his arm for purchase as his hand worked her most sensitive spot and he began to rut his pelvis against her impatiently.

It was all she could do to hold on to reality as he closed his mouth around her shoulder, teeth scraping dangerously against her skin.

He was beginning to be rough, she noted. Rougher than usual.

* * *

 _ **Roy**_

His fingers began to work her at an almost frantic pace and his touch was becoming harsher. As were the thrusting of his hips. He just couldn't help himself.

He had tried to be gentle, he honestly had.

But the mere thought of Caesar seeing her naked made his blood boil and the possessive, more primal side of him fight to get out.

Logically, he knew Caesar posed no threat to his relationship with Lydia. Both males were with their own respective partners, who they were each raising a child with. It was ridiculous for Roy to feel this way about the incident.

Since their arrival in the Ape Colony, Roy had on occasion overheard some of the other males' musings as to what it might be like to be with a human, some even mentioning Lydia by name. It was usually the younger ones with no established mates of their own. Youths who could never hope to best Roy in a fight if push came to shove.

He could, however, sympathise with their curiosity and the pull towards Lydia's exotic looks, so different from the females of their own species. It was one of the things that had drawn Roy to her in the first place.

Even if he _had_ rejected the notion at first. Vehemently so.

And so, though it _did_ stir something possessive in him when this happened, when they speculated openly on the feel of his mate's soft, naked skin, her curves and her luscious hair, he also knew that one scathing look from him would send them reeling.

These youngsters posed no threat. That was why it had never bothered him to this extent before.

Also, they had never had the pleasure of seeing her naked body. Much less did they have the gall to even try and catch a glimpse.

But it was different with the Ape King.

Instinctively, Roy recognised that Caesar was an older, capable male, with size, experience and rugged looks on his side. Not only that, but he was the leader of the colony. If anyone _could_ have imposed on Roy's mate, it would be Caesar.

The mere thought, no matter how ludicrous and unlikely, made Roy's hair stand on end like a feral cat's, ready for a fight.

It was probably why he didn't notice Lydia squirming uncomfortably in his arms. He was so caught up in his possessive, jealous musings that he didn't notice anything out of the ordinary until he accidentally pressed way too harshly against her clit, making her yelp loudly in pain and surprise and immediately pulling Roy back to reality.

They both stiffened momentarily as the pained sound left Lydia, and their widened gazes turned to Orion's form, waiting for a reaction.

The young ape only stirred slightly within the furs keeping him warm in his parents' absence.

The adults breathed a sigh of relief, glad that their son hadn't been woken by the loud noise.

Suddenly, however, realisation struck Roy, dousing his relief immediately.

He had hurt Lydia.

In their most vulnerable, intimate moment, he had let himself get carried away because of his own foolish imaginings. His jealousy and possessiveness had gotten the better of him and in turn, he had let go of his control over his strength. Like he had always feared he would with her.

Lydia propped herself up on an elbow and turned her head to look back at him in the darkness, after he had pulled his hand from her abdomen. He mimicked her position behind her, holding her gaze in the low firelight filtering through their glassless windows. Oh, how he just wanted to lower his head in apology as the floor opened up to swallow him whole.

He couldn't remember ever feeling so ashamed of his own actions before.

When she moved to stand up without a word, Roy was sure she was on her way to leave the hut for one of her nightly outings. She often did that when she couldn't sleep, rather than tossing and turning in the nest for hours.

He couldn't blame her if she wanted to leave for a bit to think on what had happened. The incident with Caesar earlier today hadn't been her fault at all, and Roy knew she had been more than a little embarrassed because of it. Him being angry about it to such a degree that he'd accidentally hurt her, during intimacy no less, was probably not helping either.

Instead of leaving, however, she baffled him as she moved towards the back of their hut, into the cave which had cleverly been integrated into their home. It had been used for storage before their hut had been built, but now served as a backroom they could retreat to on those sweltering hot days of summer. A few of the other huts on the cliff-like hill on one side of the village had a similar design, including Maurice's.

Roy and Lydia, however, used the cave for other things than just cooling off. It had a small stream of water running through it, which Lydia often used to wash herself during winter, when the waterhole on the hill was frozen. Most of the time, though, the two would retreat to the cave on nights when the mood called for more than a lazy rut in the nest. It provided privacy and had room for more than just the curled-up position their sleeping-area restricted them to.

Roy loved those nights the most. When they'd explore each other's bodies, and let themselves be consumed by passion without fear of waking Orion. He'd be left in the nest on those occasions, fast asleep in his bundle of furs.

But this was not one of those nights, surely? He had hurt her, after all. She couldn't possibly still want it now.

"Come on." Lydia whispered while stretching out her hand for Roy to take.

He did as he was told, though still utterly confused. They walked in the darkness of the cave for a couple of minutes before they reached the place where the roof opened slightly, water dripping down onto the cave floor and trickling down further into cracks in the ground. Pale moonlight shone through the opening in the roof of the cave as well, providing just enough light for them to see each other more or less clearly.

Lydia halted then, as they reached a somewhat flat plateau there, and turned to Roy. She leaned close to him until their torsos met and reached up to run her fingers through the hair on his chest while looking intently into his eyes.

"I think we need to resolve something, Roy." She spoke softly, her breath hot on his lips.

He nodded for her to continue.

"What happened today at the waterhole between me and Caesar… is of no importance."

He huffed at that, grabbing her by the waist and running his hands up her back underneath her tattered shirt. He pulled her impossibly close and stared into her eyes meaningfully.

"He. Saw you. Naked…" Roy spoke darkly. He talked more often than most of the apes because of Lydia, but it was still a work in progress.

"He saw my backside, at most." She corrected calmly. "We both know it's only a problem to you because it was _him_ and not someone else. He's the only one who could possibly threaten you in terms of size and age." Lydia deadpanned.

Really, Roy wondered sometimes if this woman could read his mind or if she really did understand apes this well.

He wouldn't be surprised if both were true.

"I won't lie, Roy. Caesar _is_ attractive," he only got to let out the beginning of a growl before Lydia grabbed his jaw, harshly at first, to gain his attention, then softly as she ran her fingers through the thick hair on his jaw. "but he is the husband of one of my best friends, he has a child, he is the leader of the colony… and he isn't you."

She was so close that Roy could almost taste her breath.

"I am _your_ mate, Roy. It is _you_ I return to every day. It is _you_ I am raising Orion with. It is _you_ who gets to see me at my most vulnerable."

She leaned her head forward, brushing her lips against his, adding in a breathy whisper.

"It is _you_ who gets to do _this_ …" She captured his lips in a searing kiss, a gesture so foreign to him when their relationship had first started, but now a thing he welcomed readily. He responded immediately.

Before he had a chance to take things further, though, she pulled away and stepped backwards, out of his embrace. He reluctantly let her go, sensing that their "resolving of things" wasn't over.

"Sit down. I want to make sure you understand this completely." She said with feigned sternness, pushing him down by his shoulders. He complied, watching with predatory green eyes as she moved further backwards, just out of his reach.

Lydia slowly, sensually rid herself of the two pieces of clothing she wore and tossed them aside uncaringly. Then, she sat down in front of him and leaned back against a sloping rock behind her, legs spread towards him invitingly.

"Stay there." She said softly to Roy, who was quivering with pent-up desire from earlier, which was only getting worse as she began to knead her own breasts while staring at him with half-lidded eyes.

He watched, breathing harshly through his nostrils as his hardening member ached between his thighs. He couldn't rightly tell if this was her torturous punishment for his mistake earlier or a delicious lesson he had to attend to make him understand her commitment to him.

His eyes stayed trained on her form either way, as she began to inch one of her hands down her body at an agonizingly slow pace. Her long, slender fingers caressed the skin of her stomach softly, her nails occasionally scraping lightly against it. Her other hand kept kneading her breast, her movements slow and deliberate as she stared at him. It made pleasant shivers race up and down his spine and his hands clench with restraint.

Finally, her fingers reached her core and she leaned her head backwards, closing her eyes in pleasure and moaning softly. Roy could hardly contain himself at the sight and gulped harshly.

"Only _you_ get to see me like this…" She said breathlessly as she worked herself up, her hips rocking slightly in rhythm with her fingers.

"It is _you_ I think about while doing this…" She was beginning to pant harshly and Roy let his fingers stray over his straining member. Several minutes of this felt like hours to Roy and still, she panted words of devotion every once in a while, willing him to understand.

This was the most enticing thing he'd ever witnessed, but if he didn't get some relief soon, he feared he'd go crazy.

Her face contorting in bliss as she pleasured herself in front of him, her breasts moving up and down in time with her harsh breaths, her fingers slipping in and out of her wet core repeatedly. He was seconds away from moving over and just take her then and there when he heard it. The sweet sound of his name falling from her parted lips.

"Oh, Roy…" She panted. "Come here…"

And he snapped. He got the message now. She was his.

He surged forward the moment the command was voiced. Kneeling between her open legs and grabbing her wrist gently to remove her fingers from inside her.

He'd finish this.

Leaning over her, he rubbed his aching member against her folds before thrusting forward in one, smooth movement. Her legs wrapped around his waist instantly and she moaned loudly, throwing her head back.

Roy placed his mouth against her exposed throat, licking along the pulsing vein as his strong, hairy arms wrapped around her smaller torso, squeezing her tightly against him.

He didn't move his hips at first, content with just feeling her heat around his member and knowing he, and only he, had the privilege of feeling this.

Soon, though, Lydia's hips began to jut impatiently against his and she voiced his name warningly beside his ear.

 _Right_ , Roy thought amusedly, she didn't work herself to an almost-orgasm only for him to stay still inside of her. It was time he showed her that her commitment to him wasn't misplaced. That she could count on him to take care of her needs.

With that thought in mind, he began thrusting his hips at a steady pace, leaning forward to make sure his abdomen pushed against her clit with each thrust, providing her with the friction she needed so badly to reach her peak. Her moans were louder than when she'd pleasured herself and Roy revelled in the feeling of her hands grabbing the dark hair that covered his body with building frantic need. Her grip was firm, but not so much that it was painful and his quiet grunts of bliss reverberated against the walls of the cave with each move of his hips. There was a sense of urgency in her movements beneath him, her breath harsh and eyes hazy as she tried to focus on his face. Roy imagined he wasn't doing much better.

"Mine." He whispered gruffly as he lifted his head to look at her, their foreheads meeting and breaths mingling as they panted. Her lips met his after she gave him an affirmative nod.

He grunted and groaned against her lips with every delicious thrust, at one point grabbing her hip with one large, powerful hand to aid her in reciprocating his movements.

He had started out with a steady rhythm, intent on making this last as long as possible. He succeeded in his endeavour for quite some time, until he felt her walls convulse around his straining cock, making his movements become irregular and frantic.

Soon, she gave a cry of pleasure as she reached her peak, tightening around his member and forcing his own release from him. The sound he felt coming from his throat was not quite a roar, but not quite a groan either.

Roy gave a few more powerful thrusts as he finished completely, each weaker than the last, until he let his head fall against the side of her throat with a deep sigh. He could feel her fingers run lazily through the fur on his back, a gratified hum coming from her, and he couldn't help but smirk against the side of her neck.

 **(Smut Ends Here)**

When he lifted his head to meet her eyes, he made sure the look on his face told her that he understood.

Caesar seeing her naked didn't mean a thing. Even if he had seen her front too, it wouldn't have meant anything. It was Roy who got to spend the nights with Lydia, getting caught up in the throes of passion with this gorgeous female. It didn't even matter that she was human and he was not.

He loved her all the same.

* * *

 _ **Lydia**_

The two returned to the hut to find Orion huddled up the same way they'd left him. He seemed utterly unbothered by their absence, which Lydia was more than a little relieved about. She didn't want him to wake up and think they'd somehow abandoned him in the middle of the night.

They laid down and Lydia pulled her adoptive son back towards her, kissing the top of his head affectionately.

"Lydia…" Roy's voice sounded quietly behind her in the nest. She turned slightly to look at him, in case he'd rather sign than speak out loud.

Roy was propped up on one elbow, looking down at his family with a strange mixture of affection and thoughtfulness on his face.

"It does not. Matter. That Caesar. Saw you… True…"

She steeled herself for a possible argument. She thought he'd gotten the message back in the cave, so why did he continue down this road?

"But… I respect Caesar…So if I am. One day. Not here to. Take care of you. Take care of Orion. I want you to find. Male like him. To do it." He said sincerely. "To keep you. Happy." He finished while brushing his fingers gently against her cheek.

The thought of Roy not being with her, for one reason or another, made Lydia's heart ache. Him bringing it up only doubled the pain.

Yet she knew he only said it because he loved her. He wanted her to be happy, even if he wasn't there to make it so. She didn't know if she would be able to do that, however, should such a tragedy actually happen. She had never been with anyone else than Roy. He knew everything about her. She felt safe with him. He was home.

She nodded simply, too tired to discuss it further, and leaned up to touch her forehead against his, breathing in his musky scent.

"Goodnight, Roy." She whispered affectionately.

He laid down and pulled her close to his chest, burying his face in her hair before replying.

"Goodnight. My Lydia."


	13. Break The Silence

_**Cornelia**_

It was evening, after the colony's usual final meal of the day, and Cornelia was sitting with her husband in their hut, high up in the main tree of the village. Blue Eyes was somewhere outside, playing with Ash, Orion, Lake and the other children, and everyone was going about their own business before it was time to get ready for the night.

All was well.

Or so it seemed.

Cornelia had noticed her husband acting strangely for the last two weeks around Lydia. Or rather, he almost wasn't around her at all, which was highly unusual. Normally, the two could talk for hours on end and Cornelia always listened intently to Caesar's recounts of their conversations. That had all started at some point within the first six months of the strange family's arrival in the Ape Village. For as long as Cornelia could remember, Caesar would, from time to time, have trouble sleeping, worrying about current problems the colony was facing or simply thinking about the past. On those nights he'd get out of the nest and take walks around the village, often ending up sitting by the Law-Stone and looking at the stars in thought until he'd be too exhausted to keep his eyes open.

Cornelia left her husband alone on such occasions, staying with their son in the nest to make sure at least one member of their family had a good night's sleep. Caesar didn't seem to mind this arrangement.

It had all started when the Ape King had, to his surprise, found Lydia sitting on the walkway in front of her, at the time, newly-built hut, looking thoughtfully out into the dark night herself. After a few nights of this happening, over the span of a couple of months, Caesar had decided to sit down with Lydia and strike up conversation in sign with her.

And this was, Caesar had later explained to his wife, how he had found out that the human woman was a well-versed conversationalist.

The Ape Queen was glad for the development. Her husband always seemed more balanced and calm afterwards as a result, and since she herself had already started to grow rather fond of Lydia at the time, she was only happy that her partner had begun to strike up a friendship with her as well.

So, what was the deal with this sudden avoidance? Cornelia hadn't wanted to pry, which is why she didn't ask Lydia, who seemed to be rather put-out by the odd behaviour Caesar was displaying. Tinker had been more direct, however, and asked while the three had been sitting together, Lydia working on one of her sewing projects while the two ape women had sorted the day's foraging harvest.

Lydia had been quite dismissive about it, only shrugging and replying that he must be too busy to bother recently.

That had struck a chord in Cornelia. No matter how busy, Caesar always, _always_ made time for those around him he considered important, and the Ape Queen had the impression that his talks with Lydia was something her husband enjoyed.

Besides, he still took his time to converse with Maurice almost every day.

All this had led Cornelia to practically cornering her husband inside their own hut after the last meal of the day, looking at him with concerned eyes.

" _What is going on with Lydia and you?_ " She prompted. His direct approach to such matters had rubbed off on her, it would seem.

He lifted his head from the spear he was currently sharpening, and looked at her with startled, green eyes.

" _Did she say anything to you?_ " He signed. _Aha, so there_ _ **was**_ _something he wasn't telling her_.

" _No. She has said nothing. That is why I ask you._ " She paused as he put the spear away to focus his attention fully on her, continuing only when his verdant stare was once again focused on her. " _You do not talk with her like you used to. For weeks you have avoided her whenever you can. When Tinker asked her, she said you must be busy._ "

She fixed him with a searching look.

" _But you are not busy. No more than usual. You make time for Maurice. For Rocket and Koba. Even Roy._ "

Cornelia couldn't discern the look in her husband's eyes. He seemed… ashamed?

" _What are you not saying?_ " Cornelia finished softly, her hands moving fluidly.

Caesar sighed heavily, his shoulders slumping.

" _It was something stupid that happened weeks ago. Did not want to upset you. Did not want to embarrass her either._ "

Now, Cornelia was intrigued. What could possibly have happened that prompted her husband to act like this?

" _Promise not to be upset._ " She said encouragingly. " _I am your wife. You can tell me anything._ "

At those words, his eyes warmed and he briefly reached over to stroke her cheek with his rough fingers.

Then he pulled his hand away, took a deep breath, as if to steel himself for a gruelling task and reached up to sign.

His answer took Cornelia by surprise.

" _I saw her naked._ " He explained simply. His movements were jerky, so different from how he'd usually do his signing, which told Cornelia he was very uncomfortable telling her this.

She felt her brow knit together in confusion, but before she could ask any of the many questions shooting through her mind, like how it had happened, where and why, he seemed to decide that he needed to elaborate before she got the wrong idea.

" _It was an accident. I was looking for her to plan hunting for the next day. When I found her, she was bathing in the waterhole on the hill. Standing naked in the water._ " He paused briefly to scratch his birthmark in thought, as he often did. " _I startled her and she got embarrassed. Dove into the water to hide herself. We planned the hunt and I left. As fast as I could._ "

His signing was turning more and more frantic by the second, and if it wasn't because she was so used to signing by now, Cornelia was sure she'd have a hard time keeping up.

She got it all, though. And couldn't keep an amused smile from forming on her lips.

The way Caesar acted, the way he sat there, looking all guilty and uncomfortable, reminded her of when she'd first seen him in the primate shelter all those years ago, wearing his red shirt and looking for all the world like an out-of-place adolescent.

Which he had been, back then.

His guilty expression soon turned into confusion when she just smiled at him.

Really, her husband could be so silly, sometimes.

" _What is so funny?_ " he asked.

" _You are overreacting._ " Cornelia explained simply. " _It was accident, and Lydia is probably embarrassed about it too. Not talking will not change it, Caesar._ " Really, she felt like she was lecturing their son on how to play nice with his peers.

He really was a victim of his own emotions at times, Cornelia mused sympathetically.

" _Besides, Lydia seems sad that you do not speak with her. I think she misses talking to you. You have stopped going out on bad nights as well. Is that because of accident too?_ "

He nodded solemnly, guilt flashing across his features once again. More than once, Cornelia had been woken up by him either tossing and turning, sharpening his spear or something else that would disturb not only Cornelia's sleep, but Blue Eyes' too.

" _You should find her tomorrow. Sit down and talk through this._ " She said resolutely. " _Silence will not make things right._ "

He looked at her with uncertainty, his lips set in a thin line.

" _You are right. I will. But…_ " He hesitated and Cornelia waited patiently for him to finish. She had a good idea of what he wanted to say, however.

" _You are not upset?_ "

Her smile widened and she shook her head at him.

" _I am not upset. Accidents happen. Nobody's fault._ " A mischievous glint appeared in her eyes, then.

" _Cannot sulk always. Sometimes, must laugh too, when such things happen._ "

He smiled at her finally, leaned over and pressed his forehead against hers.

And all was well.

* * *

 _ **Caesar**_

The next day proved to be a long one for the Ape King.

He hadn't had the chance to speak with Lydia at all in the morning, since she was already out hunting, for once with Roy in tow, as no hunting parties had been arranged to go out that morning.

So, he was left to roam around the village and do what he usually did on such days. He helped with preparing some skins, enjoying light banter with some of the hunters. Then he'd gone to the garden they had established with Lydia's help, briefly inspecting the various plants.

Next, he went to the stables, seeing to his pitch-black Frisian horse and giving it some treats from the garden. Finally, he went to the Law-Stone to meet up with Maurice, who had finished teaching the young for the day.

He sat there, discussing the children's learning with Maurice (Blue Eyes' in particular), when Lydia came back with Roy, each carrying a doe while the dogs trudged along behind them, noses in the air and tails wagging.

Caesar nodded in their direction as they entered the village, Lydia looking mildly surprised when his eyes caught hers.

He must really have been distant, if even _that_ surprised her.

He had to make this right.

Before the meal that afternoon, he decided to follow her as she made her way up to the waterhole. At first, he was hesitant to go after her, but since she didn't seem to be bringing clean clothes or anything to wash herself with, he deduced that she was not going to take a dip on this particular visit.

Still, he made sure to make a lot of sound as he approached, just in case.

He found her sitting on the half-submerged log, like he had so many times before, her feet in the water and a thoughtful look on her face as she basked in the sunlight of early summer, which was filtering through the treetops. It made her look almost ethereal.

Her head turned towards him as he reached the log, Caesar feeling hesitant to get any nearer just yet.

While he had told Cornelia what had happened, he had not gone into details at all. He hadn't told her how he had ogled at the woman for far longer than what anyone would consider decent. He had also neglected to mention how he had been mesmerized by the sight of her naked body. And how he had regretted not having been able to see more.

Cornelia was the love of his life, of that Caesar was certain. She was his anchor when he feared he'd go adrift. A voice of reason when the world seemed to make no sense.

This… attraction… infatuation… whatever it was he felt that day at the waterhole, had to be put aside. For the sake of his own sanity, if nothing else.

But he wouldn't scorn Lydia's presence either. She was a good friend, an excellent hunter and a valued member of the colony. She didn't deserve this silence.

"May I… Sit. With you?" He rasped out in his gravelly voice.

She smiled slightly at him, patting the spot beside her.

"Of course."

He jumped up on the mossy log and sat a respectable distance from her, his hands folded in his lap as he looked out across the tranquil waterhole. Caesar could feel her eyes on him, no doubt curious as to why he was suddenly seeking her out after weeks of silence.

A pang of guilt shot through his chest again.

"I wanted. To... Apologize." He said. Spoken words were still hard to produce for him, but he felt that this situation called for him making an effort.

"Again?" She asked with a raised eyebrow and a crooked smile gracing her features.

"Not. For _that_ … Although…" He paused. Should he apologize for _that_ too? Again?

"It's alright, Caesar. I understand." She said as she averted her gaze down to her feet, calmly swinging them through cool the water. The sunlight filtering through the trees made the surface glitter as she moved her feet through the cool liquid and cast flittering light across both of their faces.

"I have. Not handled this. Well." He spoke quietly. "I have not. Been fair… To you. In this… I avoided. The problem… Thought it would. Go away."

He turned to look at her and found her staring at him with a sympathetic look in her blue orbs. Her dark hair was taken out of its usual braid and now hung around her shoulders and down her back. It was rare to see her with her hair down.

She always said it was more practical to have it in a braid.

"It's not like I've been any better myself, Caesar. I could have said something. If not to you, then to Cornelia and Tinker when they asked about what was going on."

"But I am. The leader. Of the colony… Should. Be able. To handle problems. Like this. Without acting like…" He paused at that. What he was about to say didn't sit well with him and was hard to admit, even to himself.

But it had to be said.

"Without acting. Like a child." There. He had said it.

And yet she only shrugged at that.

"It happens to all of us. Even adults." Then, she smiled mischievously and reached over to nudge his bicep with her elbow. "Did Cornelia put you up to this, by any chance?"

He remembered Cornelia's words and waved Lydia off as he signed with a huff-like laugh. "Sometimes. A man needs. To hear sense. From his wife."

She laughed out loud at that and he instantly felt better about the whole incident. Cornelia was right. He _had_ overreacted.

And despite not being entirely truthful about what had gone through his mind at the time, he was glad he told Cornelia.

A thought then popped into his mind and he fixed Lydia with a questioning stare.

"Did you tell. Roy. About it?" He hoped he was able to keep his uncertainty out of his voice.

She nodded and shuffled her feet in the water while she picked at the mossy log they were sitting on with one of her fingernails.

"Yes, I did."

 _Oh_ , Caesar thought. He wasn't really surprised that she had told him. She often said that the two had shared everything with each other ever since their journey began. He should have figured that it would extent to this little mishap too.

"And how. Did he. Take it?" Caesar asked while giving her a sideways glance. Roy hadn't said anything to him about it. Hadn't even looked at him differently since it happened, which Caesar had honestly expected him to. Perhaps that was why Caesar thought she hadn't told Roy anything.

There had been nothing to indicate otherwise.

"Oh, he didn't take it all that well. Naturally." She then looked to him with worry flashing across her features. "He hasn't done or said anything out of turn, has he?"

"No." Caesar answered, "Acts. As he always. Does."

She nodded once at that. "Good."

They were quiet for a while, each enjoying the sounds of the wilderness around them, before another question came to Caesar's mind.

"If he was. Angry. Why. Has he not. Confronted me?" He asked with a raised eyebrow, his lips in a thin line as he thought. "I would. Have… Had it. Been. Me." He finished.

Now, _there_ was an image. Him being with Lydia and another male having his eyes roving over her like he'd done. He quickly shoved the thought out of his mind.

"He knows it was an accident on your part. He's not unreasonable. Besides, he respects you very much. He knows you wouldn't do something like that on purpose, Caesar." She smiled good-naturedly at him at that.

 _Does he also know that I could not tear my eyes away? That I looked for far longer than I should? That I wanted to see more still?_ Caesar's thoughts raced through his mind.

Of course, Roy wouldn't know this. Lydia had no possible way of knowing that herself.

But Caesar knew, and it tore at him.

"Still, he was grouchy about it for quite some time after I told him." She sighed as she pushed some of the green moss she'd picked off the log into the water, where it floated away lazily. "But I think I made him see reason after a while. Good to know it worked well enough for him not to confront you about it. You have enough on your plate as it is." She said as she leaned back, bracing her hands on the log to support her weight.

"How. Did you. Do that? Make him. See. Reason?" Caesar asked. He knew she had a way with words and he had, after all, followed her example when discussing the mountain lion-incident with Blue Eyes, which had worked wonders.

"Uhm…" She blushed.

Her lack of response would have been puzzling to Caesar, had it not been for her body language doing most of the talking.

Her whole posture stiffened slightly and she pushed her thighs together while biting her lip.

And she avoided looking at him completely, staring pointedly ahead at nothing in particular.

"Oh…" He replied dumbfoundedly. It was not often that the Ape King was rendered speechless.

However, he was done _not_ talking. That was what he came here for in the first place. So, rather than enter into an awkward silence once again, he decided to take his wife's advice and laugh it off instead.

Now, many had the impression that the Ape King didn't have a sense of humour, what with him always being serious and stern-looking. In truth, this demeanour was only due to his many responsibilities to the colony. He was their leader, after all.

One-on-one, however, Caesar could display a great sense of humour, when he deemed it appropriate.

Which he did now.

"Hmmm…" He hummed, scratching his chin in mock-thoughtfulness, making Lydia turn to him, still slightly red across her cheeks and with a raised eyebrow. "I. Do not. Think. That would. Have worked. On my wife…"

He turned to look at her as innocently as he could manage, finding her with her mouth agape and a look of shock across her face. He then smirked mischievously at her.

And they laughed heartily.

"No, probably not." Lydia replied once her laughter has subsided.

Soon, silence fell over them again, though this time, it was a comfortable silence that both felt at ease with. There was no tension anymore. Nothing to apologize for or feel sorry about.

There was only peace.

"I'm glad we talked." Lydia said with a tranquil smile on her face. "I missed this."

"Me too." He said in his gravelly voice, laying a reassuring hand briefly on her shoulder.

He ignored the small bolt of electricity that went through him with the action.


	14. The Dawn Begins

**WARNING: Smut at the very end of this chapter. This will be clearly marked and is skippable.**

* * *

 _ **Lydia**_

The seasons came and went and soon, three more years had passed in the Ape Colony. Once again, spring had come to the Muir Wood forest and the place was teeming with life.

Lydia was sitting, as she had so many times before, on the walkway in front of her hut, one leg dangling off the edge. She was deeply involved in the task of fletching her arrows, though she would sometimes get distracted by the occasional pull of a strand of her hair. Lake was sitting behind her, carding her fingers through the dark strands meticulously and trying to imitate the French braids Lydia had showed her how to make.

She was becoming rather good at it, Lydia noted.

Lake had always been fascinated with Lydia's long hair, ever since the human woman had arrived five years prior. The ape child had been keeping her distance for some time, noting her parents' mistrust of the human, but had softened up quickly when she'd spotted Ash and Blue Eyes making friends with Orion. Seeing as Lydia was, per definition, part of the "Orion-package", Lake had been forced to interact with the human female as well, and soon, the young female ape had been brave enough to ask the woman if she could touch her hair.

Lydia had seemed hesitant at first. Roy and Orion often groomed her locks, but she hadn't been sure how the rest of the apes would react to one of their young being so familiar with her just yet.

Lake had been persistent, though, and Lydia finally gave in at last.

And the ape had immediately expressed her love for the dark locks.

" _So soft! Like rabbit fur!_ " She had exclaimed with such enthusiasm that Lydia, as well as most of the adult apes, had simply burst out laughing. Some human women might have taken such a comment as an insult, but Lydia recognised it for the high praise it actually was.

Rabbit fur was considered a luxurious pelt, which the apes often reserved for resting their heads on in the nest. Many of the apes had thought Lydia a fool when she'd stripped a few skins of their hairs to make a shirt of the leather underneath.

It remained one of her favourites to this day, as the leather was still soft and pliable.

Since then, Lake had jumped at every chance she could get to fiddle with Lydia's dark strands of hair, her touch so soft and careful that Lydia hardly noticed it sometimes. She was also particularly skilled at untangling knots, which Lydia had a habit of just yanking out in frustration.

The human woman finished her last arrow and sighed contently as she put it aside. Looking out across the Ape Village, everything seemed peaceful. The rain had been pouring for a week, making everyone huddle together in their respective homes as soon as the day's duties were over with, but today, it was a somewhat cloudy, but _dry_ day of spring.

Lydia spotted Roy down below, deeply invested in a conversation with Rocket, and blushed faintly. Last night had been one of those… special ones, where they'd retreat to the cave. They had started doing that more and more often as Orion grew older. It was hard to nudge a seven-year-old chimp to the other side of the nest. Also, there wasn't really that much space left in the nest to do that in the first place.

He had grown quickly, her little Orion. Luckily, his confidence had followed suit and he was now an accomplished, strong and, if Lydia said so herself, quite strapping young male.

Despite being a year younger, his features were more rugged than Blue Eyes', who took more after his mother than his father in terms of looks. His face was still light-coloured and his fur was black as coal. Also, he was just as tall as his older friends, which Lydia had interpreted to mean that he'd be quite a large male once he was fully grown.

The females wouldn't stand a chance, the proud mother had predicted.

Well, perhaps Lake would, at the very least. Lydia had noticed her eyeing Blue Eyes quite frequently, sometimes distracting the young female to such an extent that she'd stop whatever task she was doing without even realising until someone, most often Lydia herself, nudged her with a knowing look.

 _Ah_ , Lydia thought, _young love_.

She let her gaze roam further as Lake kept working on her hair. She'd felt how Lake had arranged it into two French braids, one on each side of her head, and worked backwards to gather them into one braid on the back of Lydia's head, leaving the bottom part of her hair, as well as a few strands at Lydia's temples, to hang loose.

Her eyes landed on Caesar, then, who was on his way up the ramp to his home, high above the rest of the Ape Village.

Lydia couldn't deny that the Ape King had a certain… allure. His stern gaze commanded respect and his size was intimidating to most. But he also had a soft side, which most often came into view when he was near his wife.

Speaking of Cornelia, she was currently at the final stage of her second pregnancy and recently, a very tired Queen indeed. Lydia visited often and had even made a blanket for the child to sleep on as an early maternity-gift. Made of rabbit fur, of course. Nothing was too good for the new prince or princess of the Ape Colony. Both Caesar and Cornelia had received it with much gratitude.

Now, Lydia just hoped that the birth would go without a hitch. She didn't want to jinx it, but Cornelia _had_ seemed a little under the weather for the last few days and Caesar had been extra jitty as a result.

She felt Lake drop the bottom of the braid against her back and turned to look at the ape with a questioning gaze.

" _Well? Did it turn out well?_ " Lydia signed with a smile.

Lake nodded as she admired her work, a satisfied look on her face.

" _Better than well._ " She signed back, then, after briefly adjusting a few stray locks, she retracted her hand and sighed wistfully. " _Wish I had hair like this. You can do so many things with it_." She shook her head, making her own, smaller braids at the sides of her head dangle, " _Do not understand why you always keep it the same way. Shame._ "

Lydia only laughed as she rose to her feet and went to store away her arrows. "It can get tiresome after some time, Lake, believe me." She said when the young female huffed and rolled her green eyes.

" _Why keep it long, then? I see you cut it sometimes. Just cut it higher._ " Lake challenged playfully.

Lydia placed her hands on her hips and regarded the teen with a sneaky glint in her eyes.

"If I did that, then who's hair would you arrange, then? Maurice's?"

Lake's eyes grew wide for just a fraction of a second, the thought of braiding Maurice's red hair so ridiculous she ended up snorting out a laugh in a rather unfeminine way. Lydia happily joined in with snickers of her own, until the two females heard a low, but not entirely humourless grunt from further down the ramp.

Turning around, thet were met with the old orangutan's wise stare.

Well, speak of the devil.

" _Hope you two are not planning on doing that._ " He winked at the pair and huffed out a deep-sounding laugh. When he'd finished, he turned to Lake. " _Sparrow asks for you. Says your lesson begins soon._ "

Lake's eyes widened and she hurriedly said her goodbyes to Maurice and Lydia before darting down the ramp and speeding towards the medical-hut. She had decided to learn from Sparrow recently, being very interested in medicinal herbs. She also took her lessons _very_ seriously.

Maurice grunted to regain Lydia's attention, eyeing her hairdo openly. He held up his index finger and twirled it in the air, telling her to turn around so he could see Lake's handiwork.

Lydia smiled and turned around to showcase the teen's latest creation. She couldn't see it herself, seeing as she didn't own a mirror, but the approving grunt from Maurice told her that he liked it. When she turned back to face him, he nodded once, making his enlarged cheeks bounce slightly with the movement.

" _Pretty. Lake has good eye. Suits you very well._ " He signed, making Lydia grin bashfully.

"Thank you, Maurice. And don't worry, I won't cut it short anytime soon, so you don't have to be scared of falling victim to Lake's braiding-skills." She winked the same way he'd done earlier, earning herself an amused grunt from the huge ape.

" _Thank you. I don't think it would have suited me._ " He shook his head, as if the mere thought was enough to conjure Lake back to start braiding the long hair on his arms.

Lydia only just contained a laugh at the image as it appeared in her mind.

" _Come and sit by the Law-Stone with me?_ " He reached out his huge, elongated hand to her. She grabbed it without question and he supported her down the slippery wooden walkway. Maurice was a good friend. One of the most steadfast she had, insisting that she should stay with the apes from the very beginning and opening his home to Lydia and her family before their own had been built. Nowadays, he still invited them over, even though they were actually neighbours and saw each other every day.

Lydia was extremely fond of the old orangutan, with his paternal demeanour and seemingly endless wisdom.

They settled at their designated spot, the earth still slightly damp from the last few days of rain. Lydia didn't mind much. She'd just wash her deerskin pants later.

Her conversation with Maurice was mentally stimulating, as always. The two talked about recent events in the village to begin with, but the topics they discussed soon became more philosophical as time progressed. The old orangutan was quite a thinker, and Lydia was more than happy to indulge him.

Soon, she noticed her son arriving through the gate with Ash and Blue Eyes, coming back from a fishing trip, carrying weaved baskets full of trout. It was Ash who spotted them first, though, and he started waving eagerly at Lydia and Maurice.

He still had a soft spot for the human woman and kept largely disregarded his peers teasing jabs. Lydia noticed how Blue Eyes rolled his eyes at Ash and waved at her and Maurice briefly, while Orion hooted at her and held up his hand. He displayed five fingers, closed his hand, then opened his hand again to display four fingers, indicating he had caught nine fish in total. A decent catch.

Lydia nodded in approval, her lips stretching into a wide smile. He was becoming excellent at fishing. He had more patience than most his age and had quite a knack for choosing the best spots to spear the fish.

Lydia knew Roy had played a huge role in teaching Orion this skill. While she often attempted it herself, Lydia never had much patience when it came to fishing. Orion couldn't possibly have learned anything from her in that regard.

Maurice nudged her arm to make her look at him and she was met with his kind eyes once again.

" _It has been five years now. Since you came here. Are you_ _happy? With apes?_ " He asked, though he knew the answer.

"I couldn't be happier, Maurice." Lydia replied truthfully.

" _You do not miss human comforts? Ever?_ " He elaborated, jerking his huge head towards the direction of the city of San Francisco, far off in the distance.

She pondered the question for a minute or two, going through all the commodities she'd been depending on when human civilisation was still at its peak.

"There will always be things that I miss. Music, for one. I used to listen to that non-stop… and there are also certain kinds of food that I miss as well…" One of her eyebrows quirked up as she looked at him in amusement. "Mostly sweets and such, to be honest, but luckily, I can live without that. It's probably better for me." He nodded in understanding, contemplating her answer.

"Honestly, Maurice, I've got everything I could ever ask for out here. Drinkable water, a steady food source, a roof over my head," Lydia turned to smile at the village before her, eyes going from one ape to the next, "I've got a family and lots of friends, though it took some time to make it so…" His hand, rough and heavy, landed on hers as it rested on her knee.

" _I am glad you were able to stay._ " He signed with sincerity in his emerald eyes.

She regarded the old orangutan with a confused look, touched at his words, yet wondering what had caused them. He shrugged when she voiced the question.

" _Been long time since we last spotted any other humans. Two winters since the last sighting._ " He said matter-of-factly. " _Was wondering if it was a concern to you. They are your kind, after all. At least on the outside._ "

She appreciated his concern, she really did. And she supposed it _should_ be a given that she'd be bothered by having her own species seemingly disappear off the face of the earth with her none the wiser of the fact.

And yet it _didn't_ bother her. At least not to a degree she deemed worthy of mentioning.

Had she really become so cold, so indifferent towards her own species? Yes, she had turned her back on human civilisation long ago, after having lost the last humans who'd ever meant anything to her, but did her mistrust towards other humans really warrant such indifference to their fate?

 _Does it even matter?_ She asked herself solemnly in her mind. _Worry… or guilt at not feeling it, will not bring back the ones who have died. And it will not save anyone who might be left, either,_ she reasoned clinically.

" _The apes are my people now._ " She said simply as she looked back at Maurice.

" _Yes._ " He signed, patting her hand again. " _You are ape inside._ "

She was shocked that he'd remembered Roy's words from five years ago. It was a mantra her mate always used when she doubted herself. Which she had done a lot in the beginning of their stay in the Ape Colony.

Her surprise must have shown on her face, for Maurice chuckled heartily. It sounded more like a deep grumble, as it erupted from his throat, but his slightly shaking shoulders told her it was definitely a chuckle.

" _You proved it long ago, Lydia._ "

* * *

 _ **Roy**_

Roy found her sitting by the hollowed-out fireplace in the floor as he entered their hut. It was late afternoon after the last meal of the day and Lydia had elected to retire to their home early to deal with some skins, which she was currently occupied with. She briefly lifted her eyes when he let the animal skin that acted as their door fall back down behind him, greeting him with a smile and a soft "hey you" before she continued her work.

The dogs were nowhere to be found and Roy deduced that Orion had probably taken them out for some air. They hadn't been out hunting with Lydia for a few days, so they were steadily becoming anxious from the lack of exercise.

So, it was just the two of them, then. _Interesting_.

His thoughts returned, as they had many times that day, to the previous night they had shared in their cave. As Orion had matured, their intimate moments had been moved exclusively to that location, which also meant it happened less frequently nowadays. When they were both busy with their duties around the colony, they simply couldn't be bothered to get up and go all the way into the cave when the day finally came to a close, electing instead to pass out the moment their tired bodies hit the soft padding of their nest.

Last night had been the first time in an entire month, and afterwards, Roy had made a silent vow to make it happen more frequently again.

As the thought crossed his mind, he placed his spear on a rack near the wall and went to her.

Lydia's hands worked deftly on sewing a seam shut between two skins, her slender fingers grabbing the material with care. She had much practice in this craft by now.

As he kneeled in front of her, originally to examine her work, his eyes instead roved over her form. She was sitting in her customary cross-legged position, wearing only her deerskin pants and chest-guard. The fire crackling happily beside her provided enough warmth for her not to worry about freezing.

It also cast a warm light across the bare expanse of skin on her stomach, which immediately caught Roy's attention. He noticed how the flesh subtly moved in time with her breathing, enticing him with its rhythmical dance in the low light.

His gaze travelled up her slender neck to her face and he admired the more elaborate hairstyle she now sported, curtesy of Lake.

"You look beautiful." He said simply. It was true, after all.

Her hands stopped what they were doing and she looked up at him yet again, now with a lifted eyebrow. He couldn't help the smirk that found its way across his thin lips. Roy always marvelled at how expressive her face could be. Very often, she didn't even need to speak to him to convey her thoughts and feelings. A single look would do.

He reached up to caress her cheek with the rough pads on his index- and middle finger, tenderly tracing them down her jaw until they rested under her chin.

"To what do I owe this sudden praise?" She smiled as she put away her sewing work, eyes half-lidded and glinting in the flickering light.

"I speak only truth." He replied. "No reason behind." His speech had become much better over the past couple of years, he was proud to say. It was no longer so much of a strain to speak, and his vocabulary had also improved. He still communicated mostly through sign with the other apes, but here, alone with Lydia, he let his deep voice out for only her ears to hear.

She chuckled flirtatiously at his words.

"Oh, I think there is…" Her hands reached up to rest on his pectorals and his own long, hairy arms went around her waist as he inched closer, running his fingers up and down her spine. "I think there is a very specific reason, in fact." She added in a breathy whisper.

 **(Smut Begins Here - continues to the end of the chapter)**

He smiled almost deviously at her, then. As he leaned forward and pushed her down onto the floor, her legs went from their crossed position to place themselves on either side of his hips. She lied there, eyeing him mischievously, and his own orbs once again went up to look at her beautifully woven locks. He reached up to bury his fingers in its soft depths.

"Shame. So much hard work. Only to be ruined." He mused as he pulled at the strings holding Lydia's braids together. It didn't take long for them to unravel from the complicated hairdo, spreading out like a dark halo around Lydia's head on the floor.

"Don't worry too much about it. She'll be more than happy to do it again, I'm sure." Lydia replied huskily. He lowered his head to drag his lips across her collarbone, one of his hands running down her side to untie the string at the front of her pants.

She gasped in delight as he yanked them down her legs and ran her hands up his biceps as he moved to loom over her once the garment was discarded. He then began unbuckling her chest-guard, working the fastenings with practiced ease.

"Our son could be home any moment." She informed him breathlessly. "Are you sure you want him to see us like this?"

While her question _did_ register in his mind, Roy really did not _care_ anymore, as he laid his abdomen against hers, lifting one of her legs to hook around his hips.

"It will not harm him. To learn by example." Roy said, lowering his head to kiss her chest affectionately. She arched her back in response to his ministrations, moaning quietly.

He knew Lydia didn't exactly agree, but he was too caught up in his desire to discuss this now and from the quickening of her breath and increasingly frantic grabbing of her hands, Roy deduced that she, too, had decided to throw caution to the wind.

And so, he thrust forward into her core, like he'd wanted to do all day.

She gasped in pleasure at the intrusion and quickly wrapped her legs around his hips to pull him ever closer. Her breath tickled the fur on his neck as he began to move his pelvis against hers in a steady rhythm that slowly, but surely would send both of them over the edge.

This was perfect. Right here, in his home, with Lydia, was where he belonged.

All was as it should be.

For now.


	15. First Encounters

**Author's Note:**

 _The events of the second movie begin with this chapter, though rest assured, I am not going to just rewrite scenes from the movie with my characters in them. Most of the time, my characters will be somewhere else during specific events, and that's what we'll follow in this story, since I assume that most of you reading this already know what happens in the movie.  
On some occassions, like it is the case with this chapter, I will have to describe some scenes which are shown in the movie, though I plan to elaborate on them in any case._

* * *

 _ **Orion**_

The three adolescent chimps strolled along one of the trails through the forest at a leisurely pace. It was the day after their near-catastrophic hunt with the adults, where Blue Eyes and Caesar were nearly killed by a vicious bear, and the rain had, finally, mercifully, stopped.

Even so, the sky was still white with heavy clouds and everything was soaked from the recent downpour.

Orion didn't exactly appreciate the dreary weather, but patrolling the forest had become one of the duties he had taken on as he had gotten older, and provided a much-welcomed break from the usual hunting, skinning and butchering. Also, he didn't mind it nearly as much if it meant he could spend the time with his two best friends.

Speaking of Blue Eyes and Ash, they were signing away to each other beside Orion, and it occurred to the slightly younger chimp that he better try to follow the conversation in case his input was suddenly needed. The discussion, however, seemed only to consist of Ash teasing Blue Eyes about his carelessness the previous day, which Blue Eyes grudgingly did his best to ignore.

Orion could only shake his head at both of his friends. It was light banter and not something Blue Eyes took personally, he knew, but the prince was still very much put-out by his father's reprimand after the incident.

" _Think before you act, son._ " Caesar had told him.

Orion, while acknowledging his friend's wish to prove himself to his father, could not understand why he reacted so defensively towards Caesar's guidance. Orion's own parents would probably have reacted much harsher, had he acted the same way Blue Eyes did during that hunt.

He touched the claws and incisors dangling from the string around his neck. Bears were no joke.

He had told Blue Eyes as much as well while eyeing the prince's newly earned wounds across his chest. His friend had only scoffed and waved him off in much the same way he'd done to Caesar.

 _Really_ , Orion thought to himself while his two friends continued to argue beside him, _Blue Eyes can be too stubborn sometimes… Too proud to realise that his father is only trying to help him become better._

And this hadn't been the only time, either. Most of the colony had noticed a growing tension between the two for quite some time now, and with each day, Blue Eyes was becoming more and more distant towards his father.

Mother had said it was part of becoming an adult, to want to rebel against one's parents, while at the same time wanting to prove yourself to them. It was a confusing and a vulnerable time in anyone's life, be they human or ape. When Orion had argued that neither he nor Ash were rebelling against _their_ fathers, she had also said it must be doubly hard on Blue Eyes, with the pressure from all sides for him to grow up to become as great a leader like his father. It was a great burden for someone so young.

Orion admired his mother's wisdom at such times. She knew how to explain things in a manner that made them seem obvious.

His mother… now that was another thing that Orion couldn't understand when it came to his friend. He had always seemed to enjoy Lydia's company when they had been younger, seeking guidance from her just as he would any other adult, much like the rest of the ape children in the village.

But something had changed.

It had started roughly at the same time Blue Eyes had begun to distance himself from Caesar in favour of seeking guidance from his honorary uncle, Koba, instead.

Now, Orion didn't have any particular dislike for Koba per se. He was a skilled hunter and a strong male in general, even if his face _did_ scare Orion to some extent when he was younger. It was just that he knew Koba's general opinion of mother, which Orion suspected was rubbing off on Blue Eyes. While Koba was civil when he _had_ to be around Lydia, having finally accepted her as a contributing member of the colony, his grudge against humans was still ever-present and prompted him to avoid her on most days.

And telling his horrible stories about "human work" didn't exactly improve things.

But mother wasn't like those humans who had hurt Koba, Orion knew this in his heart and, luckily, most of his peers seemed to be of the same mind.

His verdant eyes strayed to Ash, whose obvious infatuation with Lydia hadn't faded since the day the strange family had arrived. Mind you, Ash was beginning to build up a healthy interest in ape females, just as their peers were, but Lydia was, without a doubt, Ash's first "crush", as she had called it herself.

As they had grown older, it had begun to embarrass Orion immensely that one of his closest friends was so fond of his mother, but ever since Blue Eyes had begun to change his attitude toward Lydia, Orion was just glad that it didn't seem to affect his other friend's opinion of her.

He had always known his mother was… different. And in more ways than just her being of another species.

Unlike the other females in the colony, she hunted and went fishing. Unlike the males, she helped weave baskets and tend to the garden where they grew tomatoes and other sorts of fruits and vegetables. Unlike _anyone_ , she wore clothes and used her dogs to hunt.

And yet, none of it had never seemed strange to Orion. To him, she was just mother.

And he was proud to be her son.

The three friends walked on through the wet, dense vegetation, spears in hand and Ash keeping up his relentless teasing, when suddenly, voices could be heard in the bushes not far from where they stood, as well as some strange, unnatural rustling noises.

And that's when they saw it.

Right there, clad in strange fabrics, sweaty and tired-looking, stood a wide eyed human male, who, in a split second, reached for something shiny by his hip.

His eyes were full of fright as he pointed the object at the apes, telling them to stay back. The three adolescents were scared and confused, having never encountered any other human than Lydia so up-close and personal before.

Orion really had no idea what snapped the tension in the air but all of a sudden, all hell broke loose.

A deafening blast sounded from the object in the man's hands and before Orion knew it, Ash was lying on the ground, howling in agony as five more humans, one female and four males, came running towards them, shouting with alarm.

Orion rushed to his friend's side, examining the damage while screeching loudly for help, Blue Eyes assisting him as he held on to Ash's arm. They tried to back up against the sloping terrain behind them as the other humans gathered around the assailant.

Carver, they called him, as they started arguing over why he had shot the ape.

It was confusing to witness, and only added to Orion's rising fear as he realised that his and Blue Eyes' spears would be no match for the weapons these creatures wielded.

This went on for some time and Orion felt dread clench around his heart as his friend lay whimpering in his arms.

Soon, however, the apes' distressed calls were answered and the trees rustled as Caesar came down the hill with a huge group of apes. Orion was happy to see, out of the corner of his eye, that his father was part of the group coming to their rescue.

Meanwhile, the apes' approach made the humans gather up in a tight circle, fright clear on their faces as they tried to keep track of the many apes who now surrounded them in the trees and on the ground.

It was a formidable force to behold.

Then, after a few seconds of tense silence, one of the humans, the tall man wearing a bright blue jacket and a hat, who held a bigger version of the weapon the first one had, spoke up, keeping eye-contact with Caesar.

"We don't mean any harm!" He shouted.

"They're apes, man. Do you think they understand what you're saying?" The one they called Carver whispered as he hid behind the tall man. Orion's already low opinion of this man plummeted further, and he clenched Ash's hand tighter as his friend whimpered in pain. How dared he speak of them like they were just beasts, when _he_ was the one who had attacked _them_ like a cornered animal?

"Do they look like just apes to you?" The man in the blue jacket asked, never taking his eyes from Caesar as the Ape King stood over them on a mossy stub of a once massive redwood.

Then, the man seemed to decide on something, getting a determined look in his eyes. He lowered his weapon completely, spread out his hands and took a careful step forward.

"Dad." One of the others spoke warningly. Questioningly. He seemed younger than the rest to Orion.

"Malcolm, what are you doing?" The woman hissed nervously. _Not as pale as mother_ , he noted, _but still with brown hair._

"Dad?" The young one spoke again, with more urgency.

"Malcolm." The female repeated. The man took another step forward, ignoring them.

"It's okay. Put down your guns." He answered. His tone was calm, despite the fear present in his eyes.

"You can't be serious?" The dark-skinned male of the group said. He didn't seem to know if he should look at the one called Malcolm in disbelief at what he was hearing, or keep his eyes on the apes surrounding them.

"Do it." Malcolm ordered them.

They never got that far.

"GO!" Caesar yelled, jumping down from the stub in front of the humans, who were now more frightened than ever. Their eyes were all wide with shock and one or two of them cursed in surprise.

"Okay, okay… We're going…" Malcolm said placatingly as he made the group back away.

And they fled down the hill the way they had come.

* * *

 _ **Caesar**_

" _We must attack them now!_ " Koba signed hastily, grunting with anger as he did so. " _Before they attack us!_ "

" _We don't know how many weapons they have. How many guns. Or why they came up here._ " Maurice replied wisely.

He had been occupied with leafing through the book that the youngest human had dropped, along with his backpack. They were filed with sketches, as well as a picture of the boy together with a woman.

Caesar only pursed his lips when the orangutan showed this to him.

The Ape King was at his wits end.

After the encounter with the group of humans, he had gathered his council for an emergency meeting in the village's centre. Around the circle consisting of Caesar's council, apes were hooting, screeching, jumping and gesturing wildly to make their opinions known. Koba, as expected, insisted they must attack. That the humans were dangerous and would surely hunt them down now that they knew the apes were there. He even appealed to Ash and Rocket, pointing out how the humans had shot the adolescent.

" _I follow Caesar._ " The balding ape had replied resolutely.

He looked around at his apes from beneath his heavy brow, searching for one face that would stand out in the crowd more than any other. His eyes found Lydia's a bit away from the council-circle, as she leaned against a hut with her arms crossed tightly over her chest.

He could not discern her expression.

Her brows were knitted together in what Caesar assumed must be worry and her entire posture was stiff as a board, even if she attempted to look relaxed.

Beside her, Orion was sitting on the ground with his arm around one of the dogs, Storm, carding his fingers through the thick, stormy-grey fur of the canine as he observed the riled-up apes around the village. His father was sitting nearer the council, listening intently with a deep frown on his face.

" _Koba is right! They almost killed you, Ash!_ " Blue Eyes interjected. Rocket's son only turned his head away, hooting meekly in reply. His shoulder, ripped open by the bullet, had stopped bleeding. Truthfully, it was only a grazing shot that had no way of being fatal. But they couldn't know if that had actually been the human's intention to begin with. A warning.

The hooting throughout the colony was getting louder by the second.

"NO!" Caesar yelled, effectively shutting the whole village up with the sound of his booming voice.

He looked around as silence fell over the gathering, a meaningful look in his eyes as he signed.

" _If we go to war… We could lose everything we have built._ "

He paused briefly before he spoke again, saying the words out loud for emphasis as he signed.

"Home… Family… Future…"

At the last word, he reached out to lift Koba's head up from its bowed position to face him. It was especially important that the bonobo understood this. It wasn't just about the here and now. They needed to think about what came next as well.

" _I will decide tomorrow._ " Caesar signed with finality, and the council dispersed as he rose to his feet.

He wanted to go to Cornelia and the baby. It would calm his mind as it raced to come up with a solution, he was sure, but there was one thing he needed to do before that.

He went towards Lydia, who hadn't moved from her spot. She was looking at the ground, deep in her own thoughts, and only noticed Caesar's approach when he stood right in front of her, giving a curt grunt to gain her attention. Her gaze, hard with worry, lifted to meet his eyes and her features immediately softened.

" _Can we talk?_ " He asked, his stern gaze still in place, as ever. " _Alone._ "

For a split-second, her eyes darted in the direction of Roy, who was in deep conversation with Rocket. Then they fell on Orion, who was looking up at her from his sitting position. He had been shaken-up by the experience and, naturally, preferred to stay close to his family after such an event.

But the adolescent only nodded at her before he got up and walked towards Ash, no doubt wanting to share some comforting words with his long-time friend.

Orion was a good ape, of that, Caesar was sure.

Lydia's gaze returned to Caesar and the Ape King jerked his head towards the village's gates, indicating that they should go to the waterhole to talk. He wanted to keep this as private as possible. Lydia was not part of the council, naturally, but Caesar felt that, given the fact that it was her kind they were dealing with, he should get her input on the situation before he made any decision on the matter.

But he had to keep it discreet, so his council and the rest of the village wouldn't take offense.

He had known humans, true. But he wasn't one himself and so, he could only guess what their reaction would be to whatever action the apes took.

The walk up to their usual sitting place on the fallen log was made more difficult than usual by the muddy ground, a result of the last week's heavy rain. Lydia often had to grab branches of nearby trees to haul herself up when they met a steep slope, while Caesar merely grabbed the protruding roots in the ground with his dexterous feet.

All around them bright, green leaves were dripping with moist and the echoes of birdcalls sounded through the huge forest.

Near the end of their trek they came to a particularly steep part of the trail, and Lydia once again hauled herself up with the help of a branch.

Only this one snapped.

"Fuck!" She yelped as she fell backwards, no doubt expecting to roll all the way down the muddy trail to end up battered and bruised at the bottom of the hill.

Caesar, who had walked beside her, swiftly turned and reached out his arm, grabbing her around her back and pulling her towards his chest to steady her. She placed her hands against his furred chest to regain her balance, fingers digging softly into his pectorals.

And suddenly, there they stood, in the middle of the overgrown trail, right there in the forest, breathing heavily from the prospect of the near-accident, with Caesar's one, strong arm firmly situated around her back. It took them both a moment to recover from the slight startle. A moment in which their eyes met with an intensity Caesar didn't think possible.

Then, as quickly as it had occurred, the moment was gone and Lydia stepped out of his hold with a soft "uhm, thank you" and a faint blush across her cheeks.

The Ape King could only nod as he tried to school his features back into his customary stern gaze and followed her as she continued up the last stretch of the trail.

It had felt nice, Caesar realised as they emerged from the bushes to make their way towards the mossy, green log. Still, he could not help his straying thoughts as they returned to her body pressed firmly against his, her fingers against his hard chest.

Her heavy breathing through her parted lips.

 _No!_ He reprimanded himself sternly. _Your beloved wife has just given you another child only yesterday! Your people are facing the greatest threat to their existence in almost ten years! You cannot let your instincts blind you! Focus!_

He had done a great job at oppressing these thought in the past three years, if he did say so himself. It had even come to a point where he'd almost been able to rid himself of the image of her naked body. It probably had to do with the fact that he simply didn't give himself the time to ponder on it most days. He had a village to run, after all.

And when Cornelia had fallen pregnant, he'd devoted himself utterly to the project of becoming a father once again. He was overjoyed with the new addition to his family, which had only solidified his love for his wife even further.

So why, time and time again, did he find himself drawn to this human woman? It was ludicrous.

Lydia crawled up onto the log, careful not to slip on the damp moss that covered it, and, unknowingly, gave Caesar a nice view of her clothed rear.

He ignored a stray, indecent thought that followed the image before him, and hauled himself onto the log as well. The Ape King sat with a grunt beside her and they fell into a comfortable silence, letting the sounds of the forest permeate the air around them.

" _What do you think of… this situation?_ " Caesar signed finally.

Lydia, having turned her head in his direction, frowned slightly and sighed in a hopeless manner after a few seconds.

" _I don't know… I was beginning to think that maybe I was the only one left. I never anticipated this problem._ " She answered in sign, not wanting to break the quiet atmosphere around them by speaking out loud.

" _I am trying to think of a way to deal with it. **Peacefully**._" He signed imploringly, putting emphasis on the last word. " _Many apes want to fight. My own son, too. But we risk losing everything if we do this. On the other hand, I fear the humans will attack, now that they know we are here. The way they looked at us. I have seen this look before, many years ago._ "

He shook his head, trying to rid himself of the image of all those humans they encountered on their way to freedom ten years prior. All with eyes full of fear, trying to defend themselves against that which they did not understand.

" _When humans have fear in their eyes, they attack._ " He said simply, hoping that she would understand his meaning.

He noticed, out of the corner of his eye, how she nodded at his words.

" _True,_ " she signed, " _you guys probably gave them quite a scare… But I agree with you. We should not attack._ "

" _But apes have to take action. We have to react._ " He signed back, underlining the dilemma they were faced with.

She pondered this for a moment, scratching her arm absentmindedly as the cogs turned in her head.

" _Show them that we are here and that we're not going away. Show them that we want peace, but that we can and will fight if we need to. A display, if you will._ " She answered finally, " _Make it clear to them that the apes want to be left alone._ "

He nodded at that. Yes, they needed to _show_ it. Make a _display_ of strength, but also of goodwill. It was something that Caesar, as a leader of apes, could understand.

With that thought, he made a decision.

" _Tomorrow, we will go across the bridge. We will show them our numbers. Our strength. And tell them to stay away._ " He signed, resolute in his choice.

She nodded approvingly, but an uncertain look appeared in her eyes after only a brief moment.

" _Do you want me to… come along?_ " She asked, hesitance clear in her voice

His heavy brow knitted in thought at her words.

" _You… don't want to?_ " He asked confusedly.

" _I'm not sure it's a wise thing to do. Showing that you have a human living with apes. They might get the wrong idea._ "

" _And what idea would that be?_ " He questioned, almost challengingly. He didn't know why, but something about the way she said it made him want to bristle.

" _They might think you're keeping me here against my will. As a prisoner._ " She answered matter-of-factly, looking at him with a blank stare. She seemed to be waiting for a strong protest from him, some kind of indignation at her reasoning.

He _wanted_ to protest. Say that they would never do such a thing and that the humans should realise this.

But there was a truth in her words, he knew, no matter how much he wanted to deny them. Even if they brought her along on her own horse and with her own weapons in hand, there was still a chance that the humans could see her as a hostage of the apes. They were, after all, far stronger than a lone woman with a bow and a dagger could ever be.

The humans might even speculate further than that and guess at what the apes could have possibly done to Lydia to make her cooperate.

The thought made him almost shudder with disgust.

" _You are right._ " He agreed finally, " _It is a shame. You would probably have been good at explaining things to them. But I don't want to risk you either._ " There was a double meaning to his words, and he doubted that escaped her notice, if the softening of her eyes was anything to go by. It was no secret that she had become a good friend to the Ape King, as well as many of the other apes. He also knew that she was apprehensive about meeting other humans again, previous experience in this post-pandemic world having taught her they were volatile at the best of times.

He wouldn't risk exposing her like that, displaying her in front of creatures she had persistently distanced herself from for so long.

Then, an idea popped into his mind.

" _You will stay here. Guard my wife and child until I return with our forces._ " He said after a short pause. " _Keep them safe._ "

He would trust Lydia with this important task. She was a good friend to Cornelia as well and had adored the new-born prince since she had visited briefly the night before, checking in on the Ape Queen. Also, he wanted someone attentive to be by his wife right now, since he'd noticed that Cornelia had seemed even more under the weather ever since the birth. Wheezing, out of breath and feverish. She had brushed him off when he'd mentioned it that morning, but Caesar was certain that something was wrong.

And even if she was fine, it would still be handy to have someone who knew how to wield a weapon guarding her, in case the humans _did_ choose to attack.

Lydia nodded in agreement, looking somewhat relieved.

There was a part of Caesar that still didn't understand why she wasn't at least _interested_ in meeting her own kind after so long with the apes, despite what had happened in the past. Wondering why she wasn't at the very least _curious_ as to what was happening among the last remnants of her own species.

But then again, she had been living with the apes for so long that perhaps she didn't see humans as her own kind anymore. That was a curious thought. After all, she had an adopted ape child and a mate. And all her friends were apes. It was all she had known for the past five years.

And she seemed happy with this.

" _I wonder what they want up here, though._ " She signed, pulling Caesar out of his reverie.

" _I was going to ask you about that. What could drive them here? It was a very small group. Not fit for an attack._ " He replied thoughtfully.

She only shook her head when nothing seemed to come to mind.

" _Well, it does not matter._ " Caesar signed when she didn't give any further reply. " _They should stay in their city. And we will stay in our forest._ "

The rain started dripping from the sky again, creating little ripples in the tranquil water around them wherever it landed. The sound of droplets hitting the leaves high up in the trees calmed Caesar greatly, and he was almost able to forget the difficult task that lie ahead. Almost able to forget the tension between himself and his eldest son.

Almost able to forget the alluring scent of the human woman sitting beside him.

Almost.


	16. Intrusion and Exposure

_**Lydia**_

Lydia was sitting in Caesar and Cornelia's hut, high up in the main tree of the village, looking out across the treetops. They had a great view from up here, their home overlooking all the village, as well as the sloping hills further down. In the far distance lay what was once the city of San Francisco, grey and gloomy-looking on this cloudy morning of late spring.

Cornelia was sleeping in the royal couple's nest, little Cornelius, as they had named him, cradled beside her. It would have been an adorable sight if the Ape Queen's breathing didn't seem so laboured.

Caesar had been worried, Lydia knew, and she could clearly see why. The birth had been tough, Tinker had told her as much, and Cornelia hadn't moved around much since. She had, however, insisted that she was just feeling a little off, and that it was nothing to worry about.

Honestly, she was as stubborn as Caesar, sometimes.

Lydia looked down at the village from her elevated vantage point. Only a handful of males had been left to guard the village, since Caesar had wanted to display a formidable force to show that the apes meant business. It left the village looking strangely empty, even with all the females and young children still wandering about.

She just hoped it would be alright. That Caesar's plan would succeed and that the humans would get the message.

Yet she did not dare getting her hopes up. She knew humans were persistent and had a strong sense of self-entitlement. If they felt they had business here, they were probably not going to listen to the apes just because they shook their spears angrily at them.

But the Ape King _did_ possess something in his character that compelled others to listen to him. What it was, exactly, Lydia had yet to understand herself. What she _did_ understand, however, was that that something made her feel things that she definitely _should not_.

It had been simmering in the back of her head for a while now. This strange feeling towards the Ape King, which Lydia had since recognised as attraction. Well, he _was_ handsome, that couldn't be denied. He had the most intense gaze Lydia had ever been subjected to, his large, imposing stature and a rugged face which underlined his masculinity perfectly. It was not like Lydia hadn't been aware of all this from the moment she met him, honestly.

But it was on occasions like the one yesterday, when she had almost fallen on the path up to the waterhole and Caesar had pulled her against his chest, that Lydia felt these sudden spikes of attraction towards him. And yesterday hadn't been the first time. Over the course of the last three years, it had happened several times that she had found her mind straying towards Caesar.

And she felt awful for it when it happened.

Caesar was the husband of her best friend, for crying out loud! With whom he'd just had yet another son. With whom he was happily in love.

Not to mention that Lydia herself was in a happy relationship herself with Roy.

And that was what was most strange about it. She loved Roy with all her heart and she could not for the life of her imagine what she'd do if he was not with her. He was loving, attentive, wise.

 _And a great lover_ , Lydia thought with a blush, remembering a couple of nights prior, when he had come home and simply taken her right then and there, on the floor in the middle of their hut.

Really, she didn't understand why her mind and body was acting like this. She had the most wonderful partner all to herself, and yet she still felt attraction towards someone else.

Someone unattainable.

Someone forbidden.

 _I suppose the grass is always greener_ , Lydia thought with a roll of her eyes.

A quiet groan from across the room, coming from the padded nest, derailed Lydia's train of thought. It was Cornelia, waking from her sleep with a frown marring her delicate features.

Lydia was with her in an instant, a hand softly rubbing her friend's shoulder as she orientated herself after her sleep. Cornelius stirred as his mother moved about, whimpering at being woken. He was quite adorable, Lydia had to admit. She was able to see that he took after his father in terms of looks, whereas Blue Eyes had inherited his mother's finer features, though he still had his father's head-shape.

None of them could measure up to Orion's adorableness when he was younger, though.

 _Or maybe that's just because he's mine?_ Lydia thought amusedly.

Cornelia sat up with some difficulty, a whimpering Cornelius now clinging to her chest.

"How are you feeling?" Lydia asked out loud, voice low and soothing. The ape infant reached out for her with one arm when he spotted her, and Lydia reached up a hand to let him play with her fingers, keeping her eyes on Cornelia.

She huffed out a laugh and looked at the human woman as if she was asking silly questions.

" _I am fine. Still a bit tired from the birth, but it will go away soon, I am sure. Don't worry, Lydia._ " The Ape Queen replied with elegant hand-movements.

It did nothing to calm Lydia, though she decided not to aggravate Cornelia at the moment. If she took it easy and didn't overexert herself, Lydia would play along. Though she'd still give Caesar an update on his wife's condition. It was not improving, no matter how hard Cornelia tried to convince everyone otherwise.

 _But if something_ _ **is**_ _wrong, then what can we do? We have no means to fight it if she has an infection._ Lydia thought, fighting not to betray her thoughts through her expression. She knew she was easy to read if she did not school her features carefully.

Roy had told her as much.

"If you say so. Do you want anything to eat or drink? I filled the gourd before I came up here." Lydia said kindly, holding out said gourd for Cornelia to take. She grabbed it without further ado and gulped down its contents. She looked slightly relieved when she finished, handing back the half-empty gourd to the human woman with a soft nod of thanks.

The Ape Queen looked feverish and winched every time Cornelius grabbed at her fur, indicating soreness at the barest of touches.

" _Could you take him for a while?_ " Cornelia asked, jerking her head once towards the back of the hut, indicating she had to pee. Lydia took the infant without question, cooing at him as his mother went to relieve herself.

Cornelius seemed a lively child, even at this young age. He had a strong grip and bright green, intelligent eyes that made Lydia's heart melt. She rocked the little ape comfortingly and smiled softly when he hooted happily in response, grabbing at the braid that hung over her shoulder with eager fingers. She didn't really mind the pulling that ensued. There was something calming and cosy about holding the ape child like this. It made Lydia think back wistfully on the days when Orion himself was still just a child, soothed only by her warm embrace and calm voice.

Cornelia returned shortly after, sitting down in the nest with slight difficulty. Lydia restrained herself from commenting on it, knowing it would be useless. The Ape Queen smiled at the human woman with tired eyes as she held the precious infant, not reaching out to take him back just yet. He seemed perfectly happy being in Lydia's arms, clutching the end of her braid to his chest with his tiny hands.

" _He likes you very much already._ " Cornelia commented.

"He has good taste in people. Like his parents." Came Lydia's playful reply and she winked at Cornelia as she continued to rock the child back and forth softly. The Ape Queen laughed light-heartedly and nodded.

An easy silence fell between the two and all that could be heard was Cornelius' happy little hoots as he brushed the tips of Lydia's braid against his face, fascinated by the tickling effect.

" _How do you think it will go? In the city._ " Cornelia signed suddenly, her movements graceful as ever, but with a streak of worry shining though her brilliant, green eyes. " _Will the humans attack? Is there any chance they will listen to my husband?_ "

"I hope so," Lydia replied, "but I honestly don't know. Humans can be very set in their ways and have a hard time accepting things and people who are different from themselves. They don't like being told what to do either…" She finished with a slight shake of her head.

" _Like apes_." Cornelia replied with a pointed look, to which Lydia could only smile.

" _You speak of them… as if you are not of them yourself. As if you are… removed from them._ " The Ape Queen pointed out with a slight crinkle of her nose and a tilt of her head. It was a habit she had picked up from being around Lydia so much. Caesar had said it reminded him of a dog, which Lydia hadn't tried to interpret too closely.

"Well… I haven't been in the company of humans for years now. I don't _live_ like most humans do… It just feels more natural to see them as something different nowadays, I guess." Lydia answered thoughtfully. She didn't know quite how to explain it, but she _did_ feel removed from other humans on some strange level. While others tried desperately to cling on to life as it was before the Simian Flu broke out, creating colonies governed like miniature states, still with electricity, cars and other modern necessities, Lydia had embraced the apes' simpler lifestyle. She didn't see the point in hanging on to how life used to be, trying to act as if everything was working as normal, when in reality the things that made such a life possible, like gasoline, was running out at an alarming rate.

Humans prided themselves on adapting to their environment, and yet it seemed to Lydia that they had forgotten how to do just that.

It was wrong to say that she felt better than other humans for having left such a life behind. For having already seen that it was futile. Because she knew that she still clung to certain aspects of her old life.

She still wore clothes. She still kept pets. She still scavenged whatever useful materials she could find from what was no doubt seen as the long-gone primetime of human civilisation.

She counted herself among the apes. Had done so for years now, even if she had, on occasion, doubted her place in the colony.

This was her life. The apes were her people.

A soft grunt from Cornelia brought her out of her reverie and her blue gaze lifted to meet the sympathetic expression on the Ape Queen's face. Lydia decided to lighten the mood a bit at that.

"Anyway, it might just be that they'll listen to Caesar. After all, a talking ape on horseback holding a spear should make even the most stubborn human think twice about what he's doing."

Lydia offered a playful smirk and Cornelia's expression immediately shifted into amused exasperation, rolling her eyes at the human woman's poor attempt at humour.

Then, a commotion could be heard outside, interrupting their conversation. It was a mixture of hooting, whinnying and trampling of hooves which told Lydia and Cornelia that Caesar had returned with his troops.

Lydia noted how her friend's posture seemed to change, as if she was steeling herself, ready to put up a healthy, perky façade to show her husband that she was okay, and Lydia barely refrained from telling her to just let up already and tell Caesar the truth.

The Ape King soon entered his home, taking up the entire entrance with his imposing figure. His war paint made his stern gaze look even more intimidating and it felt like his eyes could bore right through a person, if he chose to do so.

Instead, his gaze softened as he spotted the two females, a soft smile gracing his lips when he noticed Cornelius, still in Lydia's arms, cooing happily when he spotted his father.

The spell was immediately broken, though, when Blue Eyes entered not long after his father. Upon seeing his infant brother being held by Lydia, he visibly stiffened upon his entry, only to aim an accusing look at his mother before turning his back to the scene and storming out of the hut.

Lydia felt a now familiar pang in her chest at the Prince's obvious rejection of her presence there. She had, for a long time now, noticed how Blue Eyes had distanced himself from her as he hit puberty and was very much aware of the fact that the sole reason for this behaviour was because she was human. She couldn't help but blame Koba and his posse for this development, but knew that it probably also had something to do with Blue Eyes' need to rebel against his father and the principles he stood for.

This new development concerning the humans in the city probably didn't help matters, either.

Still, she had known him since the Ape Prince was three and he had been a good friend to her adoptive son from the very beginning. So yes, this recent development hurt. More than Lydia was ready to admit.

Cornelia huffed unhappily at her son's behaviour and turned to Lydia with an apologetic gaze.

" _Sorry about that. I don't know what has gotten into him lately._ " She signed softly.

Caesar, who had been staring with a disappointed look at the entrance to the hut where Blue Eyes had once stood, now came over to sit with the two females, caressing his wife's arm gently with his long fingers.

" _How are you feeling?_ " He asked his queen with a gentle look in his green eyes.

She leaned forward to press her forehead against her husband's and Lydia was beginning to feel like she was intruding on a private moment. Cornelius cooed impatiently at his parents, reaching out for them with both hands.

" _I am well_." Cornelia replied before Lydia handed the restless infant back to his mother. " _You worry too much._ "

Caesar clearly didn't believe her, discreetly looking to Lydia when his wife busied herself with feeding Cornelius.

All Lydia could do was shake her head in reply.

* * *

 _ **Blue Eyes**_

The rain was pouring down from the sky like the heavens had decided to just get an entire year's supply of water over and done with. It had started just before they had returned from their "visit" in the city, and Blue Eyes doubted it would let up anytime soon.

He didn't mind it, really. It fit his current mood perfectly.

He was sitting beside Ash in the hut his friend shared with his parents, listening to the way raindrops pounded on the roof as they signed.

" _I just don't see why she should be there, Ash. Mother is unwell and Cornelius should be looked after by apes while she gets better. Not a human._ " The Ape Prince explained to his honorary cousin, an exasperated look on his face. " _Father is sending the wrong signal by letting a human look after mother. Especially now that we met those other ones with their weapons._ " He added with choppy and angry movements.

Ash shook his head at his childhood friend, which only served to further the prince's annoyance. What was it that Ash just didn't understand? Had he not listened when Koba and the others had told them about the humans they had met before escaping to the forest? Did he not understand what they were capable of? How they could turn on you without warning?

" _Caesar trusts Lydia. Your mother does too._ " Ash signed imploringly. " _Lydia is not like the humans in Koba's stories, Blue Eyes. She has never done anything against apes._ " He said, almost as if he had read Blue Eyes' thoughts.

While he was right about Lydia never having harmed any of the apes, it still didn't sit well with Blue Eyes – the way he'd found her in the hut when he had gotten home, Cornelius cradled happily in the human woman's arms, almost like he belonged there, while his mother only sat, slouched in their nest, her beautiful features marred by poorly-hidden discomfort.

His father hadn't even mentioned it. Didn't seem surprised in the slightest at the scene.

And while Blue Eyes had recognized the look of concern Lydia had regarded Cornelia with, he still couldn't stand to look at how… at home the woman seemed to be in their hut. How she seemed to shine with life while his own mother only looked to get worse. Like she was withering.

It was like Cornelia's image was fading away slowly while Lydia's only became brighter.

But he wasn't going to tell that to Ash, fearing it would make him seem ridiculous. Deep down, he knew it wasn't Lydia's fault his mother was ill – she had been like that even before the birth of Cornelius. The woman was probably only trying to help her feel more comfortable by sharing the burden of childcare until the Ape Queen got better. At least that's what Maurice had told him when he'd voiced his concern earlier that day.

The Ape Prince fixed Ash with a hard stare, another aspect of his concern coming to light.

" _Even if she isn't, we now know she's not the only human out there. And she knows it too. What if she wants to go back now? What if she betrays the apes to convince them to let her in?_ " He challenged. It was a conversation he'd had with Koba on the way home, as they crossed the bridge. The bonobo had argued that if Lydia wanted to re-join the humans, she'd be a liability to the colony – a spy among the apes.

Ash rolled his eyes at his friend.

" _You know she doesn't want that. She has been with apes for five seasons. She is happy here, with a mate and son._ " Ash signed slowly, almost as if signing to one of the elders with bad eyes. " _You listen too much to Koba. He never liked Lydia, you know that._ "

Yes… He did know that.

But much like his father, Blue Eyes was a stubborn ape.

Then, Ash added something the prince hadn't expected to hear.

" _She misses you, you know. It hurts Lydia that you don't trust her anymore. That you believe what Koba says about her._ " His friend said solemnly. " _She always helped us, Blue Eyes. She fished with us, skinned animals with us. Told us stories. But now you always walk away when she comes and it hurts her. Orion too._ "

The words stung inside his chest, no matter how much he tried to hide it from Ash. The truth was he had pretended not to notice and Lydia had had the curtesy not to confront the prince about this development. Both Lake and Orion had reprimanded him about it and now Ash had too. Was he being unreasonable?

Could Koba be wrong about just this one human?

But he idolized the bonobo and couldn't imagine that he'd be mistaken about something like that. He had extensive, painful experience with human cruelty and how it could catch you by surprise. Especially when it came from the ones you trusted.

And also, he gave Blue Eyes the validation that Caesar never seemed to anymore.

Suddenly, a jumble of hoots and screeches could be heard from outside the hut and both adolescents turned sharply towards the door. Were the humans attacking? No, the sounds from outside sounded agitated rather than afraid and angry, Blue Eyes concluded. They briefly looked at each other before getting up and heading out of the hut, wanting to see what the ruckus was about.

Everyone was outside, gathered at the centre of the village.

The moment he saw what was going on, Blue Eyes felt his whole posture tense as the human male, the one who had seemed to lead the others in the woods, stood before Caesar, who had appeared on a boulder in front of him. The man was drenched from the rain and had splotches of mud on his face as he was shoved to the ground by the gorilla guards, looking quite pathetic and frightened.

But he also had an air of determination about him, which only heightened Blue Eyes' suspicion of the human male.

"Please, please, please…." The man straightened from his bow, looking pleadingly up at the Ape King, out of breath and eyes wide. "Please don't kill me… Just hear what I have to say."

Caesar's stern eyes drilled into the man from his elevated position, a sour look on his face.

The man continued to speak, getting up slowly from the kneeling position he had been placed in.

"I know… don't come back, I know… Just hear what I have to say. I wouldn't be here if it- Argh!"

One of the gorillas punched the man from behind, pushing him back down into the submissive crouch, and the human cowered. He continued to speak, looking pleadingly up at Caesar.

"Okay, okay… I-I need to show you something… It's not far-"

"HUMAN LIES!" Koba yelled behind the man, riling up the apes around him, including Blue Eyes himself, who had moved up beside him, close to the intruder.

"No! No! No…!" He turned around to look at the apes surrounding him, each and every one of them hooting angrily. "I swear… If I could just show you… You'd understand."

The angry hoots were spreading all around the village and Koba held his spear threateningly above the human male. He looked up to Caesar for an order and Blue Eyes almost thought that his father would give it – hoped he would.

Then Caesar lifted his hand and all fell silent, the only sound throughout the colony being the continuous dripping of rain hitting the mud.

"Show. Me" Was all his father said, and Blue Eyes immediately felt a sense of dread course through him. He was going to listen? After the humans had clearly disobeyed his order to stay away?! How could he?!

Before he, Koba or anyone else had a chance to protest, the squelching sound of someone landing on mud could be heard, and everyone's heads jerked towards the sound. Out of the corner of his eye, the Ape Prince saw the human male's eyes had widened as confusion overtook his features.

There, standing stiffly in the back of the gathering, stood Lydia with a gaze even sterner than Caesar's glued to the kneeling man. She had jumped down from the wooden ramp in front of her home, where Roy still stood with a spear in his hand. Behind him stood Orion, eyes wide with worry, shifting back and forth between his mother and the intruding human.

All was silent throughout the colony as Lydia stepped forward through the apes slowly, the look in her eyes reminding Blue Eyes of an angry predator.

"Who… Who are you…?" The kneeling man spoke with a mixture between fright and disbelief across his face. Lydia ignored his question completely.

"What do you want to show him?" She asked instead with a sneer. Blue Eyes had never seen her face anyone in the colony with that kind of expression. It was kind of scary and he caught himself thinking that he'd rather not be unfortunate enough to receive such a look from her.

"I… There's a dam not far from here. We need it for the city. Please, _please_ just let me show it to you! We don't mean any harm, I swear!"

Lydia seemed to ponder at this, turning over his explanation in her head. Blue Eyes wondered if she knew what the man was talking about. He sure as hell didn't.

She was still regarding him with an untrusting sneer when she replied. "How many of you are here?"

"W-We're six in total. My wife and son are down the hill in the car with three other guys. The same ones as the other day… in the forest…" Koba hissed angrily beside Blue Eyes at the mention of the incident, the shooting of Ash still fresh in the apes' collective memory. Ash himself just kept his eyes fixed on Lydia, paying close attention to everything she did and said.

At the mention of a wife and child, Lydia's eyes softened a fraction, though her shoulders were still stiff. Blue Eyes saw how both his father, Maurice and Roy were all looking at her in concern and it struck him that this was the first time Lydia was properly speaking to another human in five years. She didn't seem to like it at all and what was more, the man seemed positively terrified of her.

Terrified, but also curious.

"You… live here? With the apes?" He asked softly. She gave a curt nod.

"If you're lying to us… if this is some trap-" Lydia began to say threateningly, only to be interrupted by the man. "It's not! I swear to you! You can tell it to all of them, please, just let me show you that you can trust me!" He was growing more desperate the longer Lydia stared. Her mouth set into a thin line at the word "trust".

"I don't have to tell them anything – they are all quite capable of understanding English." She retorted sarcastically, raising a single eyebrow at the man in mock-amusement and finally letting her stern mask falter. Had the situation not been so intense and on-edge, Blue Eyes might just have snickered at the man's dumbfounded expression.

She turned to Caesar, then, nodding her head to indicate that she, too, thought the man was speaking the truth. Blue Eyes knew that his father respected the human woman's opinion, and perhaps doubly so in this instance, given that it _was_ her own species they were dealing with.

" _I can go with you. Look out for any signs of trouble from them._ " She signed seriously. Blue Eyes could see that she didn't seem to enjoy the prospect, her face looking almost like she had offered to go out to hunt during a thunderstorm.

The man looked utterly confused as the Ape King began to sign back, his customary frown deepening.

" _You don't have to expose yourself further, if you think we can trust his word._ " Caesar told her. _Expose herself?_ The Ape Prince thought, baffled. Well, she hadn't been with them in the city, but Blue Eyes had only thought it was because she was considered to be one of the females. Had the reason really been because she wanted to stay hidden? Caesar hadn't mentioned anything about it at all to him.

Lydia shook her head as she replied.

" _It's too late for that. He has seen me and he's going to tell the others about it, no doubt. Besides, he said that the same people from the forest are going to be there. That includes the man who shot Ash._ " Her brows furrowed at the last part as she sent a quick look towards her son's older friend. " _If that's the case, I want to be there and keep an eye on him. Just because_ _ **this**_ _man is being sincere doesn't mean the others will be too._ "

There was a murmur of grunts and subdued hoots as she spoke, many of the apes around the scene agreeing with her assessment. Blue Eyes thought, reluctantly, that she made a very good point. Lydia would probably be better than any other in the colony to spot any odd behaviour from the intruding humans and be able to alert the apes, should something be amiss.

That is, if she chose to do so.

" _And you?_ " Caesar inquired with a raised brow. " _Will you be okay with this arrangement?_ "

She smiled slightly, looking tired as she answered.

" _No. But_ _I'll be happy once things are back to normal._ " Came her cryptic reply. Caesar seemed satisfied with her answer and turned back to the human male, still kneeling in the mud.

"We. Go. Now" Came his deep, gravelly voice, commanding and full of authority as always.

Lydia turned on her heel and started walking back towards her hut, probably to gather her weapons, if Blue Eyes knew her well. Her steps were long and decisive, the damp braid swaying across her back as she walked.

"Wait!" The human intruder said loudly, his voice almost bordering on a shout towards Lydia's retreating form. She stopped dead in her tracks but only turned her head a fraction to indicate that she was listening.

"Wha- what's your name?" The man asked her curiously, his eyes studying her openly, scrutinizing her every detail.

She turned halfway back around to look at him, tilting her head to the side like one of her dogs. In the past, that move would have never failed to make Blue Eyes smile, but right now, he was too focused on the exchange to do so.

"Lydia." She answered simply. "Just Lydia."

"Lydia… right…" The intruder nodded. "Nice to meet you. I'm Malcolm." She only nodded before she continued to walk towards her hut. When she had climbed back on top of the ramp and into Roy's arms, Malcolm's eyes widened slightly. A grunt from on top of the boulder he was kneeling in front of pulled his gaze back to the Ape King, who jumped down to stand in front of the baffled human.

Blue Eyes' father put a hand on his own chest while looking intently into the man's eyes

"Caesar." He said, presenting himself.

There was a brief pause in which Blue Eyes became aware that the rain had finally stopped, the sound of drops hitting the ground no longer filling the silence around the gathering. Beside him Koba bristled and stared menacingly into the back of the human's head.

"Caesar." The Malcolm repeated, stunned.


	17. A Second Chance

_**Caesar**_

The next day Caesar was riding his horse down towards the old, hydraulic dam together with Blue Eyes, Lydia, Rocket and Maurice. The group of six humans was leading them to the place they wanted to go, followed by several ape guards keeping their distance. Cornelius was clinging to Blue Eye's fur, looking curiously at the strange sites and people that surrounded him. Normally, such young ape children were not separated from their mothers – or taken out of the village, for that matter. But Cornelia was getting sicker and had needed the respite.

Caesar's frown deepened at the thought of his wife's sickness. This morning she had trouble getting out of the nest and her wheezing was only getting worse. It didn't matter what herbs Sparrow provided her with or how much Tinker tried to keep the Ape Queen comfortable by adjusting and padding the nest. Cornelia was deteriorating. Fast.

He gritted his teeth in concerned frustration. All he wanted right now was for the humans to be done with their task as fast as possible so he could return to his hut and take care of his wife. Sometimes, he really cursed his position as leader of the colony and the time it took from his family.

Caesar looked over at Lydia in thought. He had pulled her aside after Malcolm had left the village, inquiring about how Cornelia had been doing while he had been gone with the other apes. Her report had done nothing to comfort him. Still, he was glad that the woman was honest with him and was there to keep an attentive eye on his wife, even if it pained her to see one of her dearest friends in such a state. It warmed Caesar's heart to know that his wife had found such a devoted friend – and in a human, no less.

Now, if only Blue Eyes could do the same…

The Ape King pursed his lips at the thought. His relationship with Blue Eyes was slipping through his fingers like so many tiny grains of sand, and he had absolutely no idea how to fix it. The adolescent refused to listen and Caesar could only look on as his son had begun to prefer Koba's company rather than his own father's.

Caesar sighed tiredly as he looked ahead again, focusing on the humans in front of him.

He trusted Koba like a brother. He was an ape and had stood by his side for many years now – even saved his life a few days ago. But his open dislike for humans had a clear effect on the Ape Prince that concerned Caesar. He did not want his son to develop the same, all-consuming hate that resided in Koba – it could only lead to destruction.

These musings were still bouncing around in his mind as they arrived at the dam and the humans began working. Lydia kept a respectable distance, he noticed. She dismounted her horse but never joined the rest of the humans in their effort to clear out the workspace, choosing instead to prowl around the area like a restless predator in an unfamiliar environment. Her movements were calculated and it was clear that her eyes followed each individual with open suspicion. Caesar's stomach flipped at the sight.

Had she really been so thoroughly conditioned to reject her own kind? True, the one they called Carver had shot Ash and was worth keeping an eye on, but did the rest of the humans really deserve such mistrust? Had her time with the apes left her unable to connect with her own species?

Just as that thought passed his mind, Caesar noticed Carver approach Lydia as she stood near the water, casually placing himself well within her personal space. The ape saw how Lydia's body language changed immediately, her entire posture tensing as she stared straight forward. Carver didn't seem to notice or care as he began to speak.

"So, you live with these… apes, huh?" His voice was low, perhaps trying to speak so that the apes nearby wouldn't hear. They did, and Caesar noticed how Rocket straightened himself on his horse and Blue Eyes fidgeted with Cornelius' fur.

The way Carver eyed Lydia up and down made Caesar want to bristle. He almost expected the woman to inch away from the human male to distance herself from him. True to her stubborn nature, though, Lydia stood her ground. She was not one to back away from anything.

"Yes." She answered curtly.

The man lifted an eyebrow at her, openly eyeing her cleavage. Her jacket had been left open due to the humid spring weather, and Caesar did have to admit that the shirt she wore underneath hugged her figure nicely. That was no reason for Carver to make such advances, though, as they were _clearly_ unwelcome.

"How long's that been goin' on?" He pressed on, his hands casually stuffed into his pockets.

"Long." Lydia replied.

"Wow, you're about as eloquent as _they_ are, huh?" Carver drawled, smirking. "I never did catch your name, sweet cheeks."

Maurice grunted beside Caesar and he noticed how the orangutan's brow furrowed in obvious distaste.

Lydia was quick to brush him off.

"And you won't have to, if all goes well." She turned to the man and regarded him with a stoic expression that Caesar knew spelled trouble. If she had ever faced the Ape King with that stare, Caesar knew he would probably have recoiled. Carver was different, though, and leaned in closer with that smirk still plastered onto his face, even if it did seem more forced now.

"C'mon, girl. I'm just trying to make conversation here. Surely you can appreciate that after living with these animals for so long, right? Bet I could show you a good time, too, if you'd let me…" His hand reached out to grab at Lydia's forearm hanging by her side, and Caesar almost sprang off his horse to come to her aid. What was it this human was not getting? Her signs of rejection were clear, even to an ape, so why did he press on like that?

Before Caesar or any of the other apes could move a muscle, however, Lydia's blue gaze turned cold and deadly as she grabbed on to Carvers wrist with a speed that Caesar could only marvel at. The human male winced as she pressed her fingers into a particularly painful spot on his wrist and seemed momentarily stunned by the sudden shift in power.

"W-What the fuck?!" He gasped, eyes widening in surprise and pain.

Lydia yanked him down until they were at eye-level, since Carver was slightly taller than her, and spoke in a low, threatening voice that made Caesar's skin prickle with anxiety.

"Don't you _dare_ talk about them like that while in my presence. The only thing I could ever want from you is that you to stay the hell away from me and the only _good time_ you could ever provide me is the sweet fucking moment when your lousy ass leaves these woods for good." Her grip on Carver's arm seemed like an iron band and the man looked to be trying his damned best not to whimper at the force Lydia was showing. She took half a step closer to Carver, her eyes narrowing dangerously. "Was that _eloquent_ enough for you?" She added, letting go of Carver's wrist the moment she finished her sentence.

He took two steps back from her, a mixture between shock and anger flickering across his features as he nurtured his aching wrist.

"What the fuck is wrong with you? They're not even your own damn species and you-"

"Hey! Carver! Get over here and help us, man! There's a reason we brought you along!" Came the voice of the man they called Kemp. Caesar wasn't sure if the man had seen the conflict and was trying to prevent it from escalating or if he really did need Carver's help. He was glad for the distraction nonetheless. Carver looked about ready to slap Lydia – not that he'd get away from the dam alive if he did – and Lydia herself had her hand dangerously close to the dagger strapped to her leg. There was no doubt in Caesar's mind who'd walk away from _that_ confrontation as the victor.

"Comin'!" Carver yelled as he turned away from Lydia, a deep scowl marring his face. "Savage bitch…" He muttered in retaliation as he left, shoulders hunched and arms stuffed into his pockets once again.

Lydia, however, kept her head high, seemingly unbothered by his insult, if her face was anything to go by, and she visibly relaxed once he was far enough away. Rocket climbed off his horse and went to her, grunting so she wouldn't be startled as he laid a hand on her shoulder. The expression on her face changed in the blink of an eye and she was once again the smiling and easy-going Lydia Caesar knew. Really, it was amazing how her whole demeanour changed simply by the touch of someone she knew and cared for.

Caesar was glad Roy had been charged with protecting the village while they were gone, though. If Caesar himself had felt provoked by the way Carver had approached Lydia, then he was certain that Roy would have been livid. She was spoken for, after all.

As if the mere thought of Roy had conjured it, Lydia turned to the apes with an embarrassed sigh and asked them, in sign, not to tell her mate what had occurred. It would only make him feel bad for not being there, she reasoned. They all merely nodded in agreement.

And so, the humans' work commenced.

Caesar was relieved that Carver was too occupied to aggravate Lydia further, but had his mood soured instantly when Maurice told him that Koba was still mad after their argument the previous evening, when they had taken the humans' weapons and destroyed them. It had been a condition for them to work at the dam that they hand over their guns and let the apes destroy them. The only one who had any real objections to it had (of course) been Carver, but they had all complied in the end. Caesar had thought that this would be enough to make Koba feel safe about the situation – showing him that they had the upper hand by ridding the humans of their only means of defence.

No such luck – Koba's hatred was too strong and his scars still too fresh.

And what was worse, Blue Eyes seemed to sympathise with this sentiment.

Caesar let a rough palm glide down across his face, releasing a deep, worried sigh. This was already spiralling out of his control and leaving him with a heavy feeling in his chest.

Soon, Caesar was broken out of his reverie by an earth-shattering explosion which startled the horses and made Rocket hoot in worry towards the dam. Cornelius clung tightly to his older brother and Lydia's head snapped towards the scene with keen eyes. She didn't seem to be readying herself for a fight, however, which calmed Caesar's immediate fear of an ambush.

She seemed apprehensive, more than anything else. Worried, even.

When some of the humans rushed out, frantically asking for help, Caesar's suspicions were confirmed and the apes didn't hesitate to assist them. It was quite a dramatic event, but they quickly got Malcolm and Carver out of the caved-in tunnel and Ellie immediately began tending to Carver's injured leg. The man was whimpering and hissing at Ellie whenever he deemed her ministrations too harsh, and Caesar barely kept himself from rolling his eyes at the man's behaviour. Sure, it was a flesh wound, but it was neither a deep, nor long cut.

Lydia still maintained a respectful distance, even if she had helped pulling the men out of the tunnel, and watched with keen eyes beside Caesar as Malcolm approached. The man still had a few splotches of dust on him and generally looked quite tired – but relieved, nonetheless.

"Thank you. You saved our lives." He spoke gratefully, casting a quick look towards Lydia as well. She only gave a short nod in reply, hands buried deep in the pockets of her deerskin pants. Malcolm gestured briefly towards the dam as he continued to speak.

"We've got a lot of debris to clear now…" His tone seemed apologetic and his eyes were full of uncertainty as he looked at Caesar. The Ape King knew that this would be a setback for them and resisted the urge to groan at the prospect of having them stay even longer. All he wanted at this point was to go home to his hut and tend to his sick wife.

But he knew it wasn't their fault. They had no way of knowing that the tunnel would collapse. They all would just have to grit their teeth and get on with it.

"How long?" Caesar asked, still in his gruff voice. Words could still be hard to produce for him, but he liked to think that he'd gotten better – he had certainly had more training at it during the last couple of days.

Just as Malcolm was about to answer, Cornelius seemingly got bored of clinging to his brother and decided to wiggle out of his grasp. Blue Eyes hooted nervously and got down from his horse to go after his brother, but hesitated as Cornelius jumped onto Ellie's back to investigate what was going on.

Caesar couldn't blame his youngest son for being curious and did not move to retrieve him. The little chimp had, so far, only ever met one human in his young life and was otherwise surrounded by apes. The pull towards the strange-looking creatures must be irresistible to the ape child.

In this regard, Cornelius already reminded Caesar a great deal of himself when he had been a child. Blue Eyes had always been more careful and hesitant about new things, which Caesar had seen as an advantage at first – less time spent trying to keep the child safe.

At least, that's what he'd thought.

Ash had more than made up for Blue Eyes' apprehensive nature and the Ape Prince soon mastered the art of rule-breaking from his honorary cousin.

In any event, Caesar hoped Cornelius would be less inclined to get into trouble than his father and brother.

Lydia seemed to tense up beside him at the situation and Caesar nudged her discreetly with his elbow to calm her down. Even if he didn't like his son being so close to Carver, it seemed like Ellie and Alex were quite friendly towards the ape child. The way they smiled and reached out their fingers for him to grab stirred some feelings in the pit of the Ape King's stomach that he thought he'd long since buried.

It was just like how Will, Charles and Caroline used to play with him…

He noticed from the corner of his eye how Lydia quickly shot him a questioning look before turning her eyes back to the scene, seemingly deciding to go along with it and relax. She even cracked a small smile when Cornelius looked back at her while holding Ellie's hand, a soft, happy grin across his small face.

The spell was broken slightly when Carver decided to complain, asking Ellie if she was done with the leg and sneering at Alex for looking at him funnily. Cornelius paid it no mind and began investigating the area surrounding them. Caesar noticed how his eldest son seemed to relax more when his brother moved away from the humans.

 _Really_ , Caesar thought as he turned back towards Malcolm to speak, _what would it take for Blue Eyes to see them as anything other than enemies?_

"Hey, HEY! Get out of there! Hey! I'll kill you!" Carver's voice suddenly sounded loudly, pulling everyone's attention to him as he shot up from his seat and stalked towards Cornelius with lightning speed, pulling out a gun from the case the child had been investigating and threatening him with it.

Caesar's heart plummeted through his gut at the sight as Blue Eyes lurched forward to protect his infant brother, hissing and spitting as the gun was pointed towards him.

Lydia was not far behind, pulling out her bow and arrow and aiming it at Carver with a look of pure fury painted across her face. She didn't get the time to fire her arrow, however, as Caesar himself had already attacked Carver in a fit of protective rage, ripping the weapon out of the human male's hands and aiming it straight back at him.

"Don't! Don't!" He pleaded up at the Ape King as he lied on the ground.

The look on the man's face could only be described as utterly pathetic as he held up his hands in surrender, his eyes full of fright.

Caesar felt no pity for him.

"Caesar, no!" Malcolm intervened, making Lydia spin and point her arrow towards him instead as he moved forward with outstretched hands. The gesture was probably meant to be placating, but it didn't do much to deter Caesar.

"Please! I didn't know…"

"You would have if you'd just checked this piece of shit's luggage." Lydia's voice sounded, her tone as icy as her stare. Her grip on her bow tightened visibly as she continued to speak.

"You knew he already shot one ape. You knew what he thinks of them and _still_ , you didn't check!?"

"We should have! I know! I didn't think he'd be stupid enough to do it!" Malcolm answered frantically, his gaze shifting between Lydia and Caesar himself pleadingly. The Ape King was faintly aware of Maurice rumbling soothingly in the background, trying to diffuse the tense situation. When he locked gazes with the old orangutan, he was made aware of how Ellie and Alex were both cowering on the ground in fear, while Kemp and Foster were both standing back, ready for a fight but helpless without their weapons.

It was one final look into Malcolm's eyes that, in the end, made Caesar lower the gun, turn around and toss it into the river. This man was trying to protect his son, just like Caesar was. His only fault was that he had been way too trusting of Carver.

"Human leave now!" The Ape King yelled harshly, making all the intruding humans flinch.

Lydia still hadn't lowered her weapon as Caesar went to pick up Cornelius and stalk back towards his horse. She only did so when Caesar grunted at her, signalling that everyone else was mounted. Her icy glare remained as she, too, went to get her own horse to follow the apes, leaving behind the humans to be escorted back to their camp by the guards.

 _What a mess_ , the Ape King thought as he hugged his youngest son tightly to his body, riding up the hill while pointedly ignoring Blue Eyes' accusatory stare.

* * *

 _ **Lydia**_

It wasn't until Lydia's forehead met gently with Roy's back in the colony that she felt truly calm after what had happened at the dam.

For the entire ride home, she had remained in the back of the group, staring ahead stiffly as she went over the events again and again in her head. She had partly blamed herself for not inquiring further about what the group had brought with them. She, of all people, should know that humans like Carver would try to find a way to sneak a weapon with him. He clearly didn't think much of the apes or the promises Malcolm had made to them.

And Malcolm had, obviously, put too much stock in the man to begin with.

And it could very well have costed Cornelius his life today.

The thought made Lydia's heart ache and her teeth grind against each other harshly. It was bad enough that Cornelia was showing no signs of improvement and Blue Eyes was more distant than ever towards Lydia, but if something would have happened to Cornelius because of her own obvious lack of foresight… Lydia knew she wouldn't have been able to stomach the guilt.

Maurice, seemingly having noticed her state of quiet distress, had broken her out of her thoughts with a soft touch of his hand on her arm, which had made her look at him slightly startled.

" _Not your fault. You had no way of knowing that this man would trick us. Seems like he even tricked his friends._ " The old orangutan had signed reassuringly. Really, sometimes it was like he knew what everyone was thinking.

" _I should have anticipated it._ " She had countered half-heartedly. " _I know humans. This kind of human as well…_ "

Maurice had shaken his massive head at her and urged his horse forward to join the rest of the group as he signed back at her.

" _You have been apart from them for a long time._ "

She had wanted to protest at what he had been implicating; that she had forgotten how deceitful humans can be because she had been with the apes for so long. That she had put her experiences with her own kind behind her.

Because she knew that she hadn't. It was part of the reason why she still occasionally woke up in the middle of the night, clenching the furs covering her so tightly that her fingers ached.

No. She hadn't forgotten. She had merely ignored.

Ignored the mistrust that had kept her, Roy and Orion alive way before they had arrived in Caesar's colony.

And now, they were on the brink of a possible war because of it.

Roy was quick to ease her mind when she explained what had happened (though she pointedly left out the part where Carver had approached her), when they had entered the safety of their hut and sat down together. Their home was warm and coated in a soft, flickering light from the fireplace in the middle of the floor. It washed over Lydia like a tidal wave of comfort and safety, making her shoulders finally slump as she leaned against Roy on the floor. He laid his long, hairy arm around her back and calmly told her that it wasn't her fault. That she couldn't possibly be held responsible for Malcolm's carelessness or Carver's stupidity. She didn't know these humans and had no idea of how to tell who was friend and who was foe.

"The way I see it, they could all be foes." Lydia spoke quietly as she leaned into the crook of Roy's neck. The arm he had wrapped around her squeezed her softly and his other hand went up to gently grab her chin, tilting her head towards him so she would meet his green eyes. They held nothing but affection and worry for her, and Lydia found herself melting against his side at the sight.

"Or. They could. All be friends." He reasoned softly. She liked the quiet rumble of his voice and the calming effect it always had on her when she was distressed. It wasn't as deep or commanding as Caesar's, but neither was it as shrill and sharp as Koba's.

He pecked her nose affectionately and Lydia couldn't help but smile at the feel of his rougher lips against her skin.

"All except one…" She argued in a murmur as she referred to Carver. The discussion was tiring her quickly and her muscles ached from being tense for most of the day. All she wanted to do right now was bury herself in Roy's impossibly warm embrace and forget all that had happened for the past couple of days.

But the world would not afford her such a luxury, because no sooner had she nuzzled her head back into the crook of Roy's neck before one of the midwives tending to Cornelia pushed aside the skin covering the entrance to their home. She looked briefly startled at the scene in front of her before telling Lydia that Caesar had asked for her.

That was when Lydia noticed the annoyed hoots sounding from outside her home, signalling that something wasn't quite right.

 _Is it ever these days?_ She thought as she reluctantly disentangled herself from Roy's arms to follow the young female ape. Roy trailed after her out of the hut and up the spiralling steps to the Ape King's home. He didn't have to, as Caesar hadn't been asking for him, but she knew he was probably picking up on her growing weariness and had decided to join in as moral support. Lydia was thankful for his insight.

Really, nobody knew her quite as well as Roy did.

As they entered the home of the Ape King, Lydia immediately stopped dead in her tracks when she spotted Malcolm standing near Caesar and Ellie sitting by Cornelia, rummaging through her backpack. She felt her muscles tense all over again, the tightness rippling up through her body and she knew her face, quite involuntarily at this point, was shifting into a stern expression. Lydia imagined it must match Caesar's quite well at this point.

At the sight of her, Malcolm's hands shot up in a placating manner once again, showing her that he had no weapons and didn't want to fight. It was a gesture Lydia was beginning to associate strongly with him. It seemed that he was beginning to be more afraid of her than he was of the apes.

Had she really removed herself so much from her own kind that they had begun to fear her worse than they did an entirely different species?

Lydia tried not to let that stray thought distract her as Caesar began to speak.

"They want. To help. Cornelia." He jerked his head towards Ellie, who was staring at Lydia with unsure eyes. "With medicine." Caesar clarified, to which the woman nodded and held up the items she intended to use.

"Will you be helping them with the dam, then?" Lydia asked stiffly, still unsure of what Caesar was implying. He nodded, his ever-present frown still in place.

"You will. Stay with Cornelia." He gritted out. "Make sure. Everything. Goes well." His gaze was imploring, almost pleading as his eyes locked with Lydia's, and the human woman understood. He wanted her to keep an eye on what Ellie did, what she used and how it affected his wife.

"I don't know much about medicines, Caesar." Lydia replied, feeling hopeless. "But I will stay."

He didn't seem put off by Lydia's lack of knowledge and merely nodded before he turned to Roy, who was still standing in the doorway, following the conversation closely.

" _You will stand guard, Roy. Protect the village, so that Lydia can protect my wife._ " The Ape King signed calmly. Malcolm and Ellie seemed to be trying to follow the exchange, but clearly had no knowledge when it came to sign language. Roy only nodded and turned to leave quietly, shooting Lydia a concerned look as he did so.

She paid it no mind as she moved to sit on the other side of Cornelia, opposite of Ellie and beside Tinker, who was holding Cornelius in her arms. The child was squirming to get to his mother, but seemed to calm down when Lydia reached over to offer her hand to him, palm upwards in an open gesture. He grabbed it and held on tightly as he gazed up at Lydia with his big, green eyes. He looked even more like his father than Blue Eyes did, even at such a young age, and Lydia couldn't help but crack a small smile at the child.

She then briefly turned to nod towards Caesar, signalling that it was okay for him to leave, and rested her other hand on top of Cornelia's arm in a reassuring manner. The Ape Queen was too far gone in her fever to notice and Lydia felt how she was sweating under her fur.

This was bad.

Caesar went with Malcolm soon after that, leaving the small group of females to themselves. The silence was awkward as Ellie's eyes shifted between each individual in front of her before finally letting her gaze settle on Lydia's face.

"I'm going to treat her with some antibiotics now. It should take care of the infection she seems to have, but…" Ellie trailed off as she pulled out the supplies she would need and showed them to Lydia.

She lifted an eyebrow at Ellie, silently urging her to continue.

"I would recommend the treatment to continue for a couple of days…" She shifted uncomfortably under Lydia's scrutiny.

"And you can't do that?" The dark-haired woman prompted the newcomer, continuing to stroke Cornelia's arm as she did so.

"Caesar only gave us one day… Insisted on it." Ellie said in a quiet voice.

Even so, her words echoed loudly through Lydia's head as her features shifted from stern to slightly shocked. Seems like trust was really in short supply by now, even by Caesar's standards.

"Do you think it could work anyway?" Lydia asked, trying her damned best to keep the uncertainty out of her voice. This was not ideal. She might not know much about medicine, but she did remember having been treated with antibiotics a couple of times as a child and the treatments usually lasted for a couple of days. If Cornelia's infection was as severe as it seemed, Lydia knew one day wouldn't be enough.

Even if she did not trust these humans, Lydia was aware that the medicine Ellie provided was Cornelia's only chance of getting better at this point.

It wasn't often she cursed at Caesar's stubbornness, but this time…

Ellie's answer was as Lydia had feared.

"I don't know…" The woman rubbed her arms as she looked down at Cornelia's face, scrunched up in discomfort. "I mean, it might. But I can't be sure. This seems pretty severe already. Caesar didn't tell me how long she's been like this." Lydia nodded at Ellie's words with a serious expression, feeling how Cornelius' grip loosened as he fell asleep in Tinker's arms beside her.

 _Really, he couldn't even have given them_ _ **that**_ _much?_ Lydia thought as irritation crept up through her chest. This was his wife they were dealing with here!

Well, if he wasn't willing to provide the information needed, Lydia would.

"She gave birth the day the apes met you guys in the woods. She has been feeling under the weather even before then. I think this pregnancy has taken its toll on her."

Ellie seemed surprised at Lydia's willingness to help, but nodded at the information. A grim look found its way onto her features as her gaze shifted from Lydia to Tinker and back.

"Then this might call for more than one day of treatment…" She said, worry evident in her voice.

Lydia shared a look with Tinker, who cooed helplessly with eyes full of distress. This was their friend. Their queen.

And this woman's intentions seemed pure enough.

Lydia's lips set into a thin line before she spoke up, looking imploringly into Ellie's eyes.

"Treat her as well as you can now and I'll speak to Caesar about it when he gets back." She said calmly. "Cornelia is my best friend. The reason why I was allowed to stay here in the first place. I'm not gonna let her husband's stubbornness get in the way of her getting the treatment she needs."

There was a finality in Lydia's voice that left no room for discussion, but also a tenderness that seemed to catch Ellie off-guard. She looked stunned at Lydia's words, pausing as she was filling a syringe with what Lydia could only assume would be the medicine for Cornelia. A look of slight awe and understanding appeared on Ellie's features, and Lydia almost felt uncomfortable as the woman continued to regard her with that look.

"They really mean a lot to you, don't they? All of them?" She spoke softly.

Lydia nodded solemnly as Tinker reached over to grab her hand, the one that Cornelius had previously held, and ran her thumb over Lydia's knuckles in a gentle manner. The movement caught Ellie's eye and her expression softened further.

"The apes are my family. This village is my home." She said finally, when the quiet of the hut became too stifling for her to bear. Ellie nodded as she went on with preparing the syringe. Tinker eyed the object nervously, seemingly knowing what it was for and tensing her grip on Lydia's hand for comfort. Cornelia didn't even flinch when the needle pressed into her skin and the liquid was pushed through the needle and into her bloodstream.

The only sound that could be heard was Tinker's soft cooing as Lydia stared at the syringe with a blank expression.

"This is a very powerful antibiotic, just in case Caesar decides not to let us stay longer. I don't know if it'll get completely rid of the infection, though." Ellie explained as she pulled out the needle from Cornelia's skin. "It should take the worst of it for now. She should be more or less okay later in the evening if it works well."

Lydia nodded for what seemed the umpteenth time that day and patted Cornelia's arm gently.

"Thank you…"

She didn't look at Ellie as she said it, but the other woman seemed to understand all the same.

"No problem. I just hope everything will be okay so we can all go back to our normal lives soon." Ellie spoke as she put her supplies back in order. Then she stilled and looked questioningly towards Lydia.

"You're… I take it you don't want to come with us? Live among humans again?" The question resonated through Lydia's head and made Tinker look at her with curious eyes.

"No. I don't want to live among humans again. I left that behind years ago and I've been quite happy ever since." Lydia answered curtly, making Ellie flinch slightly in response. She almost felt bad for her sharp tone, but couldn't find it in herself to apologize for it. That chapter of her life was over and done with and the mere suggestion that she should return to it triggered a deeply rooted concern in Lydia's gut. A sense of anxiety that had been dormant for years, but had come into full bloom the moment the apes had encountered Malcolm and his group in the forest.

Experience had taught her that humans meant trouble. Strife. Conflict.

And now it was here. _They_ were here, offering her to come back to them. To return to the chaos she'd spent the better part of the last six years pushing out of her mind.

No. She couldn't go back to that.

Lydia straightened her posture a bit and hoped that the apologetic look in her eyes was enough to convey that it wasn't a rejection of Ellie as a person, but the suggestion Ellie had presented that didn't sit well with her.

The woman smiled slightly and nodded, deciding to change the subject to ease the tension.

"So… Do you live on your own in one of the huts here? I haven't seen any other humans around."

Lydia cocked her head slightly to one side, as she so often did, and quickly eyed Tinker for advice on how much she should tell this woman. Ellie seemed genuine enough, and Lydia's gut feeling told her that the woman could be trusted. But her gut feeling had also neglected to tell her to check up on the group's luggage earlier in the day, so how trustworthy was it really?

The female ape smiled slightly and shrugged.

" _She seems okay. And Cornelia is not trembling anymore, so the medicine must be working. I think we can trust her._ " She signed to Lydia quickly, earning a raised eyebrow from Ellie as she observed the exchange.

Tinker was right, though. Cornelia had been trembling ever so slightly when Lydia had first laid her hand on her form but now, it seemed to have stopped. She also didn't feel as clammy to the touch as she had only a short while ago, though her skin was still burning hot.

It was to be expected – the medicine wouldn't magically make her better in a couple of hours, but it was a start.

Lydia decided to answer truthfully.

"No, I don't live alone. I share a hut with two chimps and my dogs. My son is probably taking a round through the village with them right now."

"Your son?" Ellie inquired, her eyes filled with confusion.

"Well, adoptive son." Lydia was quick to clarify. She easily forgot to add that bit of information, since everyone in the colony knew – it was quite obvious, after all. But Ellie had no way of knowing, and Lydia _did_ suppose it must sound a bit strange.

"One of the chimps I live with. I rescued him together with his adoptive father when he was young and we've been together since then." She couldn't keep the fondness out of her voice as she spoke of them. It had been so long since she'd found them that it seemed like half a lifetime ago.

Ellie nodded in understanding, though there was still some doubt left on her features. The expression on her face reminded Lydia of a young child who was piecing together bits of a puzzle.

"And his adoptive father? Was he the one you came up here with? The big one?" She asked hesitantly.

"Yep. That's the one." Lydia confirmed with a smile. Ellie seemed startled at the new expression on her features, but returned the gesture nonetheless. She seemed more at ease after that, and Lydia almost felt ashamed for having been so mistrustful of the woman in front of her.

"So are you two… I mean do you…?" Ellie seemed to struggle with forming her next sentence, though Lydia could anticipate what it was about. The apes had all been courteous enough to not outright ask her for the first couple of years, but humans were… different, in that regard.

Tinker grinned widely, showing her formidable fangs to Ellie and nudging Lydia's arm meaningfully. The woman in front of them didn't seem frightened by the gesture and smiled knowingly at Lydia with not a trace of disgust or malice in her features.

That caught her off-guard and she cleared her throat uncomfortably.

"Yeah, well… we are sort of… you know… an item." How else to describe it? It wasn't like they were married by either human or ape standards and even after five years, it was still something most of the apes didn't mention on a day-to-day basis. It was something unspoken. An accepted taboo throughout the colony.

And Lydia had been certain any human, no matter how open they were towards the apes, would find it absolutely revolting.

Ellie seemed to sense her surprise.

"Well, that's certainly unorthodox… But who am I to judge?" She shrugged as she zipped her backpack closed. "I mean, I had my suspicions from the way he looked at you when he left, but I didn't want to pry."

Lydia chuckled at that.

"At least not right from the start, right?" She teased with a raised eyebrow, making both Ellie and Tinker laugh as well. Then she sighed and looked up at the ceiling in exasperation. "It's that obvious, huh?"

Tinker nudged her shoulder again, her eyes full of mischief as she signed again.

" _It was_ _ **always**_ _obvious!_ "

Lydia grinned and pushed her friend light-heartedly in retribution before translating what she had said to Ellie, who had merely stared at them in confusion, though still with an amused smile on her face.

After the laughter and banter died down again, Lydia looked down at Cornelia's face in concern, petting her arm softly.

"I really hope your medicine helps." She spoke quietly.

"I hope so too. It's still too early to tell." Ellie responded just as quietly. "She'll have to get another shot of antibiotics in the evening, then another in the morning and again in the evening. It would be preferable to continue for three to four days to be sure that the infection is gone…"

Lydia shifted her position to sit more comfortably as she nodded, Tinker's hand joining hers on Cornelia's arm. If the Ape Queen was awake, but somehow too weak to respond, at least she'd know they were there for her this way.

An odd thought struck Lydia, then, and she looked out through the glassless window of the hut in thought.

"You know… this is the first pleasant conversation I've had with another human in six years…" She spoke softly, as if she feared that saying it out loud would make the conversation turn ugly.

Instead, Ellie smiled softly and placed her hand beside Lydia's on the Ape Queen's arm, stroking the fur against the grain with her thumb.

"I'm glad I could help."


	18. Calm Before The Storm

**WARNING: This chapter contains smut. This will be clearly marked and is skippable (though this is not recommended).**

* * *

 _ **Orion**_

The sun was barely peeking over the horizon behind the heavy, grey clouds when Orion's forest-green eyes snapped open to face another day, the sound of chirping birds and the soft pattering of rain outside their hut pulling him from his deep slumber. Behind him, he could feel the warmth of his mother's body against his back and hear both of his parent's steady breathing as they slept. Roy's snores were quiet but deep and Orion could barely feel his father's fingertips against his back as the older ape rested his huge arm across mother's smaller frame.

Mother always slept in the middle, seeking warmth from her ape family in the cold, dark night. It had been like that for as long as Orion could remember and yet he still marvelled at how cold her skin could become without his father's protective embrace. It made him wonder how the humans they had encountered kept warm in the night – with no apes to hold them.

Despite the nest's comforting warmth, Orion knew that he wouldn't be able to go back to sleep and decided to sit up and stretch his long, hairy arms above his head instead. The action made the bones in his back pop pleasantly into place and he very nearly groaned in satisfaction at the feeling. This always helped waking him up completely in the morning and was a great way to start the day - something he had learned by copying Lydia for years now.

Looking down at his parents, he found that mother was sleeping with her back to him, cradled in father's huge arms with her head tugged neatly under his hairy chin. In turn, Lydia's own arms were folded between the two, fingers digging into Roy's thick fur on his chest. They both wore an expression of peacefulness which made Orion smile affectionately.

If his parents weren't enough proof that humans and apes could live together in harmony, then he really didn't know what else could be.

The thought promptly made Blue Eyes' recent behaviour darken Orion's bright, happy mind. He noticed how his friend had rudely brushed off Caesar and stormed off during the evening meal and had shared a worried look with Ash immediately after. Orion had wanted to go after Blue Eyes and hit him upside the head for being so boneheaded and disrespectful to his parent – if he'd done the same to his own father, the younger adolescent was sure Roy wouldn't have been nearly as lenient as Caesar.

Sure, a lot of pressure rested on Blue Eyes' shoulders simply by the fact that he was Caesar's son and heir, and sure, the young ape could probably do with more validation from his father – the Ape King didn't exactly hand out praise in abundance.

But right now, Blue Eyes was acting like a spoiled ape child who had been served his first proper meal rather than his mother's milk and was throwing a hissy-fit about it.

The humans being in the forest and Caesar's unwillingness to send them away didn't help matters and Ash's recount of the conversation he had had with the Ape Prince when Malcolm first approached the colony only served to further Orion's worry.

He had had his doubt himself about the humans, having only known his own mother, who had shown him nothing but kindness. But even she had taught him about what humans were capable of. The greed, deceit and pride that rendered most of them incapable of facing the current reality – that civilization as they once knew it would never come back and that they were desperately clinging on to a withered branch that would never again hold their weight.

Mother had seemed… disappointed when she spoke of the group's wish to repair the dam. When Orion had inquired about it last night, she had told him that while it might bring them back the electricity they wanted, it would also serve to maintain the illusion that humanity could go on as it previously had.

Trying to go back to what once was with so few humans left. She had described it as trying to fill a dried-out river with only a small pail of water.

Orion understood that, but still couldn't help but admire the tenacity of these newcomers. Malcolm, especially, had a sincerity in his eyes that the young ape recognized immediately, even from a distance. And Orion was sure that was what had made Caesar give them a first _and_ a second chance at fixing the dam. Also, he was clearly a stubborn human that would do everything for his family – not unlike mother at all.

Orion was quite sure Lydia wouldn't be too appreciative of that comparison. It didn't make it any less true, though.

Out of the corner of his eye, the young ape saw his father stir slightly and decided to get up and head out for the day. His parents could probably do with some alone-time and he didn't exactly fancy being an accidental spectator to another of their more… intimate moments.

The adolescent shook his head as he rose, calling the dogs to him from their lounging positions by the door. He had walked in on his parents only once before, quite by accident and, luckily, without them noticing. From then on, he had been more cautious before entering the hut in the evening.

It's not that he found it embarrassing or odd in any way that his parents were intimate together like that. He knew from his friends that this was quite a normal occurrence for mated couples.

It was just that he had never been… conditioned to deal with it. His parents had, first of all, always moved such activities to the cave that adjoined their hut (yes, he knew very well what was going on in there, thank you very much. He was young – not stupid) and furthermore, his parents weren't exactly… normal, as far as relationships go.

He heard father stir in the nest again, and turned from his way to the door in time to see the older ape's hand sneak up under Lydia's old t-shirt against her side, making the woman sigh quietly as she was pulled gently from sleep. Roy's eyes were still closed, but the wrinkles between his brows were beginning to deepen, signalling that the ape was waking up steadily.

Orion took that as his cue to get out, the dogs hot at his heels, excited at the prospect of getting out to stretch their legs. Blaze was, as ever, the more energetic of the two and bolted out the moment the animal skin was pulled to the side against the doorframe. Storm was more dignified, loping out beside Orion, but still with her shaggy tail wagging happily. The adolescent ape had begun to take more and more care of the dogs as he had gotten older, and they now obeyed him almost as well as they did Lydia.

He was quite proud of that achievement, really.

Only a few other apes had woken up at this hour and Orion relished in the quiet of the early morning atmosphere. It wouldn't be long now until he'd be going to the human camp with Caesar and his group of apes who had been selected to help. Mother was going too, today, since Ellie wasn't required to be with Cornelia all day after administering the Ape Queen's medicine, which left her free to join her human companions. Thus, Lydia wasn't required to guard Cornelia in the presence of the newcomer and was free to help the humans finishing their work as well. Orion had practically begged to come along, which both mother and Caesar had been reluctant to allow at first.

Luckily, his persistence had paid off.

He wasn't afraid of the humans – after all, the one with the gun had been banished and the others seemed to have kept their word about not bringing weapons.

Orion was more curious than anything, really. He wanted to observe these strangers. Maybe even get to know them. Mother had only briefly described the group's members, but Orion's interest had peaked the moment he got to know that a human boy was with them – and adolescent in age, like himself.

He wanted to see this human.

It didn't matter that Blue Eyes, upon learning this, had regarded him with a look of betrayal. Or that Ash had sent him a slight look of worry.

Today was going to be a good day.

He was determined to make it so.

* * *

 _ **Roy**_

"You know… You could have waited until he was out the door, Roy." Came Lydia's groggy voice as she sighed into his fur. There was no real bite behind her utterance and the large ape huffed amusedly into the woman's dark hair.

"I. Did not. Exactly. Push him out. Of the nest." He murmured back, letting his hand slide further up under Lydia's shirt. "Did I?" He added as his rough thumb grazed her nipple, making her gasp.

Her breath tickled against his collarbone and he struggled to suppress a shudder going through his entire body. She chuckled quietly at his response.

"I guess not. But you might as well have… He's gotten quite good at leaving exactly when the mood strikes you, recently." She tilted her head up to regard him with a raised eyebrow, a mixture of amusement and suspicion clear on her face. Roy only shrugged indifferently and pecked her lips tenderly as a reply.

 **(Smut Begins Here)**

Her hands clutched against his chest as he cupped her breast entirely, moaning at the rough texture of his huge palm. It prompted her to kick off the animal pelt covering her lower half and hook her bare leg around his hip, pressing her pelvis against him.

He was already hard.

The arm under her head, which he had draped around her shoulders, pulled her flush against his chest and forced her to deepen the kiss. Truly, the feeling of her soft, smooth body against his always had him thirst for her in seconds and the way her kiss-swollen lips worked against his own only served to amplify his urgent need for her.

She moaned softly against his mouth and steadily rocked her hips against his own, probably soaking her panties, if the spiking scent of her arousal was anything to go by.

He reached the hand around her shoulders up to bury his fingers in her soft locks and pulled her head backwards, exposing the tender flesh of her throat to run his tongue against it tenderly.

"You need. This." He spoke hotly against her jugular.

It wasn't a question, but a statement. She had been stressed for the past few days, what with all these problems going on with the human visitors. It made her uneasy and had her pass out the moment she hit the comforting pelts of the nest in the evening, only to pull her out of her slumber several times during the night. She was in dire need of letting off some steam.

And Roy would gladly help.

"Yes." She sighed in agreement, reaching up to cradle his head in her hands and press his face closer to the column of her throat. He bit it softly in response, his canines gently scraping along the delicate skin. He knew he couldn't leave a mark in such an obvious place, but a few teasing bites wouldn't do any harm.

The hand toying with her breast reached down to tug at her panties and she squirmed out of them like she'd done so many times before and immediately hooked her leg around his hip once again. He didn't let her press her pelvis against him again, though, as he reached down between them to toy with her clit with one finger. A strained groan left her throat with the action and Roy smirked against her neck.

"Fuck…" She cursed as her hips jutted impatiently against his hand. She was already slick against his fingers and Roy mused that she must _really_ be needing this to be ready so soon.

"In. A moment." He said lowly. Teasingly. She let out a breathy laugh at this, which soon turned into a rather loud, keening whimper as he reached his hand further to sink one, large finger into her heated, soaking wet core. He groaned deeply from within his throat at the feeling of her walls clamping down on his digit and began to slowly pump in and out of her in a steady rhythm. Her hips came down to meet his movements and she moaned his name sensually through the quiet morning air.

Her grip on the back of his head tightened ever so slightly as she slowly worked towards completion by his hand, a thin sheen of sweat covering her skin, shiny in the morning sun's first, weak rays of light. He pushed her with his torso to make her lie on her back and took a moment to marvel at her beautiful form as she was laid out before him, thighs open wide and chest heaving as he continued to pleasure her. The look on her flushed face was one of pure bliss, lips parted and her blue eyes darkened under heavy lids.

He could look at this all day if only the world would let him.

"Roy…" She whimpered quietly, arching her back and exposing her pert breasts to him invitingly. He could hardly refuse her.

Reaching his head down, Roy opened his mouth over one of her breasts and ran his warm, wet tongue over a dusky nipple before enclosing most of the mound in his mouth. At the same time, he pressed his thumb against her sensitive clit. The combination promptly made Lydia keen loudly and scrape her nails against his neck and shoulder with desperate hands.

After that, it didn't take long for her to reach completion, her entire body pulled taut before shuddering violently as pleasure washed over her. Roy was always fascinated by how she came undone – the myriad of expressions crossing her face in mere seconds, hands moving frantically for purchase and her slick walls clamping down on his digit as if she was never going to let him go. She was truly an amazing creature to behold.

It took a few moments of harsh panting before she began to come down from her high, a satisfied grin stretching across her face when she cracked an eye open to look up at him.

Roy chose that moment to withdraw his hand from her core, reaching up to suck his finger clean of her essence all the while making sure to maintain eye contact with his mate. His nostrils flared at her scent and he hummed deeply in his throat. She was sweeter than any honey found in the forest and he savoured the taste until it was completely gone from his finger.

Lydia's eyes widened at his actions for only a fraction of a second before a devious smile appeared on her face.

"Oh, you're such an ape." She teased before she grabbed onto his shoulders and flipped him onto his back, making him release a startled 'oomph' as he hit the soft padding of their nest. She was on top of him in a flash, looking down through long lashes as her hands ran up his chest, against the grain of his dark fur. He had expected her to do this, as she had made this move so many times before, but it still managed to send a thrilling sensation of excitement through him every time it happened. There was just something enticing about letting her be the dominant one that had him willingly hand over control the instant she made the move. The mere thought caused heat to pool in the pit of his stomach.

To submit to this beautiful, lithe female, who had somehow managed to work her way into his heart so long ago.

He let out a gritty moan as one of her hands reached down to grab hold of his throbbing shaft.

"I think you need this too…" Lydia spoke in a sultry voice which always succeeded in rendering him speechless. He just managed to nod in reply as she lowered her hips to rub her core against his tip, forcing him to inhale harshly at the feeling.

She was so warm against his cock and he could barely keep from crushing her hips in his powerful hands as he reached forward to grab her. She let herself sink onto him, sheathing his member in her tight heat and let out a quiet grunt of satisfaction at being filled by him. It made his chest swell with male pride and his lips pull back to bare his fangs as he tried to restrain himself from just rutting his hips upwards into her. It was made especially difficult as she began to rock back and forth against him, the muscles of her stomach visibly working underneath the skin. Roy let his eyes wander further upwards, towards her breast, which bounced gently in time with her movements. Her tattered t-shirt had bunched on top of her breasts, offending Roy's eyes and prompting him to reach up to pull it off her.

Lydia seemed to be onto what he was trying to do, however, and quickly moved to grab his hands. Roy's eyes shifted to hers in slight confusion but she did not offer any verbal explanation. At the same time, she leaned forward so the t-shirt slid down to cover her torso once more, making the male ape growl lowly in his throat.

The lusty smirk painted across her face immediately captured his attention, though, and he quietly obliged as she placed his hands against the collar of her shirt, closing his hands around it as she gently instructed him to with her hands. She was still moving her hips against him while this was happening, which made it hard for him to concentrate on what she was trying to convey.

Still, the look in her eyes told him she was about to introduce him to one of those human mating customs which usually sent him reeling with undiluted want, so he kept his eyes trained on her as best as he could.

And Lydia did not disappoint.

"Rip it." She panted, licking her lips. "Tear it off, Roy."

His eyes widened for a fraction of a second before he complied. Eagerly so.

Soon enough, the sound of tearing fabric resonated through their hut as Roy's hands pulled the piece of clothing apart, once again revealing her full breasts to him as it split down the middle. The ape male watched with lust-darkened eyes as the thin threads holding the flimsy fabric together were pulled taut across Lydia's breasts and stomach, before finally reaching their limit and snapping in half. There was something about getting to tear apart the offending piece of clothing that tugged at Roy's more feral instincts, seeing it come apart under his hands, punishing it for concealing his mate from him night after night.

Goodness, how was he so lucky to find a female like this? To find someone who knew just which strings to pull to make him lose himself in their coupling so thoroughly that he sometimes even forgot his own name?

He sat up and lurched forward once the remnants of the tattered shirt slipped down her form and wrapped his long arms around her so tightly she gasped. Burying his face in the crook of her neck, he lifted her up until only the tip of his cock was still inside her, only to slam her down onto him again immediately after. She cried out in pleasure with the action and quickly grabbed onto his shoulders so tightly he was sure her nails were digging into his skin under his fur.

He didn't mind at all. It was just another way for her to mark him as hers.

His lips found hers in a heated kiss, his groans mingling with her whimpers as he continued to piston into her with a strength she could never hope to match. She was supposed to be in charge in this position, but at this point, she was just along for the ride as he sheathed himself inside her again and again.

He felt her walls start to convulse around his member and was struck by the urge to claim her, his eyes trailing down to land on her shoulder, where he usually placed his bruising marks on her. It was easily concealed by her coat on most days and thus, went unnoticed by the other apes in the colony.

Not that Roy had the wits about him to consider this fact at the moment. His mind was fogging as his primal instincts were slowly taking over his actions and moments later, his formidable canines were pressed against Lydia's shoulder with such force that he was sure it would leave four prominent, purple bruises. He coupled the action with one powerful thrust, slamming Lydia down onto his member.

That did it for both of them, and they careened towards the peak of orgasm together with the action – Roy releasing a guttural groan against his mate's shoulder and Lydia letting out several wanton moans beside his ear.

A few, stuttering thrusts into her trembling heat later and Roy pulled his mouth from her shoulder, his green eyes seeking hers as he panted harshly. His arms, once wrapped tightly around her midsection, now retreated so he could run his hands soothingly up and down her back as she came down from her second high. Lydia's legs were quivering from the strain of their recent activities and her hands had yet to release their tight grip on his shoulders.

It always took a little longer for her to calm down the second time around.

He welcomed it as a chance to observe her on top of him, beautifully dishevelled and completely spent.

 **(Smut Ends Here)**

When she finally had gained enough composure to open her eyes and look at him, it was with a smile gracing her feminine features. He returned it as she leaned down to press her forehead against his, a satisfied sigh leaving both of them.

Suddenly, a soft chuckle emitted from her throat which had him raise a brow at her in question.

"You were right. I needed this." She stated simply, an amused glint visible in her blue orbs.

He huffed out in mock-indignation as he pulled back to see her properly.

"Of course. I was right." He rolled his eyes at her. "I know you. Well." Lydia actually laughed out loud at this. Years of living together had caused certain habits and mannerisms to rub off on him – one of them being Lydia's sarcasm. It never failed to amuse her.

"You sure do, love." She replied, reaching up to caress his cheek affectionately. Roy felt his chest tighten pleasantly at the term of endearment and he leaned into the warmth of her hand.

That's when they were both made aware that the village had, at last, woken up, when hooting and screeches signalled Ellie's arrival at the village entrance. Caesar had agreed that the human woman would be escorted to the village to administer Cornelia's medicine. Then, she was to be lead back to help with the dam-repairs, Lydia and Orion in tow.

Yet another thing Roy knew his mate had been worried about. Orion meeting other humans. She was afraid that they'd leave him with a bad impression of humans which he'd eventually end up projecting back at Lydia. Even if she had always told him why they had avoided humans on their journey to the colony, Orion had never associated this fear with his human mother.

Now, she was afraid that actually meeting them would make him somehow see them in relation to Lydia and distance himself from her as a result – just like Blue Eyes had begun to do because of Koba's horrible recounts of his time in the labs.

Roy had tried to explain to her that Orion was smarter than that. He loved Lydia as only a son could love his mother and there was no way meeting a few humans, good or bad, would change this sentiment. Lydia had seemed somewhat convinced at his words, but he knew that this worry would continue to gnaw at her until this was all over.

All he could do was support her and try to protect his family from whatever consequences meeting these humans might result in.

A disappointed sigh left Lydia as she lowered her eyes to his lips, drawing circles in the fur on his chest with her index finger.

"We should get up and face the day…" She spoke quietly.

He nodded solemnly and pecked her lips before lifting her off him. His animalistic strength made it easy to do and he set her gently beside himself in the nest.

Looking down at himself, his groin had become rather messy from their intimate activities and he rose to go and clean himself with the water running through the cave in the back of their hut.

The cool water pulled him completely out of his post-coital haze and helped him get into the right mindset for the rest of the day. Caesar had once again charged him with protecting the village and Roy intended to stay vigilant until his king returned with his mate and son.

When he had dried himself off with an old pelt, Roy returned to the hut to find Lydia fully dressed, bow and quiver across her back, knife strapped to her thigh and backpack in her hand. She had elected to bring it with her in case she was in need of spare clothes or if she'd need to catch them some fish for dinner in case their day at the dam would stretch into late evening – the net they had made from the fabrics of her old clothes was quite impressive, but could be impractical to carry by hand.

She smiled fondly at him as he trudged over to lay his long arms around her waist, pressing his forehead against hers once again.

"Come back. Safe." He spoke teasingly. "In one piece."

She rolled her eyes at him but pecked his lips all the same.

"I'll do my best."

And so, they let go of each other and headed for the door, ready to face another day.


	19. The Storm Begins

_**Maurice**_

Maurice was still quite shaken from yesterday's events at the dam, witnessing Koba and Caesar fight each other in such a savage way. Their screams and thrashing had scared the apes just as much as it had the humans and especially young Alex had seemed nervous for the rest of the evening because of it.

Part of Maurice thought that Koba had deserved the humiliation he got from Caesar taking him on. The bonobo had gone against the king's orders and acted out on his own. Add to that how he had insulted Caesar, not only in front of his own loyal apes, but in front of the humans as well. Everyone in that room needed to see Caesar as the undisputed leader and Koba had challenged that.

And what was worse, he had challenged everything Caesar was and what he stood for. Had dared to question what everyone who was close to the Ape King knew was most sacred to him: His love for his children.

"Humans attack your sons. You let them stay! Let **her** stay! For years now! Put apes in danger! Caesar loves humans more… Than apes! More than your… Sons." He had said it with such venom, his wish to challenge clear in the way he carried himself.

The not-so-subtle hint at Lydia's staying with the apes as proof of Caesar's love for humans had been a low blow as well, as Koba very well knew that Lydia had been working harder than any ape to earn her place in the colony. It had even seemed that he had come to terms with it for the past few years.

Seems like the arrival of more humans had rekindled his mistrust for her as well.

Caesar would have seemed weak if he hadn't reacted like he did. It had been the only thing he could do in this situation to set Koba straight and re-establish himself as superior. In Maurice's humble opinion, the bonobo had overstepped the line by miles and could probably benefit from a few days of not being in the council. He was clearly not in an emotional state fit to have influence on Caesar's decisions.

But the orangutan knew that Caesar would not go that far. Even if Koba had spoken out of turn, Caesar still considered him something akin to a brother and probably believed that this whole thing would blow over once the humans finished their job and went home for good.

Maurice was not so sure that was the case.

When he had stepped forward to protect Alex and Malcolm, the undiluted hatred that had burned in the bonobo's eyes had told Maurice that Koba would even attack his own if he deemed it necessary, and the orangutan's warning rumble had done little to deter him. Only when Caesar had entered the room did the scarred ape turn his attention away from the humans and Koba's hateful eyes became accusatory as the Ape King just stood there and took the insults until he could take no more.

Luckily, Koba's threatening approach and the violent scene between the apes that followed had not made the human boy unreasonably scared of all apes and Maurice had very much enjoyed the reading session he and Alex had had the morning after it had happened. He was a very pleasant young human, something Maurice could scarcely remember ever having encountered while living in the circus. Also, his father and step-mother (Lydia had later explained the relation between Ellie and Alex) seemed quite sincere as well. Ellie seemed genuinely concerned for the Ape Queen and was very soft-spoken when addressing the apes. Also, her affection for her husband and step-son was quite obvious in every look she cast their way – it reminded Maurice greatly of Lydia, though _she_ had a more rugged appearance and an air of authority about her that Ellie did not possess.

Speaking of Lydia, she seemed very hopeful about Cornelia's treatment and had therefore been asked to join them in repairing the dam rather than watching over the Ape Queen. Ellie had also joined in on the task, since the female apes could keep an eye on Cornelia as well as anyone.

Lydia had also, at last, seemed to warm up to their visitors. At least towards Ellie and, to some extent, Alex. Malcolm was still not completely forgiven for his oversight concerning Carver's hidden gun, but it was getting better as the day progressed. She seemed more indifferent towards the two other men, Foster and Kemp, who in turn were more interested in getting the job done so they could go home.

It was a relief for Maurice to see that Lydia was finally beginning to familiarize herself with her own species – not because he wanted her to leave with them when this was all over, or change the way she acted around apes, for that matter. It had simply worried him that she had been so hostile towards creatures she should feel the most comfortable with. She might be an ape inside, that much had always been apparent to Maurice – but she was still a human as well.

"Thinking hard, Maurice?" Came a teasing voice from his left.

Well, speak of the devil.

The orangutan huffed out a deep laugh and shot Lydia a look from the corner of his eye.

" _Always thinking. Hard? I don't know._ " He signed simply, shrugging.

It made her chuckle light-heartedly and pat his shoulder.

He noticed how her clothes seemed dirtier than usual – the result of rummaging through the abandoned dam with the other humans and the assisting apes.

"I think I do, though." She spoke knowingly, glancing around the entrance of the dam.

It was late in the evening and twilight had now descended upon the forest. The humans' flashlights illuminated their surroundings just enough for the group to continue the repair job – according to Lydia, their work seemed to be nearly complete, if Malcolm was to be believed.

Maurice's eyes found Orion, sitting together with Alex a few feet away from the entrance to the dam's control room. The two were engaged in a seemingly slow, but nonetheless amusing conversation. The old orangutan knew that Orion was able to speak, albeit not as well as his father, Caesar or Koba, but he was certainly the one among the village's adolescents who had taken to the spoken word the most.

Probably due to his mother's tendency to mix sign and speech when she communicated with the apes.

Maurice and Lydia could vaguely hear the boys' conversation.

"Do you have schools or something like that in the village?" Alex asked, his voice full of interest.

"School?" Orion struggled momentarily, tasting the word. He seemed to vaguely remember it, then.

"Yes. We have… A place. To learn." He then pointed to Maurice. "Teacher. Maurice teaches. Ape children."

The orangutan huffed out a laugh and nodded at the two. Beside him, Lydia chuckled as well.

"So, you know how to read too? I read in a book with Maurice earlier today, before you guys came back with Ellie." The teenage human continued.

Alex had a certain way of carrying himself that Maurice found puzzling – shoulders hunched and an alert expression on his face. There was an uncertainty in his eyes which the orangutan knew had little to do with adolescent angst and more to do with something horrible that had happened when he had been younger. Maurice imagined it had something to do with the woman in the picture he'd found in Alex's sketchbook a few days prior.

He wouldn't pry, though. The boy had been through enough as it was. No need to re-open old wounds and add to his current worries.

Orion nodded at Alex's question, a humble smile on his lips.

"Yes. Get taught. Letters in… School… Maurice teach us. And before that. Mother." He nodded towards Lydia, who waved in a friendly manner when Alex looked towards her.

It was true. Lydia had attempted to teach Orion a few letters before arriving at the colony. She had told Maurice that she wasn't sure if the ape child had picked up on any of it, but had been pleasantly surprised when Maurice had informed her that Orion easily recognized around half of the alphabet on the stone with the letters scribbled on it.

An impressive feat for a two-year-old chimp who had been imprisoned for half of his life at the time and constantly on the move for the other half.

Alex nodded, looking impressed.

"That's pretty cool."

A crease appeared between Maurice's brows at the term, but Orion only nodded and continued the conversation.

"It's a way of saying it's nice." Came Lydia's amused voice from beside him, and Maurice concluded that she must have seen his confused expression and guessed at what the problem was.

He shot her a smirk and pushed her lightly, making sure to only use a fraction of his strength so she wouldn't topple over. She was a tough one, sure, but he was well aware that she wouldn't be able to remain standing if he applied the strength he would normally use with other apes.

Suddenly, Ellie came running towards them with a couple of apes hot at her heels. Her expression was a strange mixture between disbelief and excitement and she barely had any breath left when she finally reached the group.

"Hey! Where's Malcolm and Caesar?"

"They're still inside. Down below I think. Why? Did something happen?" Lydia replied worriedly.

Ellie's bright smile seemed to quickly smoothen Lydia's furrowed brow as both Alex and Orion got up to find out what all the ruckus was about.

"The gas station not far from here. On the way to the city. You'll see when we get there!" Ellie explained. Maurice didn't have the slightest idea what she meant with that, but he deduced that something with the dam must have started to work as intended.

Now, _that_ would be a relief. Perhaps they would finally have some proof that their hard work with the humans was bearing fruit and the lights in the city could come back.

Ellie was quick to summon Malcolm, Caesar and the others from inside the dam and a short while later the group was headed towards the location Ellie had pointed out to them. There was an excited and expectant atmosphere among the members of the group as they moved towards their destination, which was quickly exchanged for one of awe and wonder as fluorescent lights began to shine almost blindingly between the trees as they got closer.

White, red, green – and bright as day.

The signs had everyone stop and stare for a moment as they finally reached the overgrown parking lot in front of the gas station. Some of the apes had never seen lights like these before, while others, like Orion, were too young to remember or, like Maurice, had simply forgotten them.

The old orangutan didn't feel any discomfort in seeing them again, however. They were not in San Bruno anymore, but in the middle of the forest that was their chosen home, and these lights were merely the remnants of a bygone age.

Also, there was no way he could feel anything but relief at seeing these lights when the humans beside him, who had sought this light so desperately that they'd risked their lives and faced the apes to achieve it, were now staring so entrancedly at the result of their efforts.

To his left, Maurice noticed how Orion jumped off his mother's horse and moved up beside Alex, completely mesmerized. It was clear the two had become quite comfortable with each other as the day had progressed and now, Alex began to explain to the young ape about what this station had been used for in the past. Ever eager to learn, Maurice could see that the adolescent ape was sucking the information to him like a sponge sucks moisture.

Then, music began playing, a sound so foreign and yet so comforting that none of the apes present even so much as flinched when it occurred. The humans all smiled at it and looked at each other in disbelief.

Even Lydia seemed to relish in the sound, regarding the gas station with a tired, barely-there smile.

Maurice grunted to get her attention. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Caesar finishing up his conversation with Malcolm, heading towards the two of them now.

He chose to keep his focus on Lydia.

" _Was it this that you said you missed sometimes? Lights? Music?_ " The old orangutan signed discreetly.

Lydia shrugged indifferently atop her horse, pursing her lips as a thoughtful expression crossed her face.

"Partly. Not so much the lights or the electricity. We have torches and cookfires back at the village, after all." She spoke honestly. "But I do miss the music, sometimes. Like we discussed a few days ago, before the virus broke out, I used to listen to music for hours every day. There was nothing better after a long day than to just sit back and relax with some good tunes playing."

A reminiscent smile found its way to her face and Maurice nodded in understanding. There had sometimes been music playing over the radio at San Bruno, he vaguely remembered, and some of the songs had actually been quite good.

One thing apes had yet to master, the elderly ape mused, the beauty of music and singing. Perhaps, in time, they would be able to do this too. It was one thing the humans, despite their many faults, had actually gotten right, in his humble opinion.

"What did you listen to back then?" Came Malcolm's interested voice, alerting Maurice and Lydia to the fact that he had now joined the conversation, together with Caesar, Ellie and, surprisingly, Alex and Orion. The latter looked at his mother expectantly, his green eyes glinting with interest in the fluorescent light.

Maurice knew that Lydia did not speak about her life before the breakout very often, even at home. No doubt Orion was curious about his mother's past with her human family. In the days when humans were the undisputed rulers of the world and the strange contraptions rusting away around them were still in use and well-tended to.

Lydia looked taken aback for a while but seemed to think it over after her eyes passed Caesar's. The Ape King looked curious too.

"Well… It really depended on my mood, but… I guess I was mostly into alternative rock and metal. Bands like Evanescence, Blink-182, Slipknot, Slayer or Metallica. That sort of thing. Though I did spice it up with a bit of pop and classical from time to time." Lydia answered, seemingly listing the strange terms and names off the top of her head.

It meant absolutely nothing to Maurice, and from the look on Caesar and Orion's faces, they were just as lost as he was.

It was quite a different story with the humans, thought. Ellie and Malcolm both stared at Lydia with slightly widened eyes, while Alex almost seemed… impressed? Smug, maybe?

Malcolm shook his head with a chuckle only seconds later.

"I only know the last two of those. Music post the 80's and 90's is not really my expertise, and metal never really was my genre to begin with." The human man admitted with a slight grin.

"You're obviously quite a bit older than me, by the sound of it." Lydia deadpanned, making Ellie and Alex break out in good-natured laughter as Malcolm's eyes widened at the jab. Maurice had no idea how any of what Malcolm had said could indicate that he was older, but he knew from the look on Lydia's face that there was no real venom behind her utterance.

Malcolm didn't seem to take any offence either, and merely huffed out an exasperated chuckle before replying.

"I guess you're right. Though in my opinion, music quality declined rapidly after the beginning of the 90's. All the good stuff was already made in the 80's anyway."

Maurice and Caesar, despite not knowing exactly what any of this meant, both laughed when Lydia and Alex rolled their eyes in unison. It would seem that, in this regard, the two were of one mind.

In the back of his own mind, Maurice was once again pleased to see that Lydia was, at last, connecting with her own kind.

She wasn't going to go with them to the city now that they might be done, but at least she had not distanced herself so much from her species that she couldn't tell when she had met a few kind ones.

"Jeez, you don't know what you've been missing with _that_ attitude, old man." Lydia replied teasingly as she turned her horse in the direction of the village, signalling for Orion to hop up behind her.

Ellie laughed and grabbed a slightly flabbergasted Malcolm by the arm and pulled him forward to walk behind Caesar's horse, as he too began to move his steed towards the Ape Colony.

It was time to see if the city of San Francisco had benefited from their work at the dam.

* * *

 _ **Orion**_

Orion welcomed the warm, living lights of the Ape Colony's blazing torches. The bright lights at the old gas station had been fascinating, but nothing could quite beat these warm, dancing flames all around the village.

The dogs greeted them first as they entered the gates, welcoming Lydia and Orion with wagging tails and a few happy barks before moving on to Caesar, Maurice, Rocket and the others, one by one. They knew all of the apes by now, and were well aware of who welcomed their touches and who would hiss and spit at them to keep their distance.

None of the latter were present now, and Storm and Blaze met everyone with enthusiasm.

That is, all but Malcolm, Ellie, Kemp, Foster and Alex, who they seemed to regard with interest, but didn't dare get close to. It helped when mother came over to crouch beside Alex, who had gone down on one knee to coax the huge, shaggy dogs closer to pet them.

"The dark one's name is Storm. She's a bit more reserved, usually. But Blaze over here is more forthcoming. Try calling his name. Perhaps it'll help." She spoke in a friendly manner.

Orion was pleased to see that his mother was finally relaxing and letting go of her mistrust. Alex was a nice human, the adolescent ape had decided. He was shy and had seemed uncertain when Orion had first approached, not knowing what to make of the interest the young ape had showed him. It had been a struggle that he didn't understand sign and Orion wasn't really confident in his voice – it was still raw. Unrefined. Brutish.

He hoped one day to be as good with words as his father or Caesar or even Koba (though he didn't exactly _like_ the bonobo, he could at least admire his ability to form words with relatively little effort.)

It didn't faze Alex, however, as the teen seemed delighted that Orion was even able to speak at all and easily engaged in conversation once he realised this fact.

It had been great fun to talk with Alex, even if it was a bit stumped by the fact that Orion's speech was lacking in comparison to the human boy's. He told Orion about the human colony he lived in, how he lived together with his father and step-mother (a new word added to Orion's vocabulary right there) and how a normal day looked like for him back in the city.

Though he doubted mother would be in any hurry to answer his questions once in the privacy of their own hut, Orion decided that he had to ask her about her own time in a human colony for comparison.

There was nothing to do once the adolescent's curiosity had been awakened.

Blaze quickly decided that Alex was just too interesting to avoid once the teenager began calling the dog's name, and he came wagging over to sniff Alex's face, much to the amusement of ape as well as human onlookers. Storm seemed to prefer staying close to Orion and the ape petted her soft fur as she butted her head against his elongated hand.

A soft grunt alerted him to his father's presence and Orion turned his head to see Roy walk over to the group gathered at the centre of the village. The two put their foreheads gently against each other in greeting, father having to bend down a tad since he was taller than Orion.

Next came mother, who raised herself to her full height and walked over to embrace Roy as they, too, put their foreheads together in greeting. Most of the humans seemed curious at the scene, except Ellie, who just smiled at the two.

Their attention was pulled away from mother and father, however, as Caesar gestured for them to come over to one of the village's vantage points to look at the city in the distance.

The lights were on – just as they had been at the gas station.

Orion had never seen the city lit so brightly before. Since they had arrived five years ago, there had only ever been scattered flickers of light here and there, with a clear epicentre in the middle of the tall buildings that could be made out all the way from the village.

Now, they were shining bright and clear as if thousands of fires had been lit across the entire centre of the city, bathing the low-hanging clouds above in a warm light.

It was rather beautiful, in a strange way, and Orion found himself wishing to see it up close. To be surrounded by the flameless lights and marvel at what humans had achieved before their civilization had crumbled.

He doubted mother would allow it.

Suddenly, a soft hoot sounded from above and everybody's eyes landed on the Ape Queen as she appeared from inside one of the huts higher up, looking down at Caesar with eyes full of affection.

Orion noted that she still looked quite tired and that mother and Ellie were still regarding her with uncertain eyes, probably thinking she shouldn't be out and about just yet.

Even so, she looked a whole lot better than she had just a day ago and Orion felt relief on Blue Eye's behalf as his friend approached his parents hesitantly to embrace his mother. Cornelia was quick to reassure her son that she was better and for the first time in days, Orion saw the ever-present worry in Blue Eye's gaze dissipate.

Orion felt his own mother's arm around his shoulder and turned his head to see her smile brightly at him from where she stood, snugly pressed against father's side.

This was how it should be. Everyone smiling and together.

No conflict.

No mistrust.

No hatred.

And it was all destroyed when a single, deafening gunshot shattered the tranquillity of the scene.

It tore through Orion's mind like a fish through a rushing stream and the memory of Ash being shot a few days prior sprang to the forefront of his mind.

Before anyone could even react to the noise, Caesar staggered on the ledge he was standing on with his family and, after the briefest of moments, plummeted into the ravine down below. All was quiet for a few, precious seconds as everyone stared in disbelief at what was happening before their very eyes.

Everything was chaos from that point on.

Cornelia released a shrill screech in fright and desperation, Blue Eyes trying to hold her back from jumping down for her husband while fear, despair and confusion flooded his own features.

Mother gasped loudly beside Orion and father hooted angrily as he scanned the perimeter for potential threats, flashing his sharp canines.

It didn't take long for Blue Eyes to climb down from where his father had fallen, only to reappear with a gun in his hand, which he brought to the platform in the centre of the village for all to see.

How had that gotten into the colony? Where was the culprit who had shot their leader? What did all this even _mean_?

It was questions such as these which flooded Orion's mind as he watched on horrified while the scene before him turned from a peaceful, dream-like oasis and into a sickening nightmare.

Angry screeches sounded throughout the colony and, almost as if the appearance of the weapon had summoned him, Koba's bulky frame joined Blue Eyes on the platform. He only took a moment to examine the gun before turning to the crowd and loudly proclaiming, in his piercing, rabid-sounding voice, that the humans had killed Caesar.

That they had brought the gun and betrayed the apes' trust.

And that they had set fire to the village.

Turning around, Orion realised that the village was, indeed, set aflame and that the fires were spreading. Fast.

He looked towards mother in panic and confusion but was interrupted before he could even begin to ask what was happening.

"Run." Came Maurice's voice imploringly from only a few feet away, his gaze directed at the humans standing beside him.

They didn't need to be told twice.

As soon as they began bolting for the village gate, Maurice turned to Lydia with a stern expression.

" _You too, Lydia._ " He signed frantically before pulling her back, into the shadow of a hut that had yet to catch on fire. Orion followed together with his father, who nodded in agreement with the old orangutan.

Mother shook her head sternly, a look of disbelief plastered across her face.

" _They will blame you too. Koba will not see a difference!_ " Maurice continued when mother began to protest verbally as well.

Father stepped forward, then, as mother's eyes turned hard and teary, and grabbed her face in both his hands.

"Go. Be safe." He said imploringly and mother's features softened into an expression of pained sadness.

She nodded weakly and turned to Orion as Roy let go of her face, quickly hugging the scared adolescent and whispering words of comfort to him before she, too, disappeared through the gate of the village, Blaze and Storm following close behind her after she had called them to her.

And so, Orion could only look on as his mother, for the second time in his life, ventured out to go at it alone, leaving him and father in favour of the dark and dangerous woods.

And just like last time, he desperately wished he could follow her.


	20. Escape and Imprisonment

_**Lydia**_

Lydia's lungs burned in her chest as she pushed forward through Muir Wood forest, apes she once called her friends in hot pursuit of her as the bright flames eating at the Ape Village reached for the dark sky above. Screeches that had previously been of no concern to her now made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end and her heart tremble violently in fear.

She supposed it was a good thing that the fire had made it difficult for them to mobilize a proper tracking unit. Otherwise, she wouldn't stand a chance at hiding.

How had things gone so wrong? And so quickly, too?

That morning everything had been wonderful, and seeing Orion connect so well with Alex had sparked a flame of hope inside Lydia's chest that maybe, one day, apes and humans could learn to coexist. That maybe, she could let go of her mistrust against her own kind.

But that flame had been put out now. Stamped by the heavy boot that was betrayal before that tiny flame had a chance to take hold.

And now, she was running for her life.

She jumped across a small stream cutting through the forest floor, years of prowling through rough terrain working to her advantage. The forest floor was soft beneath the soles of her boots, even as her feet pounded into the soil as she ran. The dogs stayed by her side, even if they could run much faster than her and were frightened out of their mind. They would never leave her behind.

It didn't take long until she came by a tree she knew was hollowed out at the base. She had often used it to store game in the days before Caesar began assigning an ape to go with her on her hunts to carry what she couldn't. This was the first place she had been able to think of when she had darted out of the village.

If it was good enough to conceal fresh kills from bears and cougars, it would be good enough to hide her from a horde of angry, evolved apes.

At least, she hoped it was.

The human woman quickly slid down the slope beside the hollowed tree and pushed herself backwards into her hiding place. It was moist and Lydia felt damp dirt cover her hands when she pushed against it.

Blaze and Storm squeezed into the tight space with her obediently, but Lydia had to hold Blaze's muzzle shut when he began to whimper as a group of apes passed their hiding spot hurriedly. The poor creature didn't know what was going on any more than Lydia did.

She felt how the cold emanating from the moist ground slowly went through her deerskin pants the longer she sat there. It was a struggle not to pant as several more groups of apes passed by, each unit sound less determined than the last. Less riled-up.

Her body stayed tense, however, keeping ready in the event that she would suddenly be met with the feral, screeching face of an ape.

Luckily, as time passed, it seemed like the hunters gave up the pursuit and disappeared from the part of the forest where Lydia was hiding, their hoots growing weaker and weaker before finally leaving the forest in complete quietness once again.

Even so, it took several more hours before Lydia felt safe enough to leave her cramped hiding spot, emerging from her tiny hovel with her clothes partially covered in dirt and grime from the rotting insides of the tree. Her legs were stiff from being held in the same, uncomfortable position for so long and the entire back of her pants felt soaked from sitting on the cold, damp ground.

It didn't make it better that she hadn't slept at all and it now appeared to be the wee hours of morning.

The dogs and her backpack, which she hadn't had time to drop off at the hut when they got back, hadn't fared much better than her clothes. Storm shook herself, as if aware that she looked a right mess, and spread the dirt and leaves covering her fur all around her. Blaze seemed largely unbothered the state his fur was in and seemed more concerned with staying close to Lydia, whimpering.

She didn't blame him – being chased by creatures you trusted with your life tended to do that to you.

She released a heavy, trembling sigh as she looked at her surroundings. It was, indeed, very early morning, the sun's rays not even peeking above the horizon yet and instead only leaving a hint of light reflecting against the clouds above.

 _I've been sitting here longer than I realized…_ Lydia thought, furrowing her brow. The leaves and blades of grass around her were still covered in dew and all was quiet around her as she stood in the middle of the forest.

This was odd. Usually, the forest would be teeming with life at this hour and echoes of birdsong would be sounding between the giant trees.

Now, it was as if every living being had abandoned the forest in search of something better.

Lydia concluded that the events of last night had probably scared away the wildlife. Angry apes and the scent of smoke in the air would probably prompt animals, big and small, to get the hell away as fast as legs and wings could carry them.

 _Well, no sense in staying here_ , Lydia thought, yet she had no idea where she should be going. The ape village was her home. Had been for years now. It was where her family was.

And now it was all gone. She had been forced to leave her home, and with it, her family…

A lump formed in her throat as she thought about Orion and Roy. She had left them behind! Again! Just like she had done five years ago when the apes had first rejected her…

And what was worse, this time, she had left them in a place she knew wasn't safe. Apes or not, she wouldn't put it past Koba to take advantage of this situation now that he had taken command and somehow lay blame on her mate and son as well. The bonobo had never liked her and, as per definition, hadn't liked Orion and Roy either. True, he had begun to come to terms with Lydia's presence in recent years, but the arrival of Malcolm and his group had destroyed any and all progress on their non-existent relation.

Malcolm….

No more than twelve hours ago, she had laughed and joked with him and his group. Helped them achieve their goal and finally felt comfortable enough to let her guard down.

She had finally felt that she had met some humans she could trust, after so many years.

And yet now, the mere name of the man made her seethe with rage as she snuck quietly through the woods. If they hadn't come to the forest, none of this would have happened! Lydia would still be with her family and Caesar would still be alive.

Caesar…

A pang of sadness tore through Lydia's chest. The look on his face as he fell from the ledge had etched itself into her mind. As had Cornelia's distraught screams. Cornelius' frightened cries.

And Blue Eyes' howls of rage and despair.

The human woman fought the urge to let out a loud sob, refusing to let the tears forming in her eyes fall as she decided what to do.

She was going to find Malcolm. She was going to get answers.

And if she didn't like what she heard…

Lydia didn't dare finish that thought and decided instead to focus on the trail ahead. She would go in the direction of their jeep. If they hadn't left the forest yet, they were sure to go there once they deemed it safe enough.

And Lydia would be there, waiting.

* * *

 _ **Roy**_

Roy had only been able to look on, almost as if in a trance, as his once-home lay as simmering ashes at his feet, the village having been reduced to nothing more than charred, skeletal structures. Most had made it out of the village in time, save for a few ape children who had gotten lost in the flames and their mothers, who had rushed in to try and save their offspring.

The stench of their scorched remains, no matter how few and how scattered, still permeated the air and had made Roy want to vomit.

It hadn't brought him much relief to have been forcibly removed from the scene, however, as Koba had ordered them to the city to wage war against the humans. Roy had refused, as had Maurice, Rocket and several others. It was not what Caesar would have wanted, even if a human had killed him.

Which Roy seriously doubted. Something just wasn't right about this whole situation.

How had Blue Eyes found a gun, but not the weapon's wielder? To Roy's knowledge, there was no ledge on the cliffside where the gun was found that a human could get to and from so easily that they could just disappear instantly afterwards. Even Lydia, who knew the area and was as swift as humans come, would have found it difficult to get out of such a place. Especially without being seen.

And why would they leave the gun in the first place? Surely, such a weapon would be essential if the culprit was discovered? Even if the person had a smaller spare weapon, a simple handgun would not deter a horde of enraged apes once attention had been drawn.

Furthermore, it seemed too much of a coincidence that the gun had been left for Blue Eyes to find, Caesar's easily influenced son, who had been nursing a growing suspicion of the humans ever since the apes first encountered them. The grief-stricken adolescent was not going to ask any of these questions, though, Roy was sure of that much.

And neither were the majority of the other apes, from the looks of it. They had suffered enough abuse and humiliation at the hands of humans in the past to believe any information Koba fed them. Roy supposed he couldn't blame them, really. He had been subject to human cruelty as well, having pretty much grown up as a test subject in a lab and then an improvised military facility, until Lydia had broken him out of there.

Lydia…

Oh, how he hoped she had managed to escape. If he found out that they had captured and killed her…

 _Perhaps it would give me the strength to break out of these chains_ , the large ape male mused, rattling the metal that bound him to the inside of the bus Koba had chosen as prison for Caesar's most loyal supporters. Those who refused to wage war in the name of their fallen king, reasoning that Caesar would not approve of such an act. Especially not when it came to killing defenceless humans, cowering and whimpering on the floor as the apes stood above them with bared fangs.

Roy had managed to intervene in several such incidents before Koba had rounded up the apes still loyal to the Ape King and chained them up. Even Orion had been imprisoned.

What was worse, he had been placed in front of Maurice, at the other end of the bus from where Roy had been chained, leaving the worried father with no way to offer comfort to his distressed son. He had to trust Maurice with that task as he himself sat in the back of the vehicle, playing the events of the last twelve hours over again and again in his mind.

Lydia had to be alright. She was smart and could move through the forest like no other.

But even if she had survived and was out there, somewhere, she would be alone with Blaze and Storm, facing not only the predators that roamed the forest, but also apes who intended to kill her – searched for her with that sole purpose.

And where would she go? Roy was confident she wasn't going to leave them behind, she was way too stubborn and loyal for that. Her family was everything to her, and Roy knew for a fact that her biggest fear was losing them – like she had her first one so long ago. As for Orion and Roy, the big male chimpanzee had no idea what Koba and his lackeys intended to do with them once the humans had been rounded up and war broke out in earnest. Had the bonobo become such a wretched being that he would break the most sacred of Ape Law and kill those who opposed him?

Had he, perhaps, already done it?

Roy had his suspicions. Especially with how quick the bonobo had been to seize control of the apes after Caesar had plummeted down into the abys. He had been defying Caesar's every decision for almost a week now, and only one day prior, he had taunted and fought against the Ape King, scampering away in defeat and humiliation afterwards.

And now, after all that, he was the first to take up arms and demand vengeance in his name last night?

He might be Caesar's second in command, but the king's death didn't mean that the council had been disbanded. And both Rocket, Luca and Maurice, who were all chained up and branded as traitors, had been in that council!

This wasn't right.

And yet, there was nothing Roy could do but hope against hope that someone among the apes that remained free would see through this farce and convince the rest to stand up against Koba's cruel reign.

Hopefully soon, before Lydia decided to take matters into her own hands, as was her custom, or before Koba began murdering those who opposed him until there would be none left to do so.

Roy let out a low, frustrated growl, drawing the attention of Rocket sitting in front of him. The older ape turned and shot Roy a look of hopeful determination, sticking his chin out.

" _We can only wait and see, Roy._ " Rockets signed with difficulty due to the chains around his wrists. " _Keep courage. We might need it soon. And your son needs your strength now._ "

Roy gave a curt nod before looking out the window. Outside, apes armed with guns were still rounding up humans and herding them into the fenced areas just beside the bus. Among them were several frightened children, clinging to any adult they could find, their eyes wide and fearful. Many of the adults were bleeding through their clothes, either from having fallen and scraped their skin against the ground or from wounds inflicted by their captors.

 _We were supposed to be better than them_ , Roy thought sadly, _but we are just as cruel. Just as vindictive. Just as primitive…_ _Perhaps we really are the animals they think we are…_

The thought made bile rise in the back of the ape's throat and he had to swallow hard to keep it down.

No. He was not like this. Maybe in the past, before he met Lydia, before he knew the love a human such as her could give, he would have joined these apes outside without hesitation. But he knew better now. Knew that humans were capable of kindness, compassion and love.

And these apes should know that too, after having lived side by side with such a human for years.

The chimp put his forehead against the cool, dirty glass of the window, closing his tired, green eyes in contemplation.

If only Caesar was still alive…


	21. Trust Again

**WARNING: This chapter contains gory descriptions.**

* * *

 _ **Lydia**_

The crisp morning air had long since dissipated as the sun had risen higher into the sky, even if the clouds were still blocking its invigorating rays.

Lydia didn't have it in her to enjoy how the heat of day had warmed her enough for her body to stop shivering, just like she didn't notice how she could no longer see her own breath appearing in steamy puffs of air from her mouth and nose.

She was way too focused for that – even if she had now been awake for more than twenty-four hours.

The jeeps that the human group had arrived in were still parked where they had left them, but Lydia had immediately noticed that something was amiss about the scene where she had found the vehicles.

There was blood on the ground beside the driver's seat by one of the jeeps parked further inside the forest – the one Carver had been banished to, if Caesar's recount of the event served her memory right. And it wasn't just a few drops either, but huge splashes spreading over a wide area across the forest floor. Something, or someone, had suffered a violent death at this spot, the sheer amount of blood was enough to prove this.

Lydia had followed the trail as it lead into a nearby thicket and almost retched when she discovered the mangled, almost unrecognizable corpse of Carver.

The only way she could tell who this body belonged to was by the shredded remnants of clothes covering the… more intact parts of the body. The face, which one normally looked at to identify people, was in such a bad condition that Lydia almost couldn't bear to look at it, even if the guy had been a creep, a liar and an all-round prick from day one. The skin had been stripped off half of his face, his throat ripped open and his torso so bashed and bruised that Lydia couldn't rightly tell what his build had been like before he had ended up like this.

Nobody deserved to die like this. Not even someone like Carver.

But who had done it? Surely it wasn't any of the humans – they might not like him, but he was still one of their own. Besides, none of them had the strength to do something like this with no guns or knives at their disposal.

Lydia was quick to rule out bears and cougars as well, simply because the body didn't show any signs of having been eaten at.

No… This looked deliberate… And it was done by someone with animalistic strength… An ape.

Lydia shuddered at the thought. Had they done this to him after they had set out to chase her and Malcolm's group down? Was this what was in store for her if she ran into the apes?

She almost screamed out in frustration and hurt at the thought.

Could she trust no one anymore? Did these last five years she had spent with them mean nothing at all? Was she destined to be alone, getting one family after another ripped away from her until the end of her days?

Storm whimpered beside Lydia as these thoughts went through the woman's head, bringing her back to reality as she sat crouched behind one of the jeeps, waiting.

She had left Carver's body where she had found it, opting instead to hide and wait for Malcolm and the others. They might not have escaped the apes, but it was worth a shot in any event.

Lydia really didn't have many other options at this point.

It was nearly three hours later, by her estimate, before she heard voices coming from beyond the treeline. She recognized Ellie's voice first, then Malcolm's. They were both panting harshly and their footsteps followed each other in short succession, like they were carrying something heavy.

"Alex, open the door, we need to get him inside the car." Came Malcolm's voice. There was a desperation in it. Urgency.

So, one of them had been wounded. A heavy guy, if their pants and grunts of effort were any indication. Must be Kemp, then.

And yet, when Lydia snuck a peek over the hood of the jeep she was hiding behind, she almost choked out a gasp of shock at the sight that met her. It wasn't Kemp who was weighing down Ellie and Malcolm.

It was Caesar.

The Ape King was partially dangling between the two human adults, one long, hairy arm around each of their shoulders.

And he seemed to be alive, struggling to hold his head up and support his own weight on his legs as he was carried towards the jeep. There was a visible gunshot wound in the upper left part of his chest and his fur looked ruffled.

Now, it was _really_ time for answers.

"What the hell is this supposed to mean?!" Lydia spoke out loud as she came forth from her hiding spot, her bow at the ready and her stance tense as she stared down the humans. Beside her, the dogs began to growl threateningly, recognising their master's pose. Lydia knew they would pounce the moment she gave the command – just as she had trained them to do.

At least she could still depend on her canine companions.

The three humans had only just finished placing Caesar in the backseat of the jeep when she chose to reveal herself, whipping around to face Lydia with wide eyes at the sound of her voice. The sight of her arrow pointed in their direction had Malcolm step in front of his son to shield him while Ellie backed up against the jeep with her hands up in a placating gesture.

It did nothing to calm Lydia's wrath.

"Lydia! What are you-?"

"Spare me, Malcolm. I'll be the one asking the questions here." She interrupted sharply, her voice filled with disdain. She didn't shout or scream at them, as she had initially wanted to. Instead, she spoke with dangerous calmness, her blue eyes trained on the trio in a stone-cold stare. She pulled the arrow further backwards in a threatening manner when Malcolm decided to step forward with his hands spread out, palms turned upwards.

She was not going to be fooled a second time by trusting these people just by their sincere looks. It had already cost her dearly to do so once.

"Okay… Ask us…" Malcolm replied slowly. Uncertainly. He wasn't looking for a weapon to defend himself with, but kept his eyes glued to Lydia's own ones. Perhaps he was at least smart enough to know that he wouldn't be fast enough to react if she chose to loosen her arrow or maybe he was genuinely trying to have a conversation with her. She couldn't rightly know.

And she wasn't going to take the chance.

"What happened back in the village?" She started out. She needed to get the big picture first – then, she could get into detail later and see if there were any holes she could poke in their story.

"I… I have no idea, Lydia… One moment, everything was fine, and then suddenly, it was all chaos and fire and, and we were running for our lives, and-"

"Malcolm…" She interrupted again, her voice dangerously low. She needed answers, not ramblings.

"Please, Lydia." Ellie spoke up next, though she didn't try to move from her position against the jeep. Her brown eyes were soft, yet frightened. "We don't know what happened. Whatever it was, we had nothing to do with it."

"Well, you'll have to excuse me if I find that a bit hard to believe." Lydia answered curtly. "You come here bringing guns while explaining you're only trying to fix a dam. Time and time again, you test your luck by bringing weapons when you're not supposed to and-"

"I swear to you, I didn't know Carver brought that gun!" Malcolm interrupted desperately. Lydia ignored him completely and continued her rant.

" _Then_ , you barge into our village, seemingly trying to _help_ us and later, when you have what you came for, our leader is shot down and our entire colony burned to ashes." She drew in a deep breath to calm herself, looking at the group as if to dare any of them to object to what she was saying. They kept quiet, for the time being.

"I was chased out because I'm also human. Because of you guys, I was hunted by the very people I thought were my friends. I had to leave my family because of you and right now, I don't even know if they're dead or alive… And then, lo and behold, who do I find coming out of the forest, carrying a wounded Caesar, when I go looking for answers?"

She knew her voice had taken on a vulnerable edge that she was in no way proud of. She just couldn't help it anymore. She was distraught, she was tired, in body and mind, and most of all, she was confused.

Malcolm's eyes took on a sympathetic look that she just hated at that moment. She didn't need his pity! She needed answers! An explanation!

"I know this looks bad, I do, but I promise you, the three of us had nothing to do with what happened back at the village. We found Caesar while trying to get back to the jeeps. We thought he was dead at first! But then he moved his eyes and began to react to our presence. We were going to take him back to the city and get him some medical attention, I swear to you." Malcolm defended, seemingly trying to stay calm. The only thing moving as he spoke was his mouth and his gesticulating hands. Everything else was dead-still in the face of Lydia's fury.

"Maybe… Maybe it was Carver… He might have brought another gun without me noticing or-"

"Carver's dead." Lydia interrupted Malcolm's attempt at a theory. The trio's eyes all widened and a frown appeared on Malcolm's face.

"Was it you who…?"

"No. I found him like that when I came here to wait for you. Followed a trail of blood into the thicket over there." She gestured to the scene with her weapon.

"But where would Carver get the gun from? Why would he do this?" Alex spoke up meekly.

"Ape…" Came a deep, gravelly voice from the backseat of the jeep.

Everyone turned to Caesar as he tried to straighten up against the backrest, panting. Malcolm, Ellie and Alex momentarily forgot that they were being held at arrow-point and now focused all their attention at the straining, wounded ape. Lydia did the same, lowering her bow a fraction as the Ape King began to speak weakly.

"Ape… Did… This." Caesar spoke again.

Now, it was Lydia's eyes that widened as an ice-cold feeling ran down her spine. She lowered her bow completely and let the string go as slack as her jaw while she stared at the Ape King. An ape had shot Caesar? How had that even happened? Who had done it?

And why?

Before Lydia could release the barrage of questions fighting to get out, Ellie turned to her with eyes full of concern and urgency.

"We need to get him somewhere safe. Somewhere we can take care of his wounds. He's lost a lot of blood already… Please, Lydia." The woman spoke softly.

Looking at the group properly for what seemed like the first time since they'd emerged from the forest, Lydia took in their appearances. They were all dirty and dishevelled like herself, grime covering their clothes. They didn't look to have slept either.

Then, her eyes met Caesar's. The look he gave her was pained, but tender, and there was something pleading in his gaze. Like he was silently begging her to just, one more time, believe in these humans.

Believe in _him_.

She relented without question.

"What do we do?" She asked tiredly as her eyes turned to Malcolm expectantly. His face lit up into a soft and uncertain smile. Lydia noticed how his shoulders slouched as tension left his body – was she really that terrifying when she was angry?

"We go to the colony in the city. We should be safe there if I explain everything to Dreyfus. Then, we get what we need to patch up Caesar." He said, taking charge. Lydia could only nod.

Then she noticed Alex eye the thicket where Carver's body was, shuffling his feet uncomfortably.

"You okay?" She asked. She knew her demeanour had shifted drastically and that it probably had the trio on edge even more than her plain anger had. The air of uncertainty radiating from Alex as he turned his gaze towards her told her as much. She really didn't mean to be so… bipolar. Unpredictable.

She blamed it on the fatigue that was slowly catching up on her. The horrible events of the night before and the sleepless, terrifying night that had followed had jumbled her mind. Coupling that with the conflicting emotions that had washed over her in such short succession in the past couple of minutes had left her feeling drained, exhausted and anxious to get on with what lie ahead.

"Yeah, it's just… I mean, shouldn't we… do something about Carver's body? Bury it or something? He was an ass, but…" Alex murmured quietly. Malcolm seemed to regard his son with a strange mixture of worry and pride. Lydia could understand the feeling – it was an incredibly mature sentiment the adolescent boy was displaying - and one that Lydia hadn't even given any thought herself. She had merely concluded that the poor fool had suffered a death he didn't deserve and left it at that.

How had she become this cold?

"It's a nice thought, Alex, but… I don't think we have time for it. Caesar needs medical attention as soon as possible. It can't wait." Ellie spoke as she laid a comforting hand in her step-son's shoulder.

Lydia nodded.

"She is right. Besides, I don't think any of you guys should go near that place… It's not a pretty sight…" She informed them with a frown on her face. "He… Well, there's no easy way of putting this… I'm pretty sure it was an ape who killed him."

"Right…" Malcolm spoke tensely. He probably didn't like for his son to hear such talk, but Lydia thought the boy deserved the truth. He seemed to be mature for his age and she honestly thought that there was no need to sugar-coat anything by now. The situation was way too dire for that.

"Let's get in the truck. You should probably sit in the back with Caesar and Ellie. Alex and I will take the front." The adult male spoke, no doubt eager to change the subject and get going. "There should be space in the far back for the dogs. We had our equipment back there when we first came to the forest, but I don't suppose we'll be needing that anymore."

Lydia placed the bow over her shoulder and threw her backpack into the back of the car before she led Storm and Blaze into the cramped space as well. They both seemed uncertain about the whole concept of getting into a car – an object they had been trained to react to as they came down the road. She wasn't exactly sure how well they were going to take the whole driving experience. She only hoped they'd stay quiet.

She then got into the backseat to Caesar's right side. He had been placed behind the driver's seat and the humans had agreed that it would probably be best not to move him too much around. It would only serve to aggravate the wound. The Ape King was quick to tuck Lydia under his right arm and pull her to his side, sighing deeply in what sounded like relief to Lydia's ears.

If not for the odd circumstances that had landed them in this situation, Lydia would have found the move to be an odd one. Sure, they were close friends and he had more than once held her hand or squeezed her shoulder in comfort or reassurance, but they had never been this _close_ before. Not for more than a couple of seconds, anyway.

The memory of how he had saved her from an embarrassing fall down the muddy slope a few days prior came to mind, and Lydia almost blushed. He had held her so close and stared at her with such intensity that her breath had hitched. At that moment, she had almost felt guilty. They both had someone they loved, someone they trusted, waiting for them back in the village and there she had been, in the arms of another ape, feeling the distinct pull of attraction towards this strong, intelligent, and very much _taken_ male.

She had buried the feeling deep inside her chest – as she had done quite a few times before during these last couple of years. It was a ridiculous notion that she just would not entertain.

In any event, the move was a welcome one right now and Lydia relished in the feeling of his warm body pressed against her side. She knew this ape. He was dear to her and being close to him brought a comfort she had craved ever since she had run out of the village the previous evening. Her fear and anger melted away for the time being by the familiarity of his presence and for the first time since last night, her body relaxed.

" _Are you alright?_ " He signed as Ellie sat at Lydia's other side, closing the door behind her.

Lydia almost laughed at the question.

" _I should be asking_ _ **you**_ _that… Don't you dare die on me._ " She signed back, keeping the conversation private from the car's other occupants as Malcolm started the engine.

Despite his pain and the anxiety he must be feeling at the moment, not knowing if his family was dead or alive, he cracked a small smile at her and pulled her slightly closer.

" _I do not plan to._ " Was all he said as the jeep began heading towards the city.

It was strange to ride a car again. The soft hum of an engine and the sense of moving with no physical effort, not even that of keeping upright on a horse, had become quite foreign to Lydia. She could hear Blaze whine quietly in the back, but a few licks behind the ear from Storm seemed to settle him down as the car approached the Golden Gate Bridge.

Even in its state of disrepair, it was quite a sight. When she had been younger, it had been one of the landmarks that Lydia had wanted to tick off her bucket-list, but she never dreamt that she would be seeing it quite like this. Beside her, Caesar was breathing shallowly as he looked up at the pylons through the car's window. Lydia could feel how his fingers dug into the upper part of her sleeve as they passed a bump in the road and out of instinct, she reached over to lay a hand on the uninjured side of his chest to steady him.

Goodness, he was warm.

Malcolm was driving rather slowly down the road. Lydia guessed it was on purpose so they wouldn't draw attention to themselves as they left the bridge and entered the city.

Even if she had never been in San Francisco and certainly not the human colony, she knew something wasn't right when she spotted black smoke rising in the distance. A lump started forming in her throat as she saw how the street leading to the colony was in a state of disarray – at least more so than expected. Adding to the dirty, broken windows and the weeds fighting their way up through the cracked asphalt, the rusted cars standing abandoned in the street and the faded graffiti on the crumbling walls, screeches of apes could be heard in the distance. As well as gunshots and human screams of fear.

"Look, the colony's on fire…" Alex's voice sounded, confirming what Lydia had already guessed at. "Where are we going to go?"

Caesar grunted beside Lydia, jerking her shoulder slightly to gain her attention. A pang of worry and sadness shot through her chest when her eyes met his. They were half-lidded and glazed with pain. She padded him softly on his uninjured pectoral and tilted her head to indicate she was listening. When he had finished signing his message to her, the corner of her mouth twitches into a barely-there smirk.

"Caesar knows a place." Lydia informed the other humans.

There was only a brief moment of hesitation, in which Malcolm's eyes met Lydia's in the rear-view mirror, before he backed up the car and went to go down another street. Caesar signed the direction he wanted to go to Lydia, who relayed the message to Malcolm.

Ellie had told the Ape King to save his strength and not overexert himself by speaking and, for once, Lydia was glad that he had followed the woman's advice.

It took quite a while before they reached the suburbs.

"Where is he taking us?" Alex asked as they drove down a street lined by trees. The houses here were mostly covered by dense vegetation, making it impossible to tell what the actual buildings might look like underneath. Still, Lydia could tell that this had been a nice neighbourhood once.

She didn't answer Alex's question. They would all know soon enough, and right now, Caesar seemed to be concentrating on pointing out the right house – she didn't want to risk him missing it.

Before long, Caesar began beating the window of the jeep softly with his fist and release laboured huffs as they came up to the place he had told Lydia about all those years ago on one of their sleepless nights. The story had stuck with her since then, saved in the back of her mind like a precious jewel. It had touched her deeply that he had deigned to share something so intimate and painful with her and now, she was there with him to see what had become of the home he left behind – without the human father he spoke so fondly of.

A shame, really. She would have liked to meet him.

"Malcolm, stop! We're here." Lydia spoke, making the man look at her in the rear-view mirror with eyes full of confusion. He stopped all the same, and everyone began getting out of the car.

Well, all except Caesar, for obvious reasons.

"I don't understand." Malcolm spoke as he stood in front of the abandoned house. It was, like all the others, covered in dense vegetation – only the very top of the building indicating that it was, in fact, a manmade structure. Lydia immediately recognised the symbol of the apes in the topmost window's frame.

So, this is where that symbol came from.

"What are we doing here?" Alex backed up his father as he closed the car's door.

"You'll know once we get inside, I'm sure. Come on, I can't carry him by myself." Lydia spoke as she rounded the car to first let out the dogs, then open the door for Caesar on the other side. Naturally, he didn't get out on his own. He was far too weakened for that still.

"Right." Malcolm nodded as he went over to help Lydia haul the Ape King out of the car. Caesar didn't make much noise even as he was being pulled and lifted by the arms and legs. He _did_ grimace when the humans were being particularly rough, especially on the way up the stairs, but Lydia guessed that his pride would not let him voice his complaints.

Either that, or he was simply not able to make any verbal protest.

Ellie and Alex cleared the way as they went and moved the furniture once the group was safely inside the house. Only when they had managed to place Caesar on the couch, releasing laboured sighs as they did, could Lydia straighten up to take in her new surroundings.

It was dusty. _Very_ dusty and dark due to the greenery outside partially covering the grimy windows. The fact hat there had been a very sick person living and dying here was, luckily, not evident in the smell of the place. It had been far too long for that to still be the case.

"Dad, look." Alex's voice sounded as he approached the group kneeling beside Caesar. In his hands was a picture frame, dusty like the rest of the house, but clearly showing a smiling man together with a small chimpanzee. It was a lovely picture and made Lydia think of a very similar frame still stored in her backpack. She hadn't taken that out in years.

The eyes of the trio shifted from Caesar to the picture and back a couple of times as they pieced the puzzle together. Had the circumstances been less dire, it would have been quite amusing to watch.

The Ape King did nothing to confirm or deny what their collective stares were asking him. He only looked down wistfully at the picture in Malcolm's hands.

Ellie was the first to break the silence that had followed Alex's discovery.

"We need to operate." She spoke with renewed urgency. "I don't have anything. There's a surgical kit back at the place, but that's-"

"I'll go." Malcolm interrupted resolutely.

Before Ellie could protest, Lydia spoke up.

"No. You should stay here." She said, dumping her backpack on the floor before readjusting her bow across her shoulder. "I know the apes and will be better able to avoid detection by them. It's better if I go." She elaborated as everyone's stares turned to her. Caesar seemed to disapprove, if the weak frown and knitted brows he shot her was anything to go by.

Malcolm seemed to be of the same mind.

"I'd rather you stayed here and protected Caesar and my family. If anyone comes here, you'd be the only one with an actual weapon to defend them. We have nothing left from the forest." He replied.

Lydia crossed her arms over her chest and regarded Malcolm with a searching look. He didn't flinch under her scrutiny this time, as he had done so often before. He made a good point, Lydia knew, but there was something about the way he said it that nagged her.

"You don't trust me." She concluded. It wasn't a question, but a statement.

The adult man's eyes were weary and void of humour as he regarded her in turn, his shoulders slouching as he released a tired sigh.

"That's not the problem. You don't know the colony's interior. You've never been there and you won't know where to look for the things we need." He spoke gently.

"You're avoiding the subject." Lydia countered nonchalantly.

Just then, Malcolm's eyes got hard as he, too, crossed his arms across his chest, mimicking her.

"A bit hard to talk about trust when no more than two hours ago, you were threatening me and my family with a bow and arrow, don't you think?"

"Please keep in mind that back then, I had just been chased out of my home as it was burning to the ground and when I go looking for answers, I see you guys leave the forest with the only ape who could possibly save this whole mess, my _friend_ , with a _gunshot wound_ in his chest caused by a weapon that came from _your_ colony!"

"You've been avoiding us like the plague the whole time we've been there! How could you possibly know if we were the ones behind this or not? We were just trying to help! We _still_ are! And for all we know, this is the work of an ape gone rogue! Seriously, what is it with you that makes you hate other people so much?"

"Oh, I don't know, Malcolm, maybe the fact that it was _people_ who took away the _only_ family I had left? Slitting my brother's throat and stabbing my dad in the gut like he was a damn needle cushion because he didn't fucking want to play by their rules when they came and threatened us for our measly rations from the colony!" She almost shouted, feeling hot tears burn in her eyes. She would not let them fall.

Not here.

Not now.

And not in front of them.

"And now it would seem like I am in the same shithole again! Losing everything I love for the second damn time because some fucking humans came to the forest looking to go back to a bygone age!"

Lydia didn't notice Caesar casting her a sympathetic look from the couch as she vented her frustrations.

But she _did_ notice how Malcolm seemed to completely deflate at her words and the revelation behind them. His blue eyes softened and his arms fell from his chest to hang at his sides loosely.

Beside him, Ellie, who had been trying to intervene (without much success) went slightly slack-jawed as all tension left her body. She seemed to be wanting to step forward and lay a hand on Lydia's shoulder, but thought better of it as the woman's eyes darted from one person to the other, almost as if she was challenging them to say something.

Alex had backed up against the mantlepiece during the row and was now shifting his gaze from Lydia to Malcolm and back, calculating each person's next move.

"Where was this...?" Ellie was the first to break the silence once again, her voice soft as a feather against tender skin. "This is the only colony for miles…"

Lydia took a deep breath as she redirected her stare towards the partially covered, dirty window. She could only just make out the outline of the jeep they had arrived in.

"The Minneapolis colony…"

"W-what…?!" Malcolm's voice, full of disbelief, reverberated against the walls of the room. "You came all the way from the state of Minnesota?"

Ellie and Alex also seemed more than just a little surprised by this revelation. Lydia only nodded her head, breathing steadily through her nose. The dust particles they had stirred from all their movements tickled on the inside and it twitched involuntarily.

"But… Minnesota is almost at the other end of the country. How did you end up here?" Alex asked softly. It was clear he was amazed with the achievement, but it was also very apparent in his body language that he didn't want to agitate her by asking too many questions.

Lydia shrugged and cocked her head to the side slightly as she replied.

"I walked. With Orion and Roy. The dogs too." Then, she regarded Malcolm with an almost pleading look. She didn't want to talk about her past right now. They had more pressing matters to attend to right now. "Listen, can we go over this another time? Caesar needs to have that bullet removed. Please?"

It wasn't often that she pleaded, but Caesar's injuries needed to be tended to and they were losing daylight fast.

"Right. Of course." Malcolm nodded, looking as if he had been pulled out of a deep thinking-session of some sort.

"Malcolm is still right, Lydia. You can't go alone. As he said, you don't know the layout of the place. You could get lost or captured." Ellie spoke, thankfully returning to the subject at hand.

"Perhaps you could go together?" Alex suggested.

Caesar grunted suddenly and everyone turned to the ape in worry, thinking the sound was from pain. When he had everyone's attention, he signed weakly. Lydia sucked in a breath at the message.

" _Stay here, Lydia._ " His elongated, rough hands moved slowly as he continued to breath shallowly. " _Stay… With me._ "

Those eyes. Those intense, forest green eyes, so full of emotion that they often made Lydia feel that he was stripping her of all the layers that covered her, her clothes, her skin, her tough façade, until he was staring straight at her soul.

She could not have said no to those eyes even if she had wanted to.

Luckily, the other humans hadn't noticed her sharp inhale as they turned to her for a translation.

"Caesar says I should stay." She said with honesty. "It wouldn't be ideal for the both of us to go, anyway. Malcolm doesn't know sign and would have to speak if he wanted to give me directions or warn me if something was coming. That would give us away immediately." She reasoned, a line appearing between her brows as she thought. "Besides, the risk of getting spotted is higher with two people rather than one…"

The other humans nodded in agreement. So, Malcolm would have to go alone.

It didn't sit well with Lydia, who felt restless at the mere prospect of sitting around, waiting for others to do the job that needed to be done. She hated being dependent on others.

At the same time, she could also feel how fatigue was clawing at her every muscle and her eyelids were getting heavy from lack of sleep. She doubted she would be able to hit anything with her bow and arrow anyway, being so tired that she could practically feel her heartbeat pounding behind her eyes.

It was no use. She needed the rest… and Caesar had told her to stay.

It sent a warm sensation through her chest that she would normally have squashed before it reached her heart. Now was not the time for this nonsense. Especially not since, if this all went well, she would soon be back in Roy's arms where she belonged.

 _If he isn't dead by then…_ , a stray thought flew through Lydia's mind as Malcolm began quickly gathering some things he might need on his dangerous mission to the colony. She almost visibly recoiled at the thought, as if she'd been stung by a bee.

No, she would **not** think of that now. It would only serve to rile her up.

And yet the thought prevailed as Malcolm headed for the door, kissing Ellie goodbye and giving Alex a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

Before he left, he turned to Lydia one last time. She couldn't for the life of her discern the look in his blue eyes, so much like her own. But then he stuck out his hand to shake hers, making her gaze shift from his eyes to the offered limb and back in confusion before she grabbed it hesitantly.

His grasp was firm, but pleasant as he nodded at her.

"Trust." He spoke imploringly, and Lydia recognised the meaning behind his actions.

She nodded back in the same manner, showing him that she understood.

"Trust." She agreed.

And out the door he went, leaving Lydia with his wife and son, and the injured Ape King, who was still breathing shallowly in the living room.


	22. Regrets and Realisations

_**Bue Eyes**_

"You ape prisoner now! Will know life in cage!" Koba addressed the frightened humans cooped together behind the fences. Blue Eyes saw how the young ones clung to the adults, much like Cornelius would cling to his, Cornelia's or Caesar's fur when he was frightened.

The thought of his dead father made Blue Eyes regard the humans with hard eyes. They were right to be frightened, after what they had done…

And yet… Blue Eyes was beginning to doubt that what the apes were doing was truly justice. Koba had killed Ash. Another ape. Blue Eyes' friend. Without a hint of remorse and with a total disregard for the most sacred of the laws the apes lived by.

Ape not kill ape.

But what could _he_ do? Caesar was dead and Koba now stood in his place, with Blue Eyes too young to challenge the bonobo in any way.

"More humans out there!" Koba's voice cut through the air like a jagged stone knife through the sinewy flesh of a deer. "Go! Find them!" He ordered sharply, sending several of the armed apes on their way to chase even more of these scared, defenceless creatures.

 _This is not a war_ , Blue Eyes thought as he looked over the prisoners once again. _This is a mountain lion toying with a field mouse. These humans never had a chance._

Just then, as he made his way to follow the other apes on their hunt for more prisoners, he noticed it. The big, yellow vehicle just beside the humans' enclosure. He had thought it was a prison for the more… resisting humans at first.

But now, as he got closer, he saw apes in there, chained and with a hopeless look in their eyes.

And not just any apes, either.

" _Maurice…?_ " The adolescent ape signed in confusion as he got close to the window, staring right up at the old orangutan through the bars and the window behind them.

" _Koba said… We're too loyal to your father._ " His teacher signed with those huge hands, the movements restricted by the chains that bound him. " _Protect yourself._ " He added imploringly.

As Blue Eyes let his eyes roam the interior of the bus through the glass, he noticed something else… Rocket, Luca, Roy… And Orion.

Koba had imprisoned his other childhood friend!

Now that he thought about it, he hadn't seen Orion since last night.

The younger ape looked at Blue Eyes with eyes full of hurt and betrayal. His hands were bound with heavy chains that Blue Eyes could see were chafing at the skin on Orion's wrists and pulling at his fur. His whole posture silently screamed defeat and hopelessness, shoulders slouched and head down. It almost made the Ape Prince hoot out in heartfelt apology – he had never meant for this to happen!

True, he had wanted the humans to pay for what they had done to his father. What they had done to apes for years before they had made their way across the bridge and away from the cruelty and suffering that Koba so often spoke of.

But this wasn't their way. It was all too much.

Too brutal.

Too **_wrong_**.

" _I will._ " Blue Eyes signed back to Maurice once he managed to tear his eyes away from Orion's. They somehow held the same intensity as his adopted human mother's, because right now, they were as piercing and full of emotion as hers were whenever she was angry or hurt.

Lydia…

Where _was_ she even right now? Was she still in the forest, hiding from the apes, or had she somehow managed to follow them to the city? Was she somewhere close right now, biding her time, waiting to make a move to free the loyalist apes to overthrow Koba and his violent regime? That wouldn't be all that much out of character for her, if Blue Eyes was honest with himself.

The adolescent ape was surprised to realise that he _hoped_ that was the case. His honorary uncle wasn't in the right, he had discovered. Far from it. Blue Eyes had realised that the moment Ash had been thrown to his death by the bonobo, his friend's terrified and confused scream coming to an abrupt end as his heavy body had hit the hard, cold floor with a dull 'thud'.

The sound still rang through Blue Eyes' mind, sending an icy shiver down his spine.

And what was worse, Ash had been _right_. Caesar would never have wanted them to kill a defenceless human. The man had been cowering in fear, as Blue Eyes had thought was his place, but killing him while he had no way of defending himself…

They were no better than the humans by doing so.

Blue Eyes stepped back from the bus and went to join the other armed apes in their hunt for more human prisoners, the taste of bile rising in the back of his throat at the prospect now. Behind him, he could hear the shouts and cries of the humans they had already captured, and in the distance, in the streets stretching out in front of him, he could hear the frightened screams of several others as they were either captured… or shot.

The adolescent ape steeled himself as he hoisted his gun up onto his arm. What could _he_ do? Koba was older and more dominant, and he had already imprisoned everyone that stood a chance at opposing the madness he had unleashed.

Blue Eyes' gaze darted between the windows of the buildings he was passing as he went down one street after another. His hunt for humans was half-hearted and slow now, as he searched for one particular set of deep blue eyes and the pale face that they belonged to, framed by dark, braided hair. Lydia would know what to do. She always had in the past when something had bothered Blue Eyes.

He felt his chest clench at the thought as he met a group of hunters and agreed absent-mindedly to tag along with them. He really hadn't given her enough credit for that, he thought.

Or anything else, for that matter.

In fact, he was beginning to realise exactly _how_ horribly distant and judgemental he had become as Ash's words from a few days ago suddenly echoed through his head.

" _She misses you, you know. It hurts Lydia that you don't trust her anymore. That you believe what Koba says about her._ "

The Ape Prince sucked in his bottom lip in an effort to hold back a distressed whimper. Ash had been right about that, too. Blue Eyes had just been too caught up in his own pride – and his idolization of Koba, to realise it until now.

Now, their home lie burnt to a crisp in the forest, Ash was dead, Caesar was dead and Lydia was nowhere to be found.

 _She is probably dead too…_ , Blue Eyes mused, full of remorse and guilt.

He didn't find her face in any of the windows.

* * *

 _ **Lydia**_

Caesar had asked her to stay with him, and stay she did.

He was asleep now, his breath still shallow and his brows furrowed. They had done their best to make him comfortable, Ellie, Alex and Lydia, as a team. Ellie had added an extra pillow under his head, the softest one she could find, while Alex had fetched him water from their backpacks that he could drink. He needed to stay hydrated, after all.

And Lydia…

Lydia had sat with him until he fell asleep, gently holding on to his rough hand until it went limp in her grasp.

It had surprised Lydia greatly when he had reached out for her hand, not saying a word as his fingers made contact with her own. He had regained some warmth since he had been found by the trio of humans on the forest floor, but his fingers were still cool to the touch. Lydia reasoned that it was due to the blood loss.

Even so, his grip on her hand was as strong as it had always been. It wasn't often that their hands would meet, and certainly not for extended periods of time, like now… But it felt right to Lydia. The way his fingers curled around her limb, the rough texture of his palm against her softer, warmer skin.

He had smiled at her, then. A barely-there, but still noticeable tug at the corner of his mouth as he looked at her with those intense, soulful eyes of his. It almost made her forget the horrible mess they were in – the way he looked at her at that moment.

She couldn't help but return it, casting him a tired, but no less genuine, small smile.

It was strange, how one look seemed to comfort both of them. How a single smile could convey more than a thousand words – spoken or signed.

She had looked down at their joined hands, thinking of how, if things had been different, it would probably be Roy's fingers around her limb, while Cornelia's would be firmly held in Caesar's.

That's how it had always been. How it _should_ be now.

She had stroked his fingers with her thumb as she got lost in her thoughts. She wanted Roy back more than anything in the world, disappear in the safety of his arms and finally know that he was alright. That Orion was alright…. Goodness, she wanted to hold her son close again. Not knowing what had happened to him was the _worst_.

Where was he?

Was he okay?

Was he alive?

The last thought almost made her choke out a sob until Caesar's hand squeezed hers gently to pull her out of her dark musings. He must have been able to see the worry on her face, because he had reached up with his hand still holding hers, extending one, gentle finger to tuck back a stray lock of hair behind her ear. The gesture was intimate and foreign, coming from him, as was everything he had done in the last twelve hours. He had stuck close to her, pulled her to him whenever he could and grunted in displeasure whenever she went out of his sight.

It was almost like he was afraid that she would disappear, and with her, the safety of having someone around he knew. Someone he could close his eyes around and know that they would still be there when he opened them again.

He moved his hand to rest on it his stomach, still with hers clasped tightly in his grasp, and breathed a soft sigh of fatigue as he closed his forest green eyes. Or were they hazel? She wasn't quite sure, as they sometimes seemed to have golden specks floating around in their irises, while at other times, they were void of anything but that tantalizing green colour she had come to associate with the apes.

It didn't take long for his shallow breathing to even out, indicating that he had fallen asleep. What _did_ take long, however, was for Lydia to ease her hand out of his loosened hold. She didn't want to wake him up – he needed the rest more than anyone. But she knew she wouldn't be able to sleep in this position, much less clean herself off a bit, as she had planned to do since Malcolm had left.

Finally, after much gentle tugging, Lydia's hand was free and she could move quietly out of the living room and into the kitchen. The dogs stayed with Caesar, resting on the floor beside him, as if daring anyone to come near. He would be safe with them.

She found Ellie and Alex in the kitchen, both of them turning towards her as she entered. She must have either lost her touch for stealth or her lack of sleep was making her clumsy.

"He's asleep now. Good thing too. He honestly looked like he was about to pass out." She spoke quietly, making sure not to raise her voice and wake the Ape King in the other room.

Ellie nodded, a relieved look gracing her soft features.

"That's good. He will need to rest a lot both before and after the operation…."

Lydia could literally see on the woman's face how she almost added an 'if Malcolm comes back'-part to her sentence. Instead, she left it hanging unspoken in the air, quite obvious for all to see, even if it hadn't been uttered.

"He will come back, don't you worry about that." Lydia spoke reassuringly. "I don't know him that well, but Malcolm strikes me as a stubborn man. And one that likes a job well done."

Ellie and Alex both smiled weakly and eyed each other as if to say 'well, duh', making Lydia smirk knowingly. Then, the teenager got up from his seat at the dinner table he had situated himself at.

"I'll take a round and see if there's something we can use. There's plenty of knives and stuff in the kitchen, but Ellie says we will need some cloth for the operation and some blankets for when we're gonna sleep." He spoke, seeming more confident than he had a few hours ago.

They had already done a quick scour through the house, taking anything useful that just happened to lie out in the open, but they had yet to do a thorough search for supplies. Ellie and Alex had washed themselves off with some rainwater that had gathered in a barrel out in the back. It seemed to have been placed for that specific purpose and the water, while not exactly drinkable, was clean enough for them to wash off the grime and blood on their arms, faces and clothes.

Lydia hadn't had the pleasure yet, but was happy to see that Ellie had had the sense to run the water through a sieve they'd found in the kitchen, removing the old leaves and other, larger chunks of debris that had gathered over the years in the water. It now stood in a container they had salvaged from one of the cabinet, on the table, ready for use.

"Sure thing, Alex. I'll wash off a bit and have a chat with Ellie about what else needs to be done in the meantime." Lydia answered pleasantly.

Alex was a good kid, she knew that much. He wouldn't have connected so well with both Orion _and_ Maurice if he hadn't been. That especially made Lydia feel awful for how she had behaved previously towards the trio of humans, and she had tried to make up for it ever since Malcolm left by maintaining a more positive demeanour and actually talk with the woman and teenager. Ellie, she knew better from the day that they had spent together treating Cornelia, and she had gotten to know Alex today by asking him about the drawings that Maurice had spoken about a couple of days ago.

He had been hesitant at first, perhaps fearing that he would somehow trigger her temper by saying something wrong.

After some time, though, he seemed to open up more and the two actually had a rather pleasant conversation about music and some asshole-teens from his colony. It became evident that he was regarded as a weirdo for being such a quiet kid, which had prompted Lydia to comment that it was often the dimwits who were the quickest to target others to compensate for their own 'damn insecurities'. That had seemed to loosen Alex up and they had laughed as they shared stories about some of the 'dimwits' they had known throughout their lives. She knew the phenomenon well enough. Her brother had had to deal with a lot of shit for being deaf and needing help with people who didn't understand sign. Lydia couldn't even begin to count how many times she had found his schoolmates talking literally _just_ behind her little brother's back, making snide comments about him and making faces when he hadn't been looking.

Why was it always the good kids who seemed to get dealt the worst cards in life's cruel game?

"Sure. I'm gonna be upstairs if you need me." Alex replied easily as he made his way out of the kitchen.

Lydia went over to the water and began to wash her face as the adolescent left the room, leaving her and Ellie alone together. The woman was in the middle of eating something from the rations they'd had in the car. Leftover food they had brought from the colony, Ellie had explained when Lydia had eyed the package containing the food with eyes full of uncertainty. She had had to take it when Ellie had offered her a plate of it (some kind of porridge, she believed), even though she found the smell quite distasteful. It had been many years since she had eaten anything else than what she and the apes had caught and prepared themselves, and this wasn't exactly something that made her want to return to processed food anytime soon.

But it was nutrition, and since she hadn't eaten since yesterday, she would take anything she could get.

"Do you really believe Malcolm will be able to sneak past the apes…?" Ellie's voice sounded from the table where she had situated herself with her food. The spoon in her hand was digging around in the unappetizing, greyish porridge, pushing it back and forth in the deep plate with disinterest.

Lydia turned to face the woman as she wiped off her face and arms with an old shirt from her backpack. Everything in the house was either eaten up by moths or smelled horrific from years of staying in a closet, so she had offered one of her leftover rags instead. At least they were washed somewhat regularly.

"I meant what I said about Malcolm, Ellie. He's stubborn, and I do think he'll manage. He knows the place better than the apes, after all, and he has you and Alex to return to. That should be quite the motivation for him, won't you agree?"

"Even the most motivated people can get caught…" Ellie replied quietly. Lydia knew she spoke lowly so Alex wouldn't hear them. It wouldn't do if the kid caught on to such an attitude from her – she needed to be strong for him and set an example.

But, in addition to being a good kid, Alex was smart too, and Lydia doubted the teen hadn't already picked up on Ellie's underlying doubt.

"True… Honestly, I don't know what to tell you, Ellie, other than that we've gotta believe in him, okay? But I really _do_ think he's going to be fine. The man has an uncanny ability to make people trust him like that." She cracked a small smile at the woman, hoping to ease the tension.

She knew that it was natural to worry about ones' family, especially in a situation such as this one. Heck, she worried about Roy and Orion too, only she hadn't seen either of them for almost twenty-four hours and had no idea _where_ they were at this point.

Looking at Ellie now, she wondered if she might be the luckier of the two. Ignorance was, after all, supposed to be bliss.

Nonetheless, Ellie gave a small smile of her own at Lydia's words and nodded.

There was a stretch of silence, then, as Lydia threw away the piece of cloth and went to sit on the chair opposite Ellie's, keeping the table between them. She sat crooked in her seat, facing the windows to her right, where she could _just_ make out the waning light of the evening sun through the vegetation covering the glass. It was getting darker by the hour now and Malcolm had now been gone for several hours.

Lydia felt guilt clench at her heart as she mulled things over. This man, this human, was risking his own life, as well as his family's, for peace. He had gone to the apes in his desperation to make life better for his family, even if he knew it could get him killed. And he hadn't just done it once, but twice!

Now, he was risking his life yet again.

And here was Ellie and Alex, taking care of Caesar as best they could, setting their own needs aside to help a creature that wasn't even their own species.

They weren't so different from herself, she realised. They were helping Caesar as she had helped Orion and Roy all those years ago. The only difference was that while Lydia had had nothing to lose except her own life at the time, they had _each other_.

They _could_ have left. Could have snuck out of the forest and gone north – or _anywhere_ , really. They had the chance to escape chaos, as Lydia had done when she had left her colony all those years ago.

And yet here they were, risking everything to solve this mess.

Lydia drew in a deep breath before releasing the air in her lungs as a heavy sigh.

"Listen, Ellie," she began, making Ellie look up from her half-eaten meal. "I… I want to apologise. To all of you. I have been a real bitch ever since you guys arrived, even though you've done nothing to deserve any of it. Well, none of you except Carver…" Her voice was quiet and solemn as she folded her hands in her lap.

"I figured you guys would be exactly the same as the people I left behind at my own colony. All because you're human…" She chuckled humourlessly at the notion, realising the irony only now. "I'm a terrible hypocrite, thinking all humans are the same and still keep thinking that I was somehow different." Finally, she turned her head to look at Ellie, eyes full of regret and apology.

"I'm really sorry for everything that's happened, Ellie."

She didn't know what she had expected Ellie to say in reply, or how she had expected her to react. Perhaps offended that Lydia had basically put her in the same category as the people who murdered her father and brother, or perhaps slightly angry at the hint that she thought Carver had deserved what he got.

What she _hadn't_ expected was for Ellie to reach out across the table to lay a hand on Lydia's shoulder, a soft, compassionate look in her eyes as she replied.

"It's okay, Lydia. You don't have to apologise for anything. You've been through a lot – more than any of us could have guessed. I suppose it's only natural to want to protect what you have after losing so much." She squeezed Lydia's shoulder comfortingly and offered a small smile. "I'm just happy you decided to trust us one final time. That couldn't have been easy."

Lydia smiled back and shook her head, turning to face the window again as Ellie removed her hand from her shoulder.

"It was actually Caesar's doing. The way he looked at me… I just couldn't _not_ trust you after that." Those imploring, pleading eyes were still clear as day in her memory.

"Yeah. I noticed he looks at you a lot." Ellie commented, fiddling with a water bottle they had brought from the car. It was some of the only clean water they had. "And touches you as well." She added daringly. Suggestively.

Lydia fought a blush and waved her off. She knew what Ellie said was true, but the suggestion that lay behind her words was ludicrous.

"That's just his way of communicating. Caesar always had a certain way of looking at people. It's nothing new." She argued with a roll of her eyes.

"And the touching?" Ellie pressed on, not letting the subject go.

"Apes rely on touch to convey emotion much more than humans do." Lydia replied nonchalantly.

There was a short pause in which Ellie lifted an eyebrow at her as a small smirk found its way across her face, and Lydia realised how her words might be perceived.

"Okay, that didn't come out right…" She chuckled. Ellie joined in immediately and it was like all the tension left Lydia's body at that moment. It was nice to laugh a bit, despite what was actually going on right now.

"No, it didn't, but I get your point." Ellie spoke with a bright smile on her face. It soon turned thoughtful, though. "So, there's nothing? Between the two of you, I mean." She asked curiously.

Lydia shook her head softly.

"No, there isn't. I have Roy and Caesar has Cornelia. We're both pretty well-settled and I honestly wouldn't trade Roy for the world."

It was true. The two had been together so long and were so close that Lydia honestly couldn't imagine a life without the big male ape. He was kind and thoughtful, tender and loving. She really couldn't ask for more in a mate.

And yet… the way Caesar had looked at her. The way he had touched her, held her hand and refused to let go.

Perhaps he _was_ attracted to her, as Ellie suggested, and simply couldn't be bothered to conceal it in his hazy, pained state?

The thought caused a slight tug at Lydia's abdomen and a small jump of her heart inside her chest. There _had_ been… moments, during these past couple of years. Times when she'd felt his eyes linger on her or instances when they had maintained eye contact for just a moment too long. And then, there had been her near-fall just a couple of days ago, when he had caught her and pulled her against his body… She quickly rid herself of these thoughts. It was absurd to entertain them.

Yes, Caesar was an attractive, striking, intense male. He was strong, kind and understanding. This, she had always known. There was no way of denying something even the blind would see clearly.

But Lydia had someone she loved already. So much it almost hurt sometimes – and doubly so now, as she sat here, with no knowledge of his whereabouts or if he was even alive.

Ellie only nodded with an understanding smile and Lydia was glad that the woman chose not to inquire further. Her attraction to Caesar had been so far in the back of her mind that she had hardly noticed it was even there in the first couple of years in the Ape Colony. Not that she hadn't acknowledged it, because she _had_ , but it had been nothing more than a stray thought here and there. A reaction to a confident, dominant – and not half-bad looking male.

It had been easy to ignore with Roy there and Caesar so utterly and _obviously_ devoted to Cornelia.

But now, with everything that had happened, as they sat alone together, every subtle look and accidental touch that had ever occurred between them came to mind, making Lydia feel slightly guilty.

Caesar was very dear to her. He was her friend who was now hurt, vulnerable and in need of care. Adding to that, Cornelia, her best female friend, was still sick from her infection, had a small child to care for and probably still thought that her husband was dead and gone.

And then there was Roy…

Lydia shook her head to rid herself from those thoughts, not daring to dwell on them. It wouldn't do her any good and besides, once this whole mess had been settled, everything would, hopefully, return to normal.

"Anyway," she spoke, making Ellie look up from her plate, which she had just managed to empty of that disgusting porridge. "How about we figure out what needs to be prepared for when Malcolm comes back with those med supplies?"

Ellie's smile widened at the use of the word 'when' and rose from her seat in front of Lydia with a determined nod.

"Right." Came her voice, more confident than Lydia had ever heard it before. "Let's get to work."

* * *

 **Blue Eyes**

It was a couple of hours later, as afternoon had just started to turn into evening, when one of the hunters that Blue Eyes had joined screamed ear-splittingly loud from a few feet away, having spotted a group of humans trying to make it into the abandoned colony unseen. The Ape Prince could hear several other groups of hunters approaching, no doubt coming to catch and round up the humans. The young ape didn't even bother pretending that his heart was in it as he proceeded to follow his group, trailing after his riled-up companions with calm, even steps.

The place had been trashed the first time the apes had entered the colony, prompting the humans to scatter all over the city centre in an attempt to escape capture. Now, as Blue Eyes quietly made his way through the rooms and corridors in his half-hearted search for prisoners, he noticed how pieces of glass and debris covered the floor. It was a huge mess of shattered windows and broken walls, but what lied beneath all that slowly began to create a picture in his mind of how these creatures must have lived before the apes came down from the forest. In many of the rooms, there were what he assumed must be the human equivalent of a nest, with covers made of fabric not unlike the tatters Lydia still kept for thread-making in her backpack. In other places, there were tables with stacks of papers or equipment like what Malcolm's group had brought to the dam. None of the rooms contained any humans, thought.

That suited Blue Eyes just fine. He wasn't sure he had the stomach for it anymore.

It hadn't bothered him just half a day ago, back when he had still been ignorant of Koba's faults and followed him blindly in an attempt to avenge his father.

He had wanted to make things right.

Set them straight.

Settle a score.

But all the Ape Prince had achieved was a deeply-rooted sense of hopelessness and grief.

He continued to trudge on sourly through the abandoned colony, hearing how his companions crashed through the other rooms, screeching at the top of their lungs, high on the thrill of the chase.

And they were supposed to be _smart_ apes, Blue Eyes thought dejectedly.

Suddenly, as he made his way into another corridor, rapid breathing and heavy footsteps caught his attention as they sounded to his right. The sound of the steps had a sharp quality to them, revealing that it was a human who was making their way through the chaos.

Blue Eyes only just managed to turn his head in the direction the sound was coming from as a tall human male stumbled around the corner to press himself flatly against the wall of the hallway. He was too focused to notice Blue Eyes at first, having his head turned in the direction of the room he had run from to listen for potential threats coming his way.

It didn't take long for the human male to turn, though, and the young ape froze momentarily as he did.

This wasn't just _any_ human male.

It was Malcolm!

Their eyes met as he turned, panting heavily and clutching something to his chest for dear life. Blue Eyes couldn't make out what it was and didn't feel particularly interested at the moment. Malcolm's stare was intense and frightened, but there was a determination as well which Blue Eyes hadn't expected to find. He didn't say anything, though.

For a moment, the two just stared at each other as Malcolm caught his breath. Recognition seemed to dawn on him after some time, but by then, Blue Eyes had already decided what to do.

He would leave this human to his fate. What he had or hadn't done didn't matter anymore. If he was lucky, he would escape Blue Eyes' group and get away with that curious little parcel he still held so firmly to his chest. If he was unlucky, he would be captured and most likely brought before Koba for the bonobo to set an example by avenging the fallen Ape King, further solidifying his power.

Blue Eyes refused to be a part of it either way. He had had enough.

"Hey, wait!" The human's voice called out from down the corridor, so loud that Blue Eyes almost cringed. Didn't he realise that the other apes would find him in no time if he was this loud?

The adolescent ape stopped to listen to what the human had to say. Not that he cared much at this point, but at least it might make the man lower his voice. It wouldn't look good if Blue Eyes was caught in the same room as a human and not doing anything to catch him.

What Malcolm said next, however, made him turn around instantly.

"Your father." The human male breathed softly. Imploringly. "He's alive."

The prince's pale blue eyes widened a fraction as he stared back at the man, a sense of relief flooding his mind. Could it be? Was it possible that his father was still alive? Despite having been shot by the humans' deadly weapons?

Almost instantly, his eyes narrowed in mistrust as his suspicion of humans reared its ugly head once again. Why should he trust what this man said? It could be a trick, as all else this human had done seemed to have been. What if he was only seizing his chance at trying to lure the Ape Prince away from the other apes, perhaps to try and use him as leverage against Koba? To make him release the humans he had caught?

And yet, Malcolm's eyes seemed sincere and the prospect of it all, the mere _possibility_ that his father might be alive made Blue Eyes make a tentative step towards the man. His eyes remained distrustful, however.

Malcolm seemed to pick up on his hesitation immediately.

"Listen," he spoke softly, seemingly now aware of how his loud speech might attract unwanted attention. "I know you have no reason to trust me. But I'm here because of him. I'm trying to _help_ him."

When Blue Eyes didn't make any further steps towards him, Malcolm sighed.

"Just come with me, please? I'll take you to him, I promise! And… and if I'm lying…" He nodded his head at the gun Blue Eyes still held in his hand. "Then you can kill me where I stand."

Blue Eyes pondered that for a bit, holding out his gun to look down at it in thought. He didn't know if he would be able to kill someone in cold blood like Koba, if the person didn't even try to threaten him or at least defend themselves.

But what did he have to lose at this point? Mother was still in the forest with Cornelius, so they weren't at risk. At least not right now. He didn't want them to come to the city and face the destruction Koba had caused…

If there was a chance, even a small one, that Malcolm _was_ telling the truth and Caesar was alive, then this could all come to an end. His father could return and set the apes back on the right path!

And if he was lying… Well, he had made that quite clear already.

Blue Eyes nodded at Malcolm, finally. He just _had_ to try.

And so, the Ape Prince followed the human male out of the colony as quietly as possible.


	23. Ready for the Truth

_**Blue Eyes**_

It was evening by the time Malcolm indicated that they had reached their destination. The place where the Ape King was supposed to be. Blue Eyes had become ever more suspicious the further they went, but once they reached the quiet, abandoned outskirts of the city, he grew more curious than anything else.

Sure, it was possible to make an ambush here, but it was far from ideal.

The apes wouldn't be able to hear him calling for help, of that he was sure, but it was clear that no one, human or ape, had been here for a long time. The vegetation sprouting uncontrollably in the yards and from between cracks in the road had not been ruffled or broken by creatures walking through it and the only cars on the road were halfway eaten up by rust.

If there was a larger body of humans here, in hiding, waiting to ambush him, Blue Eyes dared to say it would be no embarrassment for him to be captured if they were able to hide it so well.

Malcolm said nothing until they reached one house, indistinguishable from all the others to Blue Eyes, except for the car out front, which had obviously been parked there quite recently.

And there was one other thing…

Looking the house over, Blue Eyes found something he hadn't expected… that window… at the very top floor of the house.

It was the apes' sign, no question about it.

What was this sign doing here? Was it intentional? Did the apes have a connection to this place, somehow?

Blue Eyes knew it was his father who had chosen the symbol to represent the apes, but he had never questioned its origin.

What was this place?

And what did it have to do with the apes? With Caesar?

"This is it." Malcolm spoke softly, walking up the overgrown path to the door with renewed vigour. There was only a moment's hesitation in Blue Eyes movements before he followed too, albeit at a slower pace as he looked out for traps. Until he saw his father, alive and well, these humans were not to be trusted!

"I got it!" Malcolm's voice sounded from within the house as Blue Eyes made his way up the steps leading to the door. There was relief in his voice and the adolescent ape could just make out how he gave his mate, Ellie, a quick hug before turning back to Blue Eyes as he entered the hallway. It was dark and dusty, making his nose twitch with the urge to sneeze.

"How is he?" Malcolm asked as he looked towards the interior of the room he had stormed into. Ellie didn't get to answer as Blue Eyes, too, entered the room. The general living space, by the looks of it. Alex, Malcolm's son, was there too.

But it was the figure lying on the couch that ended up having Blue Eyes' undivided attention. There, in the dark room, surrounded by dusty furniture, was Caesar. His father!

And he was alive! His bright, green eyes, warmed by recognition as they landed on his son, confirmed it without a shred of doubt.

As his eyes travelled to Blue Eyes' hand, the young ape was suddenly very aware of what he was still holding: the gun he had stolen from the humans. What must his father think of him, holding this horrible weapon?

He immediately put it down, gently, for safety, but still with shame and disgust briefly colouring his features before he once again turned his attention to his father.

What he saw when he got closer made him want to pick it up again, though. There, at the top left of Caesar's chest, was a wound Blue Eyes knew was caused by a bullet. The bullet fired the night before… by those humans!

He whipped around and bared his teeth in anger, his pale blue gaze shifting from one person to another, but resting the longest on Malcolm.

The sound of a door opening at the back of the house startled Blue Eyes momentarily as he could make out a single pair of footsteps coming down the hallway.

And then, before Blue Eyes had even so much as thought the word 'ambush', a familiar voice sounded, followed by the soft pitter-patter of padded, clawed paws against the wooden floor.

"Ellie! I found some extra bedsheets in one of the other houses I think we could-"

Lydia stopped dead in her tracks as she entered the room, her widened eyes fixed on Blue Eyes in surprise.

"-use…" She finished her sentence lamely. Her jaw went slack as her lips parted slightly, the arm holding the sheets she had collected going limp at her side. The faded fabric pooled on the floor at her side as two large, furry creatures came up from behind her.

Blue Eyes had no time to react as Blaze and Storm charged at him with their tails wagging vigorously, and he had no choice but to receive their licks and happy whimpers as they nuzzled into his stomach.

He really had no idea what to do at this point. His father lying there on the couhc, wounded by humans and too weak to even stand on his own, with the assailants just in front of them, and now Lydia was suddenly there as well, seemingly helping them!

And yet, at the sound of her soft voice as she spoke, Blue Eyes felt tears of relief sting behind his sky-coloured orbs.

"Blue…?" She called softly. She seemed confused and relieved, yet also looked like she didn't dare to show it. To get close.

A stab of guilt went through his chest yet again.

He had himself to thank for this.

"Your… mother." Caesar called weakly from the couch and everyone's attention turned to him. Blue Eyes was at his side in an instant.

"Brother… Safe?"

" _For now._ " The young ape replied softly. His gaze once again landed on the bullet wound in his father's chest, and he turned his head to hiss at the humans gathered only a few feet away.

"No." Caesar reached up to put a heavy hand on Blue Eyes' shoulder, stopping him.

"Not… Human…" The Ape King spoke once he had regained his son's attention. "Koba."

 _What!?_

That was the first thought that went through Blue Eyes' mind. How could this be? Koba, who had been ever loyal to his father through all these years, had shot him? At first, it didn't make sense to the young ape, who had idolized his honorary uncle. Yet the more he thought about it… the more it actually _did_ make sense. Koba had been increasingly angry with Caesar for not taking action against the humans, and cooperating with them instead had only fuelled the raging fire that was Koba's temper.

And then it had all come to a head when the two had fought back at the dam's control room.

Koba had been humiliated, then, and now it was clear to Blue Eyes that the bonobo had retaliated in the most horrid way possible. He had conspired to kill Caesar, and had almost gotten away with it, to take his place as leader of the colony so he could wage war against the humans – like he had wanted to do from the beginning.

And Blue Eyes had fallen for it!

It wasn't the first time that the adolescent felt bile rise in his throat that day, and yet this time, it felt so much worse than all the others put together. This betrayal, by someone he had been so close to. Someone who had practically helped raise him and teach him everything he knew.

It was just too much to take.

"Malcolm." Ellie's voice sounded behind them, pulling Blue Eyes out of his dark thoughts and back to the present.

"Yeah." Malcolm nodded as Blue Eyes turned his head to follow the conversation. Ellie stepped forward, then, looking imploringly at the Ape King.

"Caesar. We need to do this now." She spoke with a slight hint of urgency, to which the Ape King nodded.

It confused Blue Eyes to begin with and he eyed the package Malcolm had picked up from the colony, now clutched firmly in Ellie's hands as she stepped forward.

He didn't want to leave his father. Not like this. He needed him! What were they going to do to him?

"It's okay, Blue." Lydia spoke suddenly, and as his face turned to her, he realised his worry must have shown. "They're going to help him. Remove the bullet and clean the wound… Come. Ellie will need some peace and space to work."

Lydia extended a hand tentatively for him to take and seemed surprised when he immediately took hold of it and let her lead him out of the room, casting one worried look towards his father as Ellie laid out the things she would need.

The dogs followed suit as Lydia led him to the kitchen where she let go of his hand to go and rummage through some bags in the corner.

"You can sit down, Blue. It's going to take some time for them to finish up in there, so I'll try and fix up something for you to eat." Lydia's voice was pleasant and calm, like there was nothing to worry about at all, and it helped Blue Eyes' stomach stop churning with concern.

Looking at her now, Blue Eyes noted how her clothes were ruffled and dirty, and her skin was dark around those deep blue eyes of hers. This, coupled with her already pale skin, made her look haggard and drained. She seemed like she could pass out at any given moment and Blue Eyes guessed that she probably hadn't slept much.

"Here you go. I could make you some porridge, but since _I_ can barely eat it, I figured you would probably hate it." She chuckled easily as went back to him with a pack of small disks in her hands, giving it to him. They smelled alright, but Blue Eyes still couldn't help his hesitation as he picked one out of the package.

"They're crackers, Blue. Quite harmless, I promise." Lydia smiled reassuringly as she moved away to sit on the kitchen counter. The way she put space between them didn't escape Blue Eyes' notice as he bit into the cracker and he proceeded to enjoy the slightly dry treat while looking down at the table in thought.

Had he really become so distanced from her that she felt the need to keep away from him like this in order for him to be comfortable?

Back when he was a child, he would gladly climb all over her with Orion and Ash as they played. In fact, she had put up with it for far longer than any of the other adults. She had smiled and laughed at their antics and comforted them like any other ape would when one of them got hurt.

It was Lydia who had taught Blue Eyes how to clean the guts out of a fish properly. Lydia who had helped him skin his first deer (and reassured him when he thought he had messed the task up for good by stabbing through the hide accidentally).

And it had been Lydia who had saved him, Ash and Orion from that mountain lion all those years ago, risking her own life to save that of three small apes. Without question.

And here he was, sitting in front of her now like she was a total stranger. An outsider. An enemy.

For goodness sake, until his father had explained who had shot him, Blue Eyes had even thought she was conspiring with the humans to hurt the apes!

He almost slapped his palm against his face when he realised that he hadn't said a _single_ word to her at all either. He had just finished his fourth cracker as that thought struck him and noticed how the woman in question was staring out the window, seemingly lost in her own thoughts.

Sad thoughts, if the look on her face was anything to go by.

Blue Eyes put the pack of treats down and got up from his chair, drawing Lydia's attention as he went over to stand in front of her.

"Something wrong, Blue?" She asked, voice full of concern. She slid down from the kitchen counter to stand in front of him. Even now, she seemed uncertain of that was the right move with him.

His eyes felt warm as tears burned behind them. After all that had happened, after all this time of him thinking the worst of her and distancing himself from her, just because he had realised she was human, and here she was, _still_ trying to be there for him despite everything. Like she always had.

He said nothing as he moved forward, wrapping his arms around her midsection in a desperate embrace and resting his head on her shoulder. Her arms went around him to return the hug immediately, which finally made him huff out a quiet sob as everything that had happened in the past few days came crashing down on him.

He didn't let the tears fall for long, though. Feeling her arms hold him tightly had a calming effect on him and he realised that he had missed this kind of closeness terribly. In his eagerness to prove himself as an adult, he had begun to shun such intimate gestures, not only from Lydia, but from all the apes as well – even his mother got fewer hugs nowadays.

Standing here now, he discovered that he had needed this, and for quite some time too. The comfort, the familiarity, the bonding with another being.

How could he ever have thought that this woman wanted anything but that as well? He was right to be ashamed of himself – of his thoughts _and_ his actions.

Sighing deeply, he pulled back reluctantly to sign.

" _I'm sorry, Lydia… I have been a horrible friend… To you… Orion… Ash._ " He almost sobbed again at the mention of his childhood friends, one of which was now dead and the other imprisoned.

" _And now, all suffer because of it._ " He added in a shameful manner, eyes downcast. He just couldn't bear looking into her eyes as he apologised, fearing the judgement he expected to find in them. He felt like such a coward for that, not being able to face his mistakes, however terrible they may be, like a proper ape.

He was certain his father would have no problem with that, had he been in Blue Eyes' stead.

He always envied that about him.

He suddenly felt two soft hands cup his cheeks and tilt his head upwards towards Lydia's face. The touch startled him enough to make him actually look up rather than avoid her gaze, and to his surprise, her eyes held absolutely no judgement or blame at all. The only thing he was able to find in those blue orbs of hers was compassion.

"You don't have to apologise, Blue. Not for a single thing. Especially not for what has happened these past few days. None of that is your fault." Her eyes stared intently into his own, willing him to understand and accept what she was saying. "We suffer because one ape could not let go of his hatred, and another trusted this ape too much to see it."

He nodded solemnly, not fully understanding what she meant by it. He imagined that father would explain it better once his wound had been tended to. Some part of him still didn't like the thought of Ellie digging around in his father's chest with those strange tools of hers, but who better to clean a wound made by a human weapon and an actual human?

Lydia's thumbs brushed across his cheeks, wiping away the last of his tears.

"Come on over and sit with me? You look tired." She asked softly, like she always had in the past, when he was a child and had wanted to talk about something he found difficult. He complied and let her pull him towards the table again by his hand, her grip tender around his fingers.

" _So do you._ " He answered truthfully once they had sat down. " _Very much._ "

"Well… It has been a rough day and a half." Lydia replied as she slouched slightly forward in her seat. They sat by the corner of the table, so close that their knees were touching.

Lydia's eyes suddenly became uncertain and she pushed back a fraction in her seat, her hands twisting around each other nervously in her lap.

"Listen, Blue, do you…. Do you know anything about… Roy and Orion? Where they are? If they're… if they're alive?" Her voice was small as her eyes met his own and Blue Eyes felt a lump form in his throat.

" _Prisoners… Koba said they are too loyal to father. Maurice too… Rocket… Luca._ " She nodded with a serious expression on her face. Even though her eyes looked tired, Blue Eyes could see in them that her mind was hard at work, analysing the information given to her. " _But they are alive… for now._ "

Even though she looked relieved at his words, there seemed to still be something nagging her. He saw how she bit her lower lip in thought, looking hesitant to say what was on her mind. Blue Eyes knew she would, thought. Eventually. Lydia wasn't one to beat around the bush or leave things unsaid. She was too impatient and pragmatic for that sort of thing.

True to her nature, after a minute or two, she looked up to once again search Blue Eyes' gaze.

"Where is… Where is Ash?" She spoke quietly, yet it might as well have been a vicious shout to Blue Eyes' ears. "If he isn't with you… You didn't mention him being taken prisoner…"

The young ape clenched his fists on top of his thighs to fight the tears threatening to fall again.

" _Koba…. Koba killed Ash._ " He finally managed to sign once he was sure his emotions were somewhat in check. He had lowered his head to stare intently at the table, avoiding Lydia's eyes as her sharp intake of breath made him suck in his own bottom lip angrily. He gritted his teeth and took a deep breath through his nose in an attempt to keep his signing discernible. Right now, he _really_ wanted to just slam the table and scream.

" _For refusing to kill a human. A human with no weapon. I saw it._ " He clarified finally. Talking about it made the killing seem that much more senseless to the ape.

When he looked up, Lydia seemed even more distressed than Blue Eyes felt. Her deep blue orbs were glistening in the low light with unshed tears, a crease appearing between her brows as she frowned deeply. Looking down, the young ape noticed how the woman's knuckles had turned white as she clenched her hands together and he feared she might draw blood with the way her nails were digging into her hands.

He cooed softly at her to try and calm her down and reached up to run the back of his fingers gently against her cheek. It had always calmed him down when his mother did that, and though he had always seen Lydia as his senior, an adult, he felt that he owed her this. He had _seen_ it happen and had had time to come to terms with it for a while now, whereas Lydia had only _just_ gotten to know.

And the news had hit hard.

Ash and Lydia had always had a very special relationship. It was probably safe to say that she viewed him as a kind of nephew or even a second son and now, she had been told that he had been killed.

By an ape he was supposed to be able to trust, no less.

She seemed to be pulled out of her quiet state of anger and distress by Blue Eyes' gentle touch, and she leaned into it with a shaky sigh. The tears that had formed in her eyes dried before they had the chance to fall and she was now only looking down at the table's dusty surface with a sullen look, not unlike the slight frown that often rested on Caesar's face.

Blue Eyes had half a mind to tell her that she reminded him of his father when she looked like that, but thought better of it, sensing that she wasn't quite ready for an attempt at lifting the mood just yet.

Instead, he settled for lowering his hand to pry hers away from each other and holding one of them as he let his own gaze sweep over the room they were in. He hadn't had the chance until now, with everything that had been going on and to be honest, it wasn't like it was that much different from what he had seen in the city. Everything was covered in dirt, dust and cobwebs, save for the surfaces that the current occupants had sloppily cleared.

The window in the shape of the apes' symbol had led him to believe that this was some sort of hidden outpost or secret sanctum – the birthplace of the revolution that had led them to freedom, perhaps. That was how his father had described that symbol. How every ape who had witnessed those times had described it.

He had expected it to be something grand and spectacular when he saw that symbol. Looking around at the house now, though, he found himself thoroughly underwhelmed. It was a human house as any other – old and abandoned long ago.

He decided that it would be as good a subject as any to get Lydia to think of something else than the loss of Ash. Her hand had begun to relax in his grip and the crease between her brows had softened – a sign that she had calmed down enough to talk.

" _What is this place?_ " He asked, letting go of her hand to sign. " _This house has our symbol._ "

She tilted her head to the side with a raised brow, confusion evident on her face and even more so in her voice as she spoke.

"Your father never told you about it?"

He shook his head softly. His father had never told him about such a place and now Blue Eyes suddenly got the feeling that he had missed out on something important. Something he _should_ know.

Lydia bit her bottom lip in thought as she regarded the adolescent chimp.

"Hmm. I'm not sure if I'm the right person to tell you this, Blue… If Caesar hasn't mentioned it himself…" She seemed hesitant – a rare thing for Lydia, and Blue Eyes' curiosity was now more piqued than ever. What was this place? Why did it carry the apes' symbol? What did it have to do with his father?

He decided then that he _had_ to convince Lydia to tell him.

" _Father might not be able to soon._ " He signed in a subdued manner. It was true, after all, as much as it pained him to say it. If Ellie's operation didn't go well, there was a risk that Caesar wouldn't be there to tell him later.

Furthermore, as his son, Blue Eyes felt like he the right to know, in any event.

" _Please, Lydia…_ " He implored, staring straight into her eyes like he hadn't done for almost a year and a half now.

The woman sighed heavily but nodded all the same.

"I suppose you deserve to know…." She paused briefly, seemingly looking for the words that would best convey what he wanted to know.

In the end, she seemed to choose the simplest.

"This is where your father grew up."

It took him a few seconds to process and when he finally managed to, his face scrunched up in a confused frown.

" _Father said he was with apes. Escaped from ape prison._ " Blue Eyes argued. That had always been the story he had received from his elders. It had never deviated from that scenario, no matter who had told him about it – be it Koba, Maurice, Rocket, Cornelia or Caesar himself.

Lydia smiled gently at him.

"He did. When he was about your age. How do you think he ended up in that prison? Where do you think he was before that happened?"

There was no pity or smugness in her voice and because of that, Blue Eyes felt less bad about his apparent ignorance. Honestly, he had never thought about that at all. That his father may have had a life before he ended up in that horrible place he and some of the older apes spoke about.

" _So… father lived here?_ " The young ape asked in wonder. " _How? With who?_ "

There were so many other questions fighting to be asked as Blue Eyes' hands flew in front of him, but he decided to put a lid on it when Lydia looked at him with a raised eyebrow. When his hands stilled in the air before he could begin to sign another question, the human woman gave a small, understanding smile before answering.

"Well, he was raised here by humans. I'm told he was living with a very kind man and his father, who ended up treating Caesar almost like a son."

Blue Eyes nodded as he sucked this new information up like a sponge. He had never known this about his father. Had never been told by _anyone_ , and he honestly didn't know how to feel about this.

Why hadn't his father told him about his upbringing with humans? It would have explained so many of the decisions Caesar had made in the past couple of days.

Yet when he voiced this thought to Lydia, he understood why immediately.

"I think that has a lot to do with how you have been with both Caesar and me for so long now. You were too young until a year or two ago, and when you started favouring Koba and sympathise with his views, I think your father decided that you weren't ready to know just yet."

Lydia pursed her lips after she said this, looking thoughtfully down at the table before redirecting her gaze to the young ape.

"Or he might just have been biding his time. Perhaps he simply didn't know how to tell you."

Blue Eyes didn't know if she had added that last part because he had gotten a guilty look on his face at the mention of how he had treated his father and her, or if it was actually because she wasn't sure. Either way, he nearly recoiled at the mention of how he had favoured Koba.

To think, the day before, he had strived to be like the bonobo! Taken his side in nearly every dispute and discussed Caesar's leadership with Koba behind his own fathers back!

Then and there, Blue Eyes swore that he would **_never_** be like Koba.

He nodded solemnly in agreement at Lydia's assessment nonetheless.

Just then, Ellie appeared in the doorway of the kitchen and both Lydia and Blue Eyes turned their heads in her direction. She had a tired expression on her face, but there was no sadness or grief to be found in her features. Blue Eyes took that as a good sign.

"We're done. Removed the bullet from his chest." She spoke softly.

Her arms hanging at her sides were covered in blood, which made Blue Eyes' brow furrow in concern. It certainly didn't _look_ like it had gone well.

Beside him, Lydia nodded seriously.

"And? Will he recover? You were in there quite long."

It was true. Through the grimy windows, Blue Eyes could see how the sky was turning a dark, ominous grey, rather than the pale shade it had been earlier. They must have been sitting here for a long time.

"It's too early to say. He's still asleep, but he should wake up within 15 to 30 minutes." Ellie spoke, her voice and features turning neutral, giving nothing away. "But he's strong." She added, nodding towards Blue Eyes. "You can go to him, if you would like. I need to get some air right now."

The young chimp got up immediately, signing a slow 'thank you' to Ellie, which Lydia quickly translated.

He didn't even see or hear if the woman replied as he went past her.

Right now, he was just eager to see his father again. To hear him breathe and know that he was still alive.

And as he re-entered the living room, seeing Caesar lie on the couch, still sleeping and with his wound now freshly stitched, Blue Eyes made a decision.

This ape, right in front of him, his father – **_this_** was who he would strive to be like.


	24. Vague Confessions

_**Caesar**_

Caesar lied there, on the couch, staring up at the ceiling in thought.

He had spoken with his son earlier in the evening, hanging on to every gesture, every sign as Blue Eyes had relayed everything that had happened since Caesar's 'death'. How Koba had brought the apes to the city to wage war in order to, supposedly, avenge Caesar. How he had rounded up the humans in cages, killing those who opposed.

How he had killed Ash. Imprisoned Maurice, Rocket, Luca, Roy… Even Orion.

He could see that it pained his son greatly to describe it as tears rolled down his cheeks and his pale, blue eyes glistened in the relative darkness of the room. His idolized view of Koba had been shattered in the span of just a few hours and, upon knowing that it was Koba who had attempted to kill his father, the last, impossibly small speck of hope the young chimp had nurtured for his honorary uncle had vanished instantly.

It tore at Caesar's heartstrings to see his son like this – he was much too young to have to experience something like this. To have the last remnants of his youth and innocence so brutally pulled from his grasp. Caesar knew what that felt like and would never have wished it for his own child.

And yet, when Blue Eyes spoke, actually _spoke_ with his raw, huffing voice, Caesar knew that he had regained his son.

That their bond had been renewed.

That it hadn't all been for naught.

It was like seeing his son for the very first time all over again, only this time, he wasn't a fragile infant suckling at his mother's breast, but a grown ape with the sense and courage needed to face the cruelty the world had in store for him. For better or for worse.

The change in Blue Eyes' attitude was only confirmed to Caesar when the young ape had told him of his conversation with Lydia. How he had apologised and relayed the deep talk that had followed. He wasn't particularly surprised when his son began to ask him about his past in the house they were currently in. He figured that Lydia would have provided Blue Eyes with at least _some_ information about the significance of the place. She hadn't revealed much, though. Just enough for Caesar to elaborate and tell of his life in detail when he woke up after the operation.

And so, he did, though it wasn't as thorough a retelling of his past as he would have liked to give. They simply didn't have the time for him to go into detail right now.

Blue Eyes was satisfied with it all the same, and didn't seem to harbour any hard feelings for not having been told about his father's past sooner. The Ape King guessed that he had Lydia to thank for that.

Afterwards, they had called in the others and laid a plan. Blue Eyes was to go back to the colony where the loyal apes were being held, free them and bring them back to the hiding place. Meanwhile, Caesar would stay at his childhood home, recovering while the humans took care of him. When Blue Eyes returned with the others, they would escort their king to face Koba.

Caesar knew that he wouldn't recover completely in the time it would take his son to free the loyal apes, but it would have to do. If they didn't act quickly, who knows what Koba might do once he decided to move the females and young into the city. Caesar tried not to think too hard on that, the fear for his wife and youngest son's life gripping his heart like a cold iron fist.

When all had been planned out, Blue Eyes had taken his leave. The feel of his son's forehead against his own as they parted had warmed the Ape King's soul immensely. It had been so long since they had shared such a gesture. And when Blue Eyes had reached out and wrapped Lydia in a fierce embrace as he departed, Caesar knew for certain that Koba's ideals were no longer Blue Eyes'. That the young ape was no longer influenced by the hatred Koba had fed him.

He had noticed how Lydia had returned the hug just as fiercely and that her deep, blue eyes had glistened in the low light as Blue Eyes went out the door.

When the adolescent was out of sight once again, loping calmly down the street he had come from hours before, the humans had agreed to take a rest. None of them had gotten any sleep since the colony had been set on fire and each now seemed to be slouching forward from fatigue as they walked around the house. Lydia especially looked to be in dire need of some rest, though Caesar couldn't tell if she actually _did_ need it more than the others or if he just thought so because he knew all her tells. He had had five years to learn them, after all.

The Ape King had expected her to protest all the same when Malcolm had offered to take the first shift as lookout, yet Lydia had only nodded gratefully along with the others and made herself comfortable on the floor beside Caesar's own resting place on the couch. So, borrowing one of the trio's sleeping bags to lie on, she now slept deeply beside Caesar as he let his hand hang down to rest against her back.

He suspected that it was his familiar touch, combined with more than a day and a half of no rest, that made her able to sleep so heavily now. He couldn't really blame her at all – though he did envy how sleep had come so easily to her. The drugs Ellie had administered to lessen his pain and keep him somewhat sedated had made Caesar drowsy, sure, but his constant worry and the jabbing pain in his chest kept dragging him back from that blissful, quiet realm of sleep time and time again. More than once, he had resisted the urge to groan out loud in frustration when he awoke from only a few minutes of sleep and had, instead, channelled his energy into softly stroking Lydia's back through her shirt. She didn't even stir as his fingers moved, indicating that she was, indeed, far off into the land of dreams.

And so, he had resigned to staring at the dark, mouldy patches on the living room ceiling as the others slept soundly, their quiet snores filling the stifling silence of early night-time.

It was only now, when he was truly alone with his thoughts, with no burning, open wound in his chest and no one to fuzz over him like worried hens, that he had the time and mind to think about exactly _where_ he was right now. To really let it sink in as the scents of the house flooded his senses.

It was so strange being back here, in his childhood home. He had never expected to go back after Will had passed away and certainly not in the company of others. Yet the more he thought about it, the more he began to realise exactly _why_ he had brought these people here.

At first, he had thought it was simply because they had nowhere else to go, seeing that the human colony had been taken over – but that had been a blatant lie he had told himself. There were _plenty_ of places they could have gone to, as all houses in this quiet suburb now stood gapingly empty and abandoned. Why, they could have gone just next door to old Hunsiker's house and no one would have even realised this was Caesar's childhood home to begin with. He could have kept them all in the dark if he had wanted to.

But that was just it, he had realised. He _didn't_ want to do that. Not anymore. These people had gone out of their way to try and save him rather than run away, tail between their legs, like any other rational creature would have done, given the circumstances. They could be trusted, he was sure of that now. And most of all, he was _tired_ of hiding it. Tired of hiding the reason why he had given these humans all those chances. They deserved to see. To _know_.

He felt Lydia stir slightly in her sleep and he pressed the entire palm of his hand against her back to calm her. It was good that she was leaning forward on her side so that her back was more exposed to him – otherwise, this position might have been awkward in his current state. As it was now, though, the action didn't pull at his stitches or worsen the dull ache in his chest in any way, and thus, he was able to splay his fingers out across Lydia's back comfortingly, feeling how she unconsciously leaned into his touch.

He was glad that she was here, safe and sound at his side, rather than out in the chaos that Koba had created. Caesar knew that had she not found him with Malcolm, Ellie and Alex back at the forest's edge, she would most likely have gone to the city in search for Roy and Orion – a sentiment he could understand, sure, but nonetheless one he didn't want her to act on.

He didn't doubt that she could handle herself and manage to stay hidden as she devised a plan, but he knew that she would most likely not be able to use deadly force to defend herself against any apes that, against all odds, might have found her. They had been her family for so long now that Caesar knew the mere thought of harming them was inconceivable to Lydia – no matter their betrayal.

No. It was better she was here. Safe and sound. _With him_.

He almost winced as the last thought came to mind, guilt sneaking its way into his heart. Both of their respective mates could be in grave danger and didn't know if either of them were even alive or not and here he was, thinking of her like that yet again.

And it wasn't the first time since they had been reunited after the attempt on Caesar's life.

He had reasoned that he had wanted to be close to her in this time because she was a familiar presence. A recognisable constant that he found comfort in as the world seemed to crumble around him. And while that was not exactly a lie, it was also not the entire truth of it either.

His brow furrowed as he stared into the relative darkness of the room, cursing his traitorous heart for harbouring such feelings for someone else than his beloved wife. And someone who was spoken for, to boot! The Ape King gritted his teeth in thought. At least he could blame the blood loss for the way he had sought out Lydia's touch at every chance he had gotten. He hadn't been in his right mind, then. Otherwise, he would have maintained a more respectful distance, as he had always done.

He slightly increased the pressure of his fingertips against Lydia's back and heard her release a barely-audible sigh in her sleep. She felt warm through her shirt and the steady up and down-movements under his palm as she breathed was very meditative to the Ape King, lulling him into a state of semi-sleep. This was, at least partly, why he didn't notice how the rhythm of her breathing changed after what seemed like hours. It became more controlled, less regular and deeper, all without Caesar sensing a single thing until she began to turn around to face him, startling the Ape King into quickly removing his hand from her form.

He figured that was why she wore a slight frown when their eyes finally met as he looked down at her from his elevated position. This theory was confirmed when she, without saying a word, reached out to take hold of his hand as she sat up with her left side leaning against the couch, legs tucked halfway under herself on the floor.

Now, her tired-looking eyes took in the darkness of the room, and Caesar could literally see the cogs turning in her brain as she thought.

"It's still night…" Were the first words she spoke to him, so softly whispered that they might as well not have been said at all. Her tone told the ape that she hadn't been expecting it to still be dark outside, perhaps at first thinking that it was early morning when she awoke.

The Ape King nodded, unable to avert his green, gold-speckled eyes away from her. She was close enough for him to make out her expressions clearly as the pale moonlight shone through the dirty windows, and her pale skin seemed to almost glow as she faced him.

" _You should go back to sleep._ " Caesar signed, not wanting to wake up Alex and Ellie, who were on the floor just beside Lydia. He knew his voice would be too deep, gravelly and uncontrolled to whisper as Lydia did, and that it would surely wake the other occupants in the room.

Looking over at them to make sure they were still asleep, Caesar noticed how Blaze had elected to huddle up against Alex furthest away from the couch. The canine had taken quite a liking to the young human male in the past couple of hours, he had noticed, perhaps sensing that the boy needed the extra attention on some level. Dogs were smart like that, Caesar knew from years of having these two in his colony.

Storm had chosen to stay near Lydia, lounging by the woman's head as she slept. The female canine was almost invisible in the darkness with her stormy coat of fur, which Caesar could hardly make out from where he was lying anyway.

Lydia shrugged at his comment as she brushed her fingers over the back of his hand.

"So should you… Thoughts about Blue Eyes and the others keeping you awake?" She tilted her head as she whispered the question, her deep blue orbs filled with curiosity and concern. It was an innocent question. One he could have easily evaded with an equally innocent lie, if he had wanted to.

But something about this whole situation simply compelled him to finally, albeit vaguely, tell her the truth. Maybe it was the way her hand felt inside his own. Or how she looked at him with tired, inquisitive eyes.

Or maybe… It was simply because she hadn't drawn away from his touch even once since they had been reunited, no matter how close or drawn out.

" _Yes… Among other things._ " He confessed, looking her straight in the eyes as he signed the words.

She nodded her head softly as she turned her gaze down to stare at their linked hands and his eyes followed hers to observe how his massive, calloused hand engulfed her slender, more delicate one.

"What things, exactly?" She ventured, for once sounding unsure of herself. It was as if she knew, but didn't dare have it confirmed – if he knew her as well as he thought he did, that was most likely the case.

There was a pregnant pause in which Caesar felt Lydia's hold of his hand tighten ever so slightly.

The silence was stifling to the Ape King – something he could scarcely remember ever having experienced in her presence… well, except for that one time three years ago…

Quick, unbidden flashes of what he had seen that day came to mind, making him move his head to look at anything but the woman in front of him to rid himself of those images. They were _not_ helpful right now.

" _Difficult things. Things that should not change. Cannot change._ " He decided to say, after much internal debate on how to word his thoughts. He let go of her hand to reach up for her face, brushing the very tips of his fingers against her soft, smooth cheek and tucking away a stray lock of dishevelled hair. Her sharp, barely-audible intake of breath at the action told him that she had also felt the slight spark of electricity it had induced.

"But they have…" He concluded, speaking out loud for the first time since his talk with Blue Eyes. His voice was, as he had expected, deep and gravelly, though the sentence had been too quick for it to stir any of the room's other occupants.

Lydia nodded as she leaned into his touch, his hand cupping her cheek with the action. Caesar let his thumb brush across her lips as he stared intently into her blue eyes. He knew he could be incredibly hard to read – several of the apes had told him so throughout the years – so right now, he was very conscious of how his feelings were conveyed through his features.

Willing her to understand that he _wanted_ – but _couldn't_.

She seemed to of the same mind as she matched his expression, lips slightly parted against his thumb and eyes full of guilt and apology.

" _I love him too much, Caesar._ " Lydia signed after what seemed like ages of them staring at each other, though, in reality it had probably only been for a minute or two. Caesar couldn't rightly tell why she had chosen to sign rather than speak, as she had previously done up until now. Maybe she didn't trust her voice to say the words, or maybe she didn't want anyone else to hear in case Alex or Ellie were awake and they just hadn't noticed.

Either way, the words stung slightly – yet he knew that it was the same for himself. He loved Cornelia too much to pursue… whatever _this_ was. She was the love of his life, his anchor.

Still, some part of him was relieved that he had gotten this off his chest and spoken to Lydia about it, even if nothing was going to happen between them. It had been gnawing at his conscience for too long. The fact that she seemed to be facing the same dilemma somehow made him feel less foolish and guilty about it, too.

Caesar still hadn't removed his hand from Lydia's cheek as he nodded in understanding, pressing his rough lips together with a deep sigh.

" _It won't change if we don't let it, Caesar. You are still a dear friend to me. I don't want to lose that._ " Lydia signed steadily, though he could see a concern in her eyes that hadn't been there before. Like she was afraid he was going to reject her friendship now that the truth was out – no matter how vaguely it had been articulated.

He wouldn't, though. Their relation meant too much for him to simply discard it.

" _Nothing will change. At least not for us._ " He agreed with a tired-looking upturn of his lips, brushing his thumb over her cheek before letting go of her face and moving the appendage to rest against his own stomach.

" _But everything else is changing._ " He added, a mournful look on his features. As he had said to Blue Eyes earlier, it was Caesar who was really to blame for this whole mess. He had trusted Koba, choosing to overlook his hatred because he is an ape, and now everyone was paying the price for it – including Lydia.

The woman at his side shrugged.

" _All the better to have some constant, I would say._ " Was her nonchalant answer as she seemed to be trying to lighten the mood.

He liked that about her. She had a way of finding something positive in almost every situation and he _did_ have to agree with the point she made just now. It was good to know that he could rely on her, even if all else crumbled. The feelings they harboured for each other wouldn't change that.

Lydia turned on the floor so her back was resting against the couch, pulling her legs up against her chest so she wouldn't kick Ellie accidentally – the living room was a tad bit narrow, after all.

" _And besides, don't beat yourself up about it now. We can't change the past. All we can do is make sure you get your strength back so you can set him straight._ " She signed with easy movements, her upper body still turned slightly towards him so he would be able to discern her gestures better.

He knew he did not look convinced when a crease appeared between her brows after she had said it.

"What is it?" She asked out loud, though still quietly enough not to disturb the others.

Caesar looked up at the ceiling in thought.

" _If he does not listen. If I will have… to kill him. How can I? He is ape._ " Caesar asked as he let a deep frown overtake his features. He had been giving this a lot of thought over the past few hours.

Would he be able to kill another ape? Just like that?

True, Koba's crimes were already stacking up against him, but if the Ape King killed the bonobo, would he not just prove Koba right? Or worse, would he not just prove that he was exactly the same as Koba?

Lydia scoffed beside him and regarded the Ape King with a grimace that told him she thought he was being ridiculous.

" _Koba stopped being an ape long ago, Caesar. He has become exactly like the humans he hates so much. Worse, even, if that's possible. He has become the animal they always told him he was._ "

She said it so effortlessly – like it was the simplest truth to ever have been told.

" _You two never liked each other._ " Caesar countered. " _How can you tell what he was before and what he is now?_ "

" _I don't need to have an unbiased opinion of him to see what he is now, Caesar. He killed Ash and he tried to kill you. Nothing is stopping him from doing it again, either._ " As she said it, she maintained a hard look on her face, staring pointedly at the ground with a deep frown.

But when she looked up to face him again, Caesar saw a twinge of fear in her eyes as she stared into his own, green ones.

" _Caesar… listen…I..._ " She bit her lip and moved her hand to brush a stray lock out of her face before she continued. " _I want you to promise me… If push comes to shove between you and Koba… If he-… just,_ _ **please**_ _, promise me that you won't hesitate to defend yourself by any means necessary if it_ _ **does**_ _turn ugly… I don't want to lose you… again._ "

The imploring, almost pleading edge to her signing tugged violently at Caesar's heart and he could do nothing but nod his head at her. He owed her that much, he knew, and had their roles been reversed, he would probably have asked the same thing.

"I promise." He added as quietly as he could, almost wincing at how loud his own voice seemed in the silence of the room.

"Good. Now get some sleep." She smiled softly at his response, seemingly relieved and comforted by it. He released a soft grunt of laughter at her words, signing a simple 'alright' as he wiggled slightly into the couch to make himself more comfortable, mindful of his freshly-stitched wound.

Then, Lydia turned her torso to face away from him and laid her head back to rest against his stomach, prompting Caesar to lay one hand atop her head. She had taken her hair out of her customary braid and the Ape King could now feel how it lay thickly and lusciously beneath his palm.

He couldn't help but card his fingers through it gently as he averted his gaze back towards the ceiling, much more at ease than he had felt only about an hour or so ago.

It didn't take long for sleep to find him now. Within a mere ten minutes, he was fast asleep, his hand resting with its digits tangled in Lydia's hair. He was vaguely aware that it probably wasn't the best position for her to sleep in, but she didn't seem to pay it any mind at all as she quickly fell asleep.

They were both briefly awoken as Storm had gotten up and moved over to rest her head in Lydia's lap, receiving a brief pat on the head before Lydia's breathing once again evened out as she fell back asleep.

And that was how Malcolm found them when he came into the room to wake Ellie for her to take over guard duty a few hours later. Caesar was semi-conscious again by the time the human man entered the living room, his rest still not as deep as he would have liked.

He saw how Malcolm and Ellie exchanged amused looks at the sight before them, unaware that the Ape King was watching with half-lidded eyes.

Even so, Caesar could hardly bring himself to care about it anymore.

This moment, right here, with Lydia, was probably the last time he would ever get to be this close with her – and that's even if things went _well_ once he would have to face Koba.

For now, he would take what he could get and, for once in his life, not worry about tomorrow.


	25. Prisonbreak

_**Blue Eyes**_

No one had thought it odd that Blue Eyes had been gone for several hours once he came back to the tower, as they had all assumed that he had only been out hunting for human prisoners on his own, or that he simply needed some time for himself – his father had died, after all.

At least, that's what they _thought_.

He had returned yesterday late in the evening, the sentinels Koba had posted doing little to stop him.

Looking at it all with more clarity than he had done only hours before, Blue Eyes almost huffed mockingly at Koba's lax security measures. The guards were few and far between, and Blue Eyes had already spotted several areas where he figured he could escape with the apes loyal to his father. Koba had clearly put more of an effort into finding the last of the humans that had managed to get away in the initial takeover of their colony, rather than secure the perimeter against any potential threats – be they foreign or domestic. It would seem he really _did_ think he was invincible.

That would only work in Blue Eyes' favour, however.

But he shouldn't underestimate Koba, he reminded himself quickly as he scoured the area containing the ape prisoners from afar. The bonobo might be brutal and rash, but he wasn't stupid – that much he had made painfully clear by now. Best to take caution and use every little detail he could gather of his surroundings to gain the upper hand later on. It was almost like hunting, really.

So that's what he did, though his impatience almost got the better of him several times during the entire day of human-hunting he had to endure before he was able to make his first move: give the imprisoned apes a sign and tell them of his plan once he had their attention.

He had found the task of hunting humans unsavoury the day before… Now, he found it absolutely despicable.

These creatures hadn't done anything to deserve this – they weren't the ones who had put Koba, or any of the other apes in cages all those years ago. They had just been trying to survive and now, they were paying the price for someone else's mistakes.

Though Blue Eyes didn't feel any particular sense of kinship towards these humans, he found himself wanting to free them now as well – simply because he knew they were innocent of the crime Koba accused them of.

Not all humans were evil.

How he regretted he hadn't realised that sooner.

But now was not the time to mull over the past, he reminded himself sternly as he picked up his gun and moved to sneak up beside the bus where the apes loyal to his father sat.

As silently and swiftly as if he was on a hunt in the forest, he crept forward between the abandoned cars and roadblocks which littered the street leading towards the improvised human cages. The amount of noise they made, yelling, crying and gasping in fright, provided good cover for Blue Eyes as he approached the prison. It was harrowing to listen to, however, and he found himself gritting his teeth in anger at it, especially whenever he heard the distinct wail of a child or infant, quite recognisable from the rest of the jumbled sounds that surrounded him.

The guards were too busy harassing some of the more… _difficult_ prisoners over at the human cage to notice his approach, and in no time at all, he was at the driver's side of the bus, shielded from the eyes of any sentinels placed atop the human cage as well as the guards at the other side of the bus.

Having carefully devised his plan on how to get the apes' attention, he swiftly went to the front of the bus, drawing his father's symbol on the steam-laden front window – invisible to the guards, but quite clear to the apes inside the bus.

As expected, it didn't take long for someone to notice it and Blue Eyes wasn't surprised to see that that someone had been Maurice. He quickly made eye contact with the old orangutan in the rear-view mirror, making a shushing gesture once he had everyone's attention. They needed to keep quiet for the time being for this to work.

Before he went out of sight after receiving an affirmative nod from the ape prisoners, he made sure to catch Orion's eye with a meaningful glance, beating his fist once against his own chest to show his younger friend that he needed to keep faith.

He didn't stay around to see Orion's resolute nod – the look in his friend's eyes had been enough for Blue Eyes to know that he understood what he had meant.

Soon, it would be time to set his plan in motion.

* * *

 _ **Roy**_

When Maurice's low grumble had sounded through the bus, it had caught Roy's attention immediately and he had whipped his head away from the unsettling scene just outside his window to see what the old orangutan had been making such a fuzz about. The only sounds he had made since their imprisonment was cooing rumbles to comfort Orion and the other younger apes every once in a while.

This sound had been different, though. It was alert and had called for the other apes' attention, and Roy soon found out exactly why.

His heart had skipped a beat when he saw Caesar's mark drawn on the bus's front window, clear as day in the hazy steam that covered it.

Soon after, Blue Eyes could be seen in the rear-view mirror, silently urging them to keep quiet, his eyes full of meaning. At this point, Roy had little to no idea what was going on. They had been sitting in there, chained up in that enclosed bus, for over a day, and the air had grown continuously stifling as the hours had gone by, the sun beating down relentlessly onto their prison. The chains around his wrists were chafing his skin and pulling at his fur, and his throat was absolutely parched by his thirst. Not that they hadn't been provided food and water – they _had_ been, sure, but it had been so minimal that none of the prisoners had been able to stave off the growing hunger in the pits of their stomachs or quench the thirst burning in their throats. Koba, seemingly, wanted to torture them into either submission or death, Roy was sure of it.

And at this point, he hadn't known if he should trust his own eyes to not play tricks on him and making him see things that weren't there, just to give him hope.

But then again, it hadn't seemed likely that all the imprisoned apes were seeing the exact same thing – he was pretty sure visions and wishful thinking didn't work like that.

It had to be true, then. Blue Eyes was there – seemingly to break them all out.

That had been earlier in the day, when all the humans were still being herded into their pen. Their cage. Now, darkness had descended over the city and the sharp, electric lights had replaced the sun's merciless beams. They stung Roy's eyes in much the same way, but they did not wield enough power to illuminate the entire compound they were being held in. Additionally, the surrounding area was still coated in darkness – ideal conditions for them to make their escape.

Still, something had plagued Roy in the time between now and earlier in the day, when the Ape Prince had appeared to draw his father's symbol.

What had prompted Blue Eyes to, quite evidently, go against Koba and free them?

Why had he used Caesar's mark in the first place?

What was even happening out there?

These, as well as a thousand other questions, had shot through his mind like one of Lydia's arrows did swiftly through the air, yet he had decided to put them aside for now. There would be a time and a place for that later – right now, as night had descended upon them and he was faced with the prospect of getting himself, his son and his trusted friends out of this improvised torture chamber, he'd be damned if he messed up by not following the instructions given to him.

Blue Eyes' plan seemed simple enough, and Roy had nodded in unison with the others to confirm that he understood what he needed to do as the young prince now moved further back behind the bus.

The thought had stricken him that Blue Eyes may not be trustworthy, given his idolization of Koba and obvious contempt for humans. Who knew what kind of plan the bonobo could have manipulated the young chimp into carrying out to make the last of the apes loyal to Caesar and his ideals abandon their cause?

But something in the adolescent's eyes had seemed… different, when he had caught everyone's attention earlier in the day. There had been a determination in them, a maturity which Roy hadn't seen before. He had only caught it briefly, but it had been enough to tell him that Blue Eyes was no longer under Koba's hateful spell.

Gone were the doubt and insecurities of an adolescent, replaced by the confidence of a grown male. It suited him well, in Roy's opinion.

And the way the prince had eyed Orion before disappearing behind the bus… as if he was silently promising the younger ape that it would all be alright... Even if Roy couldn't look Orion in the eyes from his position further back in the bus, the way his son's entire posture had perked up at the exchange was the last confirmation Roy had needed to know that Blue Eyes was serious about getting them out.

And armed with this reassurance, he now went with some of the other apes to the windows facing the human cage and they began to make a ruckus to gain the guards' attention – which didn't take all that long. A bus full of screaming, bouncing apes would be hard for anyone to ignore.

Soon enough, all of their present captors had gathered along the windows, some beating against the glass with their guns in an attempt to silence their prisoners, while others leaned against the windows to see exactly what was going on inside.

When they had all gathered there, a roar sounded from Maurice, telling everyone that Blue Eyes had given the signal to begin the next stage of the plan.

And so, Roy, Maurice, Luca and several others smashed the windows to pieces in the faces of their captors, sticking their arms out of the gaping, glassless holes and the bars in front of them. They each grabbed one of the guards and held them close to the bars to make sure they stayed put and wouldn't be able to fire their weapons, no matter the thrashing that ensued.

Then, the next stage of the plan was set in motion.

The second half of the imprisoned apes, which included Orion, had placed themselves on the other side of the bus. These apes now began swinging back and forth, tilting the bus from side to side until, finally, they threw themselves against the same wall as the rest of their fellow prisoners, making the bus topple over, crushing the guards being held against the windows.

When doing this, it was crucial that the apes holding the guards let go of them at exactly the right time – let go too soon and the guarding ape would escape and call for backup. Let go too late and the ape prisoners holding onto the guards risked getting their arms crushed.

Luckily, most managed to let go at exactly the right time, and the one or two apes who didn't only ended up with a couple of damaged fingers – nothing to moan about for now, given the situation. It could be dealt with later.

A deafening silence followed when the bus had landed on the ape guards with a heavy, metallic 'thud'. The humans, who had been standing in their improvised cage, yelling and screaming only moments ago, now all stood completely still as if they were a herd of deer scenting the air for danger. The apes had stopped screeching as well, as they now sat in the toppled-over bus, waiting for Blue Eyes' approach.

They didn't have to wait long, as a heavy weight soon landed on one of the side of the bus now facing the darkened sky, and the bars and a window was torn apart, revealing the face of Blue Eyes.

Maurice was the first to get out, hauling his enormous body up through the empty hole where the window once was, and Roy saw him shoot Blue Eyes a proud look and give the young ape a fatherly pat on the shoulder before he went on to climb down the underside of the bus.

One by one, the ape prisoners began to climb out of the vehicle, scurrying down to Maurice to gather by the older ape – they would all go together.

Roy opted to go as one of the last ones, making sure Orion got out before him, even if his son gave him a worried glance, as if he was afraid he wouldn't see Roy again if he let him out of his sight. He had received similar looks ever since Lydia had had to flee the village. Roy supposed it was only natural – one of his parents had disappeared without a trace and now, Orion feared his remaining parent would do the same, leaving him all alone in the world.

That fear of being left alone by people he loved had always been present in Orion, even before Lydia had been forced to leave the colony the first time all those years ago. His adoptive parents had surmised that their child had suffered some subconscious trauma from having his biological mother taken from him at such an early age. He had been too young to remember the incident, but such things could still affect those who had experienced it. Like a faded, almost invisible scar from an accident that has happened so long ago that it has disappeared from the person's body – but the ache would still be there for all to see.

Even so, one reassuring nod from his father was all it took for Orion to turn around and reach up to take Blue Eyes' hand in a firm grip, letting his friend haul him up and out of this horrible cage.

Roy felt his chest swell with relief and pride as the two young apes regarded each other briefly when Orion found his footing on top of the bus, only to reach around each other in a brotherly embrace. The two had always been close and Blue Eyes' behaviour recently had hurt Orion deeply. The fact that he was able to overcome it so quickly, to forgive so readily, and that Blue Eyes was basically risking his own life to save them, showed Roy that these two young apes were made of the right stuff. In this moment, Roy saw not two adolescent apes fresh out of their childhood years, but two strong, mature, _adult_ males.

How he wished Lydia could have witnessed that. She would have been so proud.

 _Lydia…_ Roy thought as a lump began to form in his throat. He had to find out what had happened to her when he got out of here! The pain of not knowing this, of being separated like this, had eaten at him ever since she had left the colony.

Just as the thought of his mate reached his mind, gunshots sounded and bullets pinged against the metal of the bus as some of Koba's apes began shooting at it, having probably figured out what was happening by now.

Orion and Blue Eyes lowered themselves as soon as the sound occurred and the Ape Prince began to shoot at the attackers as Orion hurried down to the other freed apes.

Only a few apes remained now and Roy was the next to go after another youngster had exited the prison with hunched shoulders, hurrying away from the shooting while Blue Eyes kept defending them with his gun. When the young ape was safely out of the way, Roy climbed up through the hole, Blue Eyes helping him with a strong hand around his bicep.

Roy, however, didn't even get to stand to his full height before a sudden, searing pain ripped through his abdomen and the bottom of his ribcage. At first, he didn't realise what had happened, so sudden was the sensation that his brain did not register it the moment it happened. After a second, however, he roared out in agony at the feeling as all his senses were blocked and all he knew was pain.

He stumbled forward, faintly hearing Blue Eyes screech and shoot more fiercely at the attackers who had shot Roy – because that's what had happened, of that he was sure. He only just managed to tumble down behind the bus as he was caught in a pair of strong arms. The movements were brutish and rugged, tugging painfully at his body as they tried to keep Roy from hitting the ground and he realised that it was Rocket who had caught him when the older chimpanzee lowered his face to look Roy in the eyes worriedly.

Soon, he felt a second pair of arms holding him up and turned so see Orion at his other side, green eyes wide with fright.

That's when Roy realised that his legs were giving out beneath him and that it was basically the two apes beside him holding him up. Normally, he would have cursed at himself for such weakness, but the pain and the mounting stress to get the hell out of this place overruled that urge and all he managed was to attempt at making another reassuring nod to his son.

This time, Orion didn't look convinced. Not a single bit, in fact.

Soon, Blue Eyes stopped shooting as the last of the prisoners had been freed, jumping down to survey the damage Roy had taken. At least it seemed like he was the only one who had been shot.

" _We must hurry! I know a safe place!_ " Blue Eyes began to sign frantically towards Maurice and Rocket, who both nodded resolutely.

Then, the young adolescent turned to Roy, still with that determined look plastered on his face. The thought occurred in Roy's already foggy mind that the prince had finally begun to look like his father rather than his mother – Caesar would have been proud.

What Blue Eyes said next, however, brought Roy out of his half-delirious musings immediately.

" _Roy! You must keep awake! You will get help! Help from Lydia and the others! I know where she is – she is alive. Safe!_ " The signing was still so frantic Roy almost missed it, but at the mention of Lydia, his mind cleared instantly. Beside him, Orion hooted confusedly. Hopefully.

He almost thought it was a lie to make him keep going. To motivate him to move and survive – but the look in Blue Eyes pale gaze told him it was the truth. Lydia, _his Lydia_ , was alive and safe!

" _Must stay alive, Roy! For Lydia!_ " Blue Eyes added sternly. When had he gained such an air authority? Only a day or two ago, he was a scared, confused and resentful adolescent.

But he was right. Roy would stay alive for now – if only for a while, if it meant seeing Lydia again.

He could do that much.

And so, Rocket hauled Roy's arm up around his neck, supporting his friend as they went forward, escaping through the city in the cover of darkness.

Roy could literally _feel_ Orion's concerned stare as they hurried off into the night, but his son said nothing as they began making their way through the abandoned streets of San Francisco, the distant screeching of Koba's followers urging them on.

His son would have to take comfort in the fact that he would soon see his mother again. Right now, Roy was in no condition to provide any fatherly support – he had to focus if he was going to survive long enough to get back to the safe place Blue Eyes had spoken of.

Back to his love…

Back to Lydia…

One last time…


	26. Promises and Goodbyes

**WARNING: This chapter contains a character death.**

* * *

 _ **Lydia**_

Lydia was woken up by Caesar standing up from the couch he had been situated on for the last couple of days, her head jerking up so that her keen, blue eyes could follow his dark silhouette better. The movement didn't go unnoticed by the Ape King, and he turned around slowly, carefully, to look back at her.

" _I will go upstairs. Visit… memories._ " He signed with calm movements.

It was night once again and the others were still asleep. Even Malcolm, who had relented when Lydia and Ellie had reasoned that the dogs would wake them if something was amiss, and that he, just like everyone else, needed a good night's rest.

Lydia nodded in understanding. Caesar had told her about his room in the attic and he seemed more than capable of getting there himself now. He had been getting up from his spot on the couch more and more in the past twenty-four hours and Lydia could only marvel at how quickly he was recovering once the bullet had been removed and the wound cleaned and closed. The antibiotics seemed to have helped too, as he didn't show any signs of infection.

Ellie had done an amazing job.

" _Careful you don't fall up there._ " Lydia signed with a tired smirk and a raised eyebrow. Caesar rolled his eyes at her in response, and it struck the woman that the Ape King looked a great deal like his son as he did so.

Blue Eyes…

She really did hope the young chimp was alright. He had been gone for two days and Lydia was starting to get seriously worried. She knew that performing what was essentially a prison-break would take some time and planning, but still… Blue Eyes had been gone for too long, in her opinion. What if something had happened? Gone wrong, maybe?

What if he was still waiting for an opening in the guards' defences?

What if he had been captured trying to free the loyal apes?

What if Koba had killed him…. Like he had Ash?

Lydia supressed a shiver of carefully contained anger at the thought. Ash had been special to her and knowing that he had died, betrayed by one of his own, still managed to make Lydia seethe with rage and despair on the inside. He was such a good-natured, young ape – polite, understanding and mature for his age, despite his mischievous behaviour at times. He had never done anything that would warrant such a horrific death and the fact that he had been killed for standing up for Caesar's ideals only doubled the pain.

If the same thing had happened to Blue Eyes…

A low grunt brought Lydia out of her dark musings and she found Caesar staring at her knowingly from his spot in the doorway, one hand on the frame to support himself.

" _Try not to worry. Nothing will come of it. Nothing but unnecessary pain._ " He signed softly before exiting the room and making his way quietly up the creaking stairs. She just sat there, dumbstruck by his insight, as his dark form disappeared from view.

Lydia had half a mind to go and ask him if he had taken some mind-reading lessons from Maurice, but decided instead to lie back down and stare up at the ceiling in thought.

Storm had been wakened by Caesar getting up from the couch and had lifted her head to follow the ape's movements as she lied on the floor close to Lydia. The heat radiating off the large canine meant that the woman hardly needed to shield herself against the cold of the night like the other humans did. The feel of fur against her hand as she held onto Storm in her sleep also provided Lydia with some comfort – Storm acting as a substitute for Roy and Orion as the dog curled up by her owner these past few nights.

Still, it wasn't the same. This fur, while familiar, was too thick, too soft and its scent was entirely different. Also, the heavy arm around her waist, grounding her to reality, as well as the calming kisses dotted across her shoulders that she was so used to by now… They were missing completely and it bothered Lydia… A lot.

Storm lowered her head to nuzzle at her owner's cheek, furry ears twitching in what Lydia could only imagine was worry. Really, it was funny how her dogs, and Storm especially, were so attuned to people's moods, no matter how subtle the change.

Dogs really were smart creatures.

She scratched Storm behind the ear and couldn't help a soft smile gracing her lips when the canine leaned into the touch with her eyes closed. It was the most content expression Lydia could ever imagine on a canine.

Another twenty minutes passed before movement to her left caught Lydia's eye as Malcolm sat up. He had been sleeping on the floor between Ellie and Alex (who Blaze seemed to have dubbed as his new, official bunk-buddy), and had, up until now, been snoring away quietly.

The room was, despite the late hour, just bright enough for Lydia to make out his features as he quickly scanned the room. Then, his eyes found Lydia's and she almost chuckled out loud when his entire silhouette seemed to give a slight jolt as he noticed her stare. He probably hadn't expected her to be awake, much less have her eyes trained on him like a hawk looking at a field mouse. Poor man.

"Can't sleep, huh?" Lydia whispered, her voice barely audible even through the quiet of the room.

Malcolm shook his head, though he didn't seem dejected by the fact.

"No. I've been staring out the window for the past couple of minutes now." Came Malcolm's quiet voice as he tried not to wake the others. Then his gaze landed on the empty couch beside Lydia. "Where's Caesar at?"

Before Lydia could answer, Ellie began to stir and turned slowly to lie on her back, rubbing her eyes before propping herself up on her elbows.

"Is something wrong?" She asked blearily, shifting her gaze from Malcolm to Lydia once she noticed they were having a conversation.

"Nah, nothing's wrong, Ellie, you can go back to sleep, if you want. Anyway, Caesar didn't say where he was going, but I'm pretty sure he's somewhere upstairs, taking a trip down memory lane now that he can walk around again." Lydia replied, folding her hands over her stomach.

Malcolm nodded in understanding before getting up with a quiet grunt.

"I'll take a round around the house and then I'll go up to find him, just to make sure he's alright." He explained, looking mostly at Lydia as he spoke.

Lydia held up her hands to show her palms and chuckled slightly.

"Hey, you don't have to look to me for permission to go talk to him or anything. He's a grown ape, after all." She spoke teasingly, making both Malcolm and Ellie crack a small smile at her. Despite the difficult situation they were in, Lydia's mood had greatly improved since her talk with Blue Eyes. Doubly so when Caesar had begun to recover from having the bullet removed.

"Right. I'll go check on him. If anything happens, you know where to find us." Malcolm replied as he headed for the hallway, casting one last glance at the women and his son.

"He's probably in his old room in the attic." Lydia called after him, still trying to be careful not to wake Alex.

Malcolm stopped just as he was halfway out of the room, turning his head to look back at Lydia in question. Out of the corner of her eye, Lydia also noticed Ellie turning to look at her.

"His room?" Malcolm repeated, to which she nodded. He still seemed confused.

"How do you know about that? It seemed even his son didn't know about this place…" The man continued.

Lydia shrugged as she got up to sit against the couch as she had done the previous night. There was no way she was going to sleep now, anyway.

"Simple. He told me. A long time ago." She replied nonchalantly. Then, she elaborated as she began picking at some dirt stuck to the couch's seat. "Not many of the apes know this. He never really did make it a habit of advertising that he grew up with humans."

Malcolm nodded, seemingly satisfied with the answer.

"Makes sense. Can't imagine that would be very popular among the apes." He replied, shrugging. "Anyway, I'll go and see if I can find him."

And with that, he left the room and Lydia was, once again, left alone with Ellie. Not that she minded much, as the woman had turned out to be quite pleasant to talk to.

 _Quite forgiving of past mistakes as well_ , Lydia thought as their conversation only a few days prior came to mind.

She really appreciated that about Ellie. Her softness and forgiving nature was something Lydia had a hard time finding in herself, especially after the events of these past couple of days. Also, there was an air of femininity about her that Lydia personally thought she completely lacked.

Lydia knew she was wild, rugged and quite a vigilante in the eyes of apes and humans alike. Many of the tasks she performed back in the Ape Colony were usually reserved for males, such as hunting, fishing and guarding the perimeter. She also knew she had a more hands-on approach to problems than any of the other females among the apes and that her temper was a thing no one wished to be on the receiving end of. Many of the apes who had seen her fight against that mountain lion all those years ago had told her so on more than one occasion. Even Caesar had told her so, in fact.

Really, it was pretty much only when she was with Roy that she felt truly feminine. When he engulfed her in his strong, fierce embrace or when he worshipped her body with his hands and mouth during those long, cold nights.

Goodness, she missed him so much.

She promptly squashed the little voice in her mind that reminded her of how feminine she felt when _Caesar_ regarded her with those smouldering, green eyes of his.

"Can I ask you something?" Came Ellie's soft voice, breaking the silence, as well as Lydia's train of thought. Ellie had gotten up and was now sitting cross-legged in front of the other woman.

Lydia only nodded in reply as she turned her gaze from the window she hadn't realised she had been staring out of and towards the woman in front of her. Ellie bit her lip and quickly looked behind her, seemingly to make sure Alex was still asleep before she turned back to Lydia and spoke.

"Caesar… He seems to tell you a lot of things… Things he wouldn't even tell the apes…" She began, choosing her words carefully. Lydia almost groaned out loud as she knew what was coming.

"Tell me… If things had been different. If you guys hadn't both had someone already… Would you have… You know?" Ellie struggled. Lydia had half a mind to pretend she _didn't_ know, just to make her more flustered than she already was. Instead, Lydia shrugged.

"Why do you ask? Not to be rude or anything, but you seem very fixated on the topic." She spoke, tilting her head to the side with a raised eyebrow. "It's not like I ask you about Malcolm's first wife or anything, after all."

She couldn't help the jab, even if it did sound slightly defensive to her own ears. She was just tired of discussing this subject. It was hard to put it in the back of her mind when people kept bringing it up.

Ellie nodded and suddenly seemed very intent on inspecting her fingers as her hands rested in her lap.

"You're right, sorry about that. It's just… It all seems a bit… messy." Ellie replied, grimacing at her own choice of words. Lydia didn't mind it that much. It perfectly described her current emotional predicament.

"And I suppose it's natural to wonder how things _could_ have been. The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence." Ellie continued, looking at the floor in thought as she spoke. "I mean, I still wonder how things might have been if I still had Sarah around…"

There was a heavy silence in the wake of that statement and Lydia regarded Ellie with sad, blue eyes. The woman had briefly spoken about her deceased daughter the other day, so Lydia knew perfectly well who Sarah was. They had had another heart-to-heart when Ellie had noticed that Lydia seemed a bit put-out after Blue Eyes had left. Caesar had been sleeping at the time and Ellie had taken it upon herself to speak with her. It had led to another deep conversation in which Lydia had explained in greater detail about the loss of her family and her fear of losing her second one. Ellie had reciprocated by telling about her own loss, opening up to Lydia in a way she hadn't anticipated.

"I guess you're right…" Lydia spoke quietly. "But it's not like I'm in a position to choose or anything. Besides, I'm very happy with what I've got. Wouldn't have it any other way, really."

Ellie smiled, seemingly relieved that Lydia didn't dwell on how she brought up Sarah, knowing it was a sore topic.

Another silence followed in which Lydia leaned back to stare at the ceiling in thought. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Ellie turn around to glance at Alex's sleeping form. He didn't make much noise as he slept – unlike his father, who Lydia had discovered snored quite a bit once he turned onto his back in his sleep. Not that it bothered her, really, as it disrupted the eerie silence of the abandoned house during the night.

Ellie's eyes remained glued to Alex as she whispered her next question.

"It's been quite some time now… Do you… Do you think Caesar's son will manage?"

Her voice was so soft that Lydia would not have heard it if she hadn't already been expecting it. She had felt it hanging in the air for the last day or so, and for good reason, too. Blue Eyes had been gone for a long time now, after all.

"If you had asked me that two days ago, I would have said 'yes, without a doubt'. Now, though… Honestly, right now I'm worried sick about him…" Lydia confessed, hanging her head to stare at the floor with furrowed eyebrows. "I have known him for most of his life, Ellie. The thought of him getting caught or hurt…"

Ellie nodded, letting Lydia know that she didn't need to elaborate on what she meant – Ellie knew only too well.

"Well, if he's half as smart as his dad, I suppose he'll be-" Ellie began, only to be interrupted by what sounded like hoots and subdued, searching calls getting closer to the house.

She looked slightly frightened for a moment, stopping mid-sentence to whip her head to the right and stare wide-eyed at the window, though there was nothing to see from where they sat on the floor.

Lydia knew that Ellie didn't have much experience deciphering the sounds the apes made and thus, she had no idea if what she heard now was from a friendly source or not. But Lydia… Lydia _did_ know, and her eyes darted towards the window as well, though hers were full of hope and excitement. These hoots and call didn't sound agitated or aggressive, but searching, concerned and urgent.

The two women turned back towards each other and made brief eye-contact. Lydia saw how her own expression seemed to calm Ellie down immediately and a hopeful, though hesitant smile spread across both their faces.

At that moment, Alex woke and sat up to stare around confusedly, much like his father had done earlier, the only difference being that he didn't jolt in surprise at seeing Lydia. The dogs had also woken by the sounds outside and were quickly up and about the room in excitement, their fluffy tails wagging like there was no tomorrow. Like Lydia, they knew the meaning of the sounds outside.

In the hallway, Caesar and Malcolm's footsteps could be heard as they made their way down the stairs, hurriedly and yet laboured and heavy. Before they could reach the bottom of the stairs, and before Ellie and Alex had even managed to untangle themselves from their sleeping bags and get on their feet, Lydia was at the front door. In great contrast to her hasty exit from the living room, she hesitated for a brief moment before she opened it slowly, Storm and Blaze crowding around her legs in poorly contained excitement.

The cool night air swept over her as she finally pushed the door wide open, revealing the friendly faces she had missed so much in the last couple of days. It made her heart leap with joy.

Blue Eyes was the first to approach her, the gun still in his hand, but lowered as he saw who it was at the door, his pale eyes softening instantly. Before any of them had time to say anything, Lydia quickly went down the stairs and embraced the young ape, feeling how the arm not grasping the weapon went around her shoulders tightly to hold her close. She was so relieved to see him again.

He soon let go of her and she straightened up, quickly spotting the next person to be targeted with her affection: Her son.

Orion had pushed through the group and immediately thrown his arms around his human mother, clutching the fabric of her clothes tightly in his hands as he held her in an iron-grip. Lydia didn't mind. She released a relieved sigh as she returned the fierce embrace, quickly re-familiarising herself with the scent and feel of her adopted son. Had he always been this tall? This strong?

But it _was_ him, no doubt about it, and Lydia almost, _almost_ let out a relieved sob as the tension of these last few days completely left her.

Orion was alive.

He was safe.

He was here.

She didn't even notice how the dogs ran around their legs, brushing up against their thighs in an attempt to greet Orion as well. Didn't see how Blue Eyes went to his father to touch his forehead to Caesar's, or how Ellie and Alex emerged from within the house to watch the happy reunion together with Malcolm.

The happiness Lydia felt course through her didn't last long, though.

She had expected to be greeted by a tired but relieved expression on her son's face once she pulled back from their tight embrace. Expected to be met with teary, but nonetheless happy, emerald eyes.

Only that wasn't what she saw when she finally took the time to _truly_ look at him as she drew out of his arms.

Though he _did_ look happy to see her, his eyebrows were creased in concern, his shoulders were tense, his mouth set in a deep frown… And his eyes, once so clear and innocent, were darkened and pained.

Sorrowful.

Apologetic.

"Orion? Sweetie, what's wrong?" Lydia said in the most comforting voice she could muster, and for a brief instant, she almost cursed herself for already trying to coddle him like a child. Despite how close they were, she knew how he hated that. Also, he was, after all, almost an adult now and it _had_ only been a few days, in truth.

But the look he gave her as those words left her mouth made her forget all about that as her heart ached for him. Whatever it was that had him looking like that, Lydia knew it must be something serious.

That's when she noticed how the dogs were now whimpering and Maurice was releasing a dark, sorrowful rumbling from deep within his chest just beside her.

Then, Orion began to sign.

" _It's father… He's hurt badly…_ " The young ape said, the movements of his hands urgent and jagged. " _Mother, they shot him when we tried to escape! The other apes shot father!_ "

The blood in Lydia's veins turned to ice in that instant as she just stared at Orion with wide eyes. Her hands, still placed on her son's upper arms, clenched slightly as fear and dread gripped at her heart.

 _No_ , she thought as she averted her eyes and searched the group, _this can't happen… not again!_

And then her eyes found him, after going over every other ape in the group, their gazes finally met.

And Lydia's heart sank.

There, hanging off Rocket's shoulder, slouched forward and panting heavily, but still with his kind, loving gaze set on her form, was Roy.

* * *

 _ **Caesar**_

Caesar had been relieved and proud to see his son return with the loyal apes, but had immediately realised something was wrong as he looked down from the small, circular window of his old room. One of the apes were leaning heavily on one of the others in the back of the group, almost to the point of him being carried by his companion.

The Ape King hadn't been able to see who it was from upstairs, but knew that whoever it was would be in need of immediate medical attention. By the looks of it, they were in even worse shape than he had been only a few days ago. This wasn't good.

And when Caesar came down and saw exactly _who_ it was that had been hurt, his heart clenched so tightly in his chest that it felt like getting the air punched out of his lungs. Almost as if he had been shot in the chest a second time, only now, the bullet had gone through his heart.

At first, he had been solely focused on greeting his son, putting his forehead against Blue Eyes' and breathing a deep sigh of relief before continuing on to greet Maurice and Luca.

It was when he began to look for Rocket that Caesar saw it and felt his nostrils flare as the dreaded scent of blood hit his nose.

At the same moment, Lydia asked Orion what was wrong, and Caesar realised that she hadn't noticed yet. Being so focused on her son, who had approached her so quickly after she had descended the stairs, she hadn't had the time, nor the mind to register the slouching figure partially draped across Rocket's shoulder, blood dripping steadily onto the ground from between the fingers holding its abdomen.

It was Roy.

And he was in bad shape.

"Oh no…" Caesar faintly heard Lydia whisper as she let go of her son to hastily step forward, the apes of the group parting for her as she went. They all had their heads lowered as she passed them.

Caesar saw how Lydia approached her mate with quick steps and how the male ape reached out for the human woman with one long, shaking arm. It was soon draped around her shoulders as she buried her face in the crook of his neck. At that moment, he seemed to not be able to assist Rocket in keeping himself up anymore, and Roy fell forward into Lydia's arms.

The only reason Lydia didn't get crushed under Roy's limp body as she collapsed onto her knees on the walkway was due to Rocket still holding onto his friend's other arm. Caesar's old rival steadily lowered the younger male down to the ground, greeting Lydia briefly when he was down on his knees as well. After that, he rose back to his full height and backed off, nodding towards Caesar in greeting before his attention was once again directed at the odd pair on the ground.

The look on Rocket's face was one the Ape King had never seen before, and he imagined that his own features were probably arranged in much the same manner.

Caesar's eyes went to Blue Eyes as Orion, too, went over to Roy, cooing softly as Lydia seemed to survey the damage done to her mate.

"How. Did this. Happen?" The Ape King asked his son, who looked about ready to whimper in sympathy as he took in the scene before them. He straightened up immediately when his father addressed him, though the pained look didn't leave his pale eyes.

" _Koba's followers saw us and started shooting when we fled the prison. Only Roy was hit, but it is bad. It is why it took so long for us to get here._ " Blue Eyes replied. Caesar could see in his eyes that his son felt partially responsible for what had happened and wanted nothing more than to offer some words of encouragement for his son in that moment.

But now was not the time for consolation.

Roy needed help. Immediately.

Maybe it was already too late, but they had to try.

Before he even had the chance to turn around and ask, Ellie had passed by the Ape King and gone straight for Lydia, who was now cradling Roy's torso in her arms to the best of her ability. The ape barely even had the strength to lift his own head anymore, forcing Lydia to shift their positions so that he was lying on his back on the cold, hard stone tiles of the walkway.

She didn't let go of him, however, and persistently clung to one of Roy's arms, holding onto the rather large appendage like it was a lifeline. Beside Lydia, Orion had crouched down and draped a comforting arm across his mother's shoulders, reaching his other one around her to also grab hold of his father's arm.

Up until now, Caesar hadn't been able to see Lydia's face clearly. But when Ellie approached her, the woman turned slightly, and Caesar drew in a sharp, though inaudible breath at the look on her face.

Though they hadn't fallen yet, tears had gathered in Lydia's eyes and her face was paler than Caesar had ever seen it – like all the blood in her body had left her suddenly, leaving a white husk of skin behind.

And the look she sent Ellie as the woman crouched down beside her almost had Caesar rush forward to embrace her himself. It was lost, hopeless and panicked, all at once, making his heart ache painfully.

He only held himself back because he managed to remind himself exactly how many people, apes and humans alike, were present to witness it. Also, considering _who exactly_ it was she was cradling in her arms, the Ape King figured that such an act would be unwelcome right now, their conversation from the other night still a clear memory.

" _I love him too much._ " She had said. And Caesar had understood.

"Can you help him?" Lydia's voice rang through the air as Ellie laid a comforting hand on her shoulder, the sound so small and vulnerable that Caesar barely recognised it.

Ellie seemed to survey the damaged as Lydia had done moments prior, her face falling when her eyes landed on the puddle of blood gathering on the ground. By now, the dark liquid had spread out on the cracked, lichen-covered walkway to the point that it had reached Lydia's knees, soaking her deerskin trousers.

"He has lost too much blood, Lydia. It's a wonder he's still alive as it is…" The woman spoke apologetically. "I'm afraid there's nothing I can do…"

Caesar could see that it wasn't easy for Ellie to admit defeat like that when somebody needed her help. Creases appeared on her brow and the corners of her mouth drew slightly down into a soft frown, her eyes critically assessing the injury. Like she was still searching for a way to fix Roy up like she had done for Caesar.

Beside the Ape King and Blue Eyes, Maurice was still cooing sadly from deep within his throat as Alex and Malcolm came down the stairs too, standing beside the orangutan with matching, sad expressions on their faces.

Even in the dark of the night, Caesar saw how Lydia's knuckles turned white as she clenched her fist around Roy's, though the injured ape didn't utter a single protest. He only looked up at his family with an expression that seemed almost sympathetic.

Like _he_ was feeling sorry for _them_.

Like he wasn't the one who was bleeding to death on a dirty, cracked walkway.

Caesar went forward to crouch down by the dying ape on the opposite side to Lydia and Orion. The least he could do was to pay his respects to the younger male in his last, fading moments. Roy noticed nothing, didn't even spare Caesar, or any of the other apes around him, a single glance.

He only had eyes for his family, staring up at their faces with a tender look in his eyes, even though he was probably in great pain.

"Lydia…" Roy's voice suddenly sounded, quiet and raspy as he breathed with difficulty.

It immediately got the woman's full attention and she nodded softly to indicate that she had heard him, words seemingly failing her for now.

"Do not… be sad. _Ugh_ … I-… do not stop… living… loving…" He struggled, coughing mid-sentence. "Promise me… _Please_ …" He added, his green eyes connecting with Lydia's blue ones as he weakly reached up to brush two of his fingers against her cheek. The moment was so intense that it made Caesar feel like he was intruding on something… intimate.

Something he and the other apes were not supposed to see.

It was only then that Caesar noticed that said cheek had become stained with fresh tears.

Now, that was something Caesar had definitely not seen Lydia do before. Crying.

She hadn't cried when she had spoken about her dead human family. She hadn't cried when she had left Roy and Orion in the care of the Ape Colony five years ago. She hadn't cried when she had had her wounds from her encounter with the mountain lion treated using her own, painful methods.

No. Lydia's go-to reaction had _always_ been anger, humour or sadness.

But never tears.

She had always held those back if they ever appeared in her beautiful, blue orbs.

Caesar had never been able to figure out exactly why that was, but right now, right here, he knew that those tears were falling because she had, at last, found herself unable to keep them at bay. This, right here, was just too much for her to do so.

And it pained him greatly to see her in such a state, knowing there was absolutely _nothing_ he could do to make it better.

Lydia shook her head at Roy's request, leaning into his touch as more tears fell.

"Please don't make me promise that, Roy…" She spoke in a quiet, strained voice. "I… I don't know if I can keep it…"

Curiously, Roy cracked a subtle smile at that as he stroked her cheek yet again.

"You… Already did… Years ago… R-remember?" He spoke, his eyes staring imploringly up at her. Like he was willing her to recall the moment he was speaking of.

It seemed to have the desired effect, because Lydia's teary eyes widened a fraction as her lips parted slightly. A quick glance at Orion revealed that the adolescent was completely oblivious as to what his adoptive parents were talking about, his sorrowful expression briefly exchanged for one of confusion as he looked back and forth between his mother and father.

He, much like the apes and humans around the pair, elected not to question it.

Lydia took a deep, stuttering breath before nodding her head slowly. "Okay… I promise…"

It sounded to Caesar as if she had just made a promise to do something impossible, her voice small and quiet, but sincere all the same. Like she didn't have a choice in the matter.

Roy seemed satisfied all the same and soon turned his attention to his son, who immediately straightened up once his father's eyes found his own.

"Orion… You must… Look after your… Mother." Roy spoke, sounding weaker with each word he uttered. Orion only nodded resolutely, tightening his hold around his mother's shoulders and patted his father's arm in reassurance.

Lastly, and surprisingly, at least to Caesar, Roy turned his head to face the Ape King, staring him straight in the eyes. The dying ape's gaze seemed hazy and ever more unfocused as his consciousness began to fade, but the look he gave Caesar was no less intense, compelling the Leader of the Apes to listen intently.

"Take care of-… Take care… of my family…" Roy coughed after saying it, further aggravating his wound and making him wince in pain.

Caesar, moved by the trust placed in him, even after he had already failed to protect this family once before, pushed his lips into a thin line as he nodded once at the dying ape in front of him. He owed him that much – Roy had paid for his loyalty to Caesar with his life and was now, with his dying breath, entrusting the Ape King with the safety of his family.

There was no way Caesar could have refused, even if he had wanted to.

"I will." He answered, his voice grave and full of restrained emotions.

Roy didn't seem able to focus his eyes anymore as he struggled to keep them open. He turned his attention back to Lydia, who was pressing herself into the crook of Orion's arm while still holding on tightly to Roy's hand, pressing the length of it to her chest. Caesar noticed absent-mindedly how she had begun to look small beside her son, but whether or not this was due to her crouched position or Orion having become bigger, he really couldn't tell right now.

Roy's fingers left Lydia's cheek to curl around her pale, thin fingers, unfocused eyes trained on her face as he uttered what would become his last words.

"Ape… Inside… Lydia…"

The tips of his fingers uncurled from around her hand, going limp.

The last remnants of his strength had left him.

Roy had died.

The world already felt a little bit colder to Caesar as he stared solemnly at the last two members of this strange family, huddled together as Lydia finally turned and buried her face in her adolescent son's chest, sobbing quietly in tune with Orion's mournful hoots.


	27. Deserving Justice

**Author's Note:  
** _So, with this chapter, I've finally caught up to the progress on my AO3 account. From this point and onwards, I will be posting one chapter each Friday (this one being today's chapter). If you are interested in the writing progress connected to this story, there are author's notes on each one over on my AO3 account. Other than that, everything is the same._

 _Hope you are all enjoying the story so far and thank you so much for reading!_

* * *

 _ **Lydia**_

"Must go. Now." Caesar spoke after Blue Eyes had explained that Koba had sent for the females and young to be brought to the city. The bonobo was obviously planning to make some sort of symbolic takeover of the human colony, the ultimate show of the ape's superiority.

The apes around Caesar all nodded in agreement, as did Malcolm when the Ape King turned to him.

Up until now Lydia had been in some kind of trance as those around her spoke. At least that's what it had felt like to her. All sound around her cancelling out into grey, static noise as she looked down at the body of her dead love, the feel of Orion's arms around her being the only thing still rooting her to reality.

She wasn't crying into his chest anymore. Only staring down blankly as the salty liquid dried on her cheeks, her breath evening out as she calmed herself.

She had done so relatively quickly – certainly quicker than when her father and brother had died.

Was she getting used to this? Losing loved ones?

She hoped not, as that would mean she was turning cold towards the world and everything in it. She couldn't do that now – Orion still needed her. More so than ever now.

And she had made Roy a promise…

"Right. I'm coming too." She said with an air of finality in her voice, getting up after gently untangling herself from Orion's arms.

Her son had been following the conversation of the group while consoling his mother, though he still had trails of tears glistening down his cheeks. Lydia understood. He had never lost someone dear to him while still being old enough to remember it, and he was not done grieving this loss just yet.

Truth be told, neither was Lydia, if she was honest with herself.

But she couldn't sit idly by right now.

All eyes turned to her sceptically and Maurice made a questioning grumble from deep within his chest. Both he and Caesar had their eyebrows furrowed at her, deep creases appearing across their brows.

" _Too dangerous. Apes could kill you, Lydia._ " Maurice signed slowly, almost as if speaking to a child. Or maybe that was just how she perceived it. Most likely he was only concerned for her safety – they were going into a place where humans were captured and killed.

There were a couple of things Maurice had forgotten, though.

"They wouldn't dare, especially not if Caesar is there." She argued back, crossing her arms over her chest. "And besides, I am not a kid, Maurice. I'm a grown woman and I want to go face Koba with you all. The Ape Colony is my home as well."

Caesar stepped forward, then, standing less than a foot away from her, eyes intense yet sympathetic as they bored into her own ones.

"I promised Roy. To keep you safe." He spoke in his gravelly, deep voice, breathing evenly through his nose as he paused. "I cannot. If you insist. Putting yourself. In danger."

Had the circumstances been different, she might have listened. Might have obeyed Caesar's silent plea – the one she saw expressed within his gold-speckled, green eyes.

But she had lost too much to be able to just sit back and wait for others to fight a battle she should, by all rights, help win.

"No, Caesar. I won't just sit here, waiting and worrying while you guys are out there, facing Koba and his followers. I have done that for too long now while Blue Eyes has been away. I've had enough." She answered, cool and collected as she stared right back into the Ape King's vibrant orbs. His nostrils flared and his gaze turned hard at her obvious defiance. Any other human faced with his commanding, piercing stare would have recoiled at the intensity of it.

Lydia didn't even flinch.

"And. if you die? What about. Your son? Will lose. Father _and_. Mother." Caesar challenged right back. It was a low blow, Lydia thought, but nonetheless a valid point.

Orion, however, was not going to let himself be used as a pawn in Caesar's game to keep Lydia out of harm's way, which quickly became evident as the young ape stepped forward, jaw set and eyes hardened as he stared into the eyes of his leader.

"Mother. Go too." He argued, surprising everyone present with his stern tone. Even his own mother, who had never experienced her adoptive son being so assertive in his entire life.

"Part of. Ape family… Deserves to go." Orion finished, nodding, more to himself than anyone else, Lydia guessed, signalling that he had made his point clear.

Caesar still wasn't pleased and opened his mouth to reply when a hand was laid heavily onto his shoulder from beside him.

It was Rocket, who had silently moved up beside the Ape King.

At first, Lydia thought Rocket would take Caesar's side, merely interrupting the other ape for an opportunity to put in his own two cents in this conversation. That's not what happened at all, however.

" _Let her come, Caesar._ " The partially bald ape signed once he let go of his leader's shoulder. Caesar only stared at him with eyes full of confusion, prompting his old rival to elaborate.

Lydia had to admit, she was just as confused as Caesar, though pleased that Rocket was taking her side. The question was why he did it, though. For as long as she could remember, Rocket had always, _always_ followed Caesar.

In everything.

Without question.

" _Lydia is not normal human. Not normal female either. Never was. You should not treat her so._ " The chimp argued, his dark face calm as he looked Caesar in the eyes. " _She lost someone close._ _ **Family**_ _… Would_ _ **you**_ _be able to stay?_ "

Suddenly, Lydia knew what this was about – at least some of it. The pain in Rocket's eyes as he said the word 'family' was enough for her to figure it out.

He knew Ash was dead. His son. His only child.

 _Blue Eyes has probably told him_ , Lydia thought. _How horrible_ …

Lydia and Orion had at least had time to exchange some last words with Roy. To see him one last time before he had passed.

Rocket had had no such luxury… and Tinker…

Lydia didn't dare think about her friend's reaction to being informed that her precious child had been murdered. By Koba, no less.

Caesar looked at the ground briefly with his customary frown plastered across his rugged face, considering Rocket's question.

"No…" He replied with a sigh, his stiff posture from before deflating in defeat. "I could not."

The Ape King nodded at Rocket, indicating that he got the point, before turning back to Lydia, his gaze much softer than before.

"And neither can you." He relented, raising one of his huge hands to place it heavily on Lydia's shoulder, shaking her ever so lightly to underline what he said next. "But be careful. Stay close."

"I will do my best." Lydia agreed, trying her damned best to lighten up the conversation, though her own strained voice only made is sound like a half-assed attempt at misplaced humour.

Caesar nodded all the same, his gaze lingering a moment longer than necessary before he turned to Malcolm.

Standing close by with his family, the man seemed to have caught on to what most of the conversation revolved around, as there were no traces of confusion left on his face to indicate otherwise. He immediately went straight to the task at hand and explained the route through the old subway that he planned to take with the apes.

When the plan of action had been laid out, Lydia turned to Ellie.

"Can I ask you to keep an eye on the dogs while we're gone? I don't want them to get in the way or get hurt. Besides, you guys are safer with them around as well." Lydia requested, trying not to sound too demanding. She felt like she owed Ellie a lot for forgiving her previous behaviour so readily, as well as patching up Caesar, which had her feeling bad asking for favours.

But Blaze and Storm were not going to be of any help in the city. An accidental whimper while going through the subway would be enough to alert anyone near any of the exits to their presence and while the dogs were very obedient, Lydia simply couldn't control everything.

They just couldn't risk it.

"Of course, Lydia." She answered without hesitation, a soft, understanding smile appearing on her face, though there was no trace of pity to be found on her features. Yet another thing Lydia liked about Ellie. While she did show compassion and sympathy towards others when they were distressed, she didn't wallow in it like some tended to do.

Lydia nodded, a weak attempt at a smile appearing on her face, though she wasn't sure if she managed to make it look sincere or if it just turned out as a strange grimace. It was hard to display any positive feelings when it felt like her entire being was flooding with grief. Once again, Ellie handled it gracefully, merely asking about the commands Lydia used to control Blaze and Storm.

As might be expected, the two canines were less than happy about being left behind by Lydia and Orion, and Blaze especially was very vocal in his protests, whimpering and softly yelping when the group began to leave the premises.

 _He has always been the more dependent of the two_ , Lydia mused as she closed the rickety fence gate behind her.

They moved through the streets in complete silence, soon exchanging the quiet, overgrown suburb for the bleak, desolate city of post-pandemic San Francisco. Regarding the gaping empty windows of the buildings that began to tower over the group, Lydia found herself putting Roy's passing into the back of her mind while giving the mission at hand top-priority.

She was happy for the distraction, welcoming the chance to finally be able to _do_ something rather than sit around and wait as she had done for these past few days. She _hated_ such stagnation. It made her restless and irritable as her mind raced with worry while her body was forced to remain still.

She adjusted the bow across her shoulder as she moved up beside Rocket stealthily, keen eyes darting back and forth between the deserted alleys and empty doorways ever so often. Lydia knew that the closer they got to the inner part of the city, the higher the chance of discovery – she had to stay vigilant.

But there was also something she needed to say to Rocket.

The ape acknowledged her presence beside him with a single nod of his head, though his eyes would briefly scan their surroundings from time to time. She wasn't the only one who was on the lookout, which made her feel a whole lot safer.

" _Thank you, Rocket… For what you did earlier._ " Lydia signed discreetly once the balding ape's green eyes were once again directed at her. " _I'm not sure Caesar would have agreed if you hadn't stepped in._ " She clarified, though she was certain Rocket knew what she was talking about.

The corner of his lip quirked up into a smirk that was barely there to begin with, but even so, it didn't go unnoticed by Lydia.

" _Not like he could have made you stay, even if I had not said anything._ " Rocket signed back, and though it was tainted by an underlying sadness, a glint of amusement _did_ appear in his eyes. " _You are both very stubborn._ "

Lydia shrugged at the statement. There was no sense in denying it – she was well aware of the fact, and she knew Caesar well enough to know that it was true for him as well.

" _So… You don't think that it's too dangerous for me to come?_ " She asked next, the glance she sent his way curious and maybe even a bit accusative. She just couldn't help it.

Rocket pursed his lips as he mulled over the question for a short bit as they rounded a corner to go down a smaller street, Malcolm and Caesar leading the group through the dark alley as safely as they could.

" _I agree with Caesar and Maurice._ " Rocket finally answered, looking at Lydia seriously. " _But you loved my son like he was your own child, and your Roy was my friend._ "

Lydia resisted the burning of tears prickling at the back of her eyes, Rocket's sincere words hitting home as the group turned down another street. She held back the tears this time.

" _You are one of us. Deserve to be there. Deserve justice for your family._ " The balding ape male finished, bumping a fist to his chest and jutting out his chin at her.

The gesture made Lydia smile despite herself, and she reached over to gently squeeze Rocket's shoulder.

They didn't speak much after that, having said all that needed to be said for now, as Malcolm finally halted the group's advance. They now stood in front of the entrance to the subway.

"Now, everyone, stick close together and be as quiet as you can." The human male spoke, just loud enough for the entirety of the group to hear. They couldn't be sure if any hostile apes or humans were in the area or not, so he had, wisely, decided to keep his voice low. "Every sound you make will become way louder down there because of the echo, so watch where you step and don't make any sudden noises, okay?"

Everyone nodded in agreement and soon began descending the steps down into the old, abandoned subway in pairs of two and three, Malcolm and Caesar taking the lead, while Lydia and Rocket elected to guard the rear of the group.

It was much, _much_ darker than it had been above the surface, and Lydia found herself struggling to find her footing in the very beginning of their trek through the underground tunnels. Luckily, Malcolm had had the sense to bring a flashlight, but it only lit the way ahead for the forefront of the group, leaving the members in the back to keep their eyes on where the person in front of them was stepping. It had prompted Rocket to reach out and grab hold of Lydia's arm to support her, which the woman was secretly grateful for, even though it did make her feel like somewhat of a burden to the chimp.

She took comfort in the fact that she knew Rocket didn't see it that way, however, and swallowed her pride in favour of not getting hurt on the way to their destination. There was no denying that the apes were more sure-footed due to their differently shaped appendages, which enabled them to grab on to the surface they stood on, should it turn out to be uneven.

Still, the route through the subway proved to be relatively problem-free, seeing as their biggest issue was the darkness, rather than ape-guards loyal to the misguided bonobo they were aiming to confront.

Lydia did her best to keep an eye on Orion throughout the trip towards the city. He hadn't said much during that time. Not to her, anyway. However, she _had_ noticed how Blue Eyes kept close to her adopted son and had seen them have a small conversation in sign while they were still above the surface. The Ape Prince had approached Orion and discreetly offered words of comfort and apologies, which the younger adolescent had responded gratefully to.

It had warmed Lydia's heart to see, and helped ease the pain of her recent loss somewhat.

She still had someone to love and care for, she knew, and wouldn't let herself wallow in sorrow just yet.

Orion still needed her – but it was nice to know that others were there to help.

 _Guess I'm a single parent now_ , she thought without humour as Rocket kept leading her through the darkness. She reached up to touch her bear-and-cougar tooth necklace absent-mindedly with her free hand, tears prickling at the back of her eyes again.

Lydia willed them away before they had the chance to fall. She had to control herself for now.

They were making good progress and soon, Lydia was pulled from her dark thoughts by the light appearing at the other end of the tunnel. At first, Lydia thought it was a section of the subway which had become lit due to their work at the dam, but when voices could be heard from further ahead, all her senses went on high alert as every muscle in her body tightened in preparation for a fight.

And just in time as well.

She was just about to scold herself for being too paranoid when yells could be heard from further down the tunnel and guns were fired in her group's general direction.

"Are you okay?" Malcom asked once everyone had taken cover at the splitting-point of the tunnel, chest heaving as he tried to calm himself from the fright the shots gave him. His gaze was directed at Caesar, but Lydia knew that he was asking everyone by referring to their leader. Caesar only took a moment to look over his followers, Lydia included, before turning back to Malcolm and nodding seriously.

"Who's there!?" Came a male voice from down the lit tunnel, sounding aggressive and nervous at the same time. It wasn't a voice Lydia had heard before, but she didn't like the sound of it.

"If you're human, you better say so!" The voice came again, still with that aggressive edge to it – though it was clearly nervousness which prevailed in the man's tone.

"It's me! It's Malcolm!" The ape group's human guide yelled, placatingly as always, which almost had Lydia roll her eyes. It seemed to work, though, as there was a pause in the new human's footsteps. "Don't shoot!" Malcolm pleaded behind his cover, holding off the would-be attacker verbally before turning towards the group of apes he had been guiding through the city.

"Take the stairs. They'll bring you around and up under the street, okay?" The man spoke, eyes darting between Caesar and Lydia, who he seemed to feel the most comfortable with by now. Or maybe it was because the two of them seemed to have the most authority in the group – Lydia couldn't rightly tell.

Caesar was the first to nod and immediately signed for the group behind him to go towards the stairs the human male had pointed out. Only Lydia stayed, feeling surprisingly anxious about leaving Malcolm to deal with these seemingly trigger-happy humans, as well as wanting to have Caesar follow the group as soon as possible. She didn't want to risk him getting separated from them (again).

Malcolm seemed to take Caesar's nod as all the confirmation he needed and began to turn back towards the lit tunnel when the chimp laid a heavy hand on his shoulder, stopping him.

Malcolm turned back instantly, locking eyes with the large ape in the low light.

"Thank you." Caesar spoke sincerely, letting the look in his eyes do most of the talking – as was his custom. Lydia had always admired his ability to do that.

"Trust." Malcolm replied simply, but no less sincerely.

Then, the man shot a meaningful look at Lydia, nodding once when their eyes met, and the woman knew what Malcolm was trying to tell her.

 _Thank you. Be safe. Look out for him._

Words weren't needed. She understood perfectly, nodding back at the man before turning and going towards the stairs with Caesar.

The last thing Lydia heard before the group left the subway was Malcolm's voice yelling at the man further down the tunnel, warning him not to shoot as Malcolm came out of hiding. She truly hoped the man would heed his words – Lydia didn't wish for Ellie and Alex to experience the same thing her and Orion just had, and more importantly, she didn't want Malcolm to get hurt.

He was a good guy, after all.

Once they were above the surface again, Lydia discovered that they were on the very street where the tower Koba and the other apes had taken was situated. Not that she knew San Francisco or anything, but the huge, half-finished tower, glowing with light from bulbs and torches alike was exceptionally hard to miss.

And as they got closer, Lydia was also quick to notice that Koba hadn't exactly put security at the top of his priority list. Only a few guards were there to keep an eye out for intruders, and they were absolutely awe-struck the moment they saw Caesar and his entourage.

It didn't escape Lydia's notice how Rocket, Maurice and Orion had all placed themselves protectively around her, creating a wall of muscle between her and the potentially hostile apes. She didn't know if she like this or not, seeing as she had never liked being coddled in any way, yet still was aware that she stood no chance on her own against a horde of apes meaning to harm her.

They didn't seem like that would have been their intention either way, however, as they quickly moved aside and followed suit as the group finally reached the ladder leading to the top of the tower.

That's when Caesar turned to Lydia with a serious expression.

"You should. Stay here. Stay Below." He spoke lowly, though the apes around them were sure to hear it either way. Lydia had no doubt most of them agreed with his statement.

"But I know. You will not." The Ape King continued before she could make any kind of protest, a certain glint appearing in his eye, despite the confrontation that lie ahead.

"You know me too well." She replied with an easy shrug. "I want to see this through, Caesar."

She half-expected him to argue again. To tell her it was too dangerous and that she was just a human. A sentence that they both knew would sting, no matter how true it was.

Instead, however, he merely nodded with a slight frown across his face, accepting that he could not change her mind. It was not often that Caesar, the Ape King, gave up on something or accepted defeat. Lydia figured that Rocket and Orion's words still echoed through his mind, reminding him that while she may be human on the outside…

She was still one of them. Still an ape inside.

At least, she hoped that was the case.

"Stay close. To apes, then." Caesar caved completely, nodding towards Rocket, then Luca, then Orion. They all inclined their heads in agreement, accepting the task assigned to them without protest.

Lydia didn't much like the prospect of having to be looked after like that, but if that was what it took for him to allow her to go up there with the apes – if that was what it took to put his mind at ease so he could focus on the fight ahead – then she would accept it without question.

Also, she didn't much fancy ending up as a bloody smudge on a dirty sidewalk of post-pandemic San Francisco, so perhaps it wasn't such a bad idea. That still didn't mean she had to like it.

"All right." She agreed with a sigh, adjusting her backpack and bow on her back to prepare for the climb. It was a long way up, after all – better make everything sit comfortably before they began their ascend.

And just like that, they all began climbing the rusty, rickety ladder, one by one.

Lydia made sure to keep a tight grip and place her feet carefully on each step on the way up. Luca was behind her, ready to catch her if anything went wrong, while Orion was in front of her so she could keep an eye on him. Not that she saw anything other than his rear from this angle, but she still preferred being able to see him and make sure he was alright.

Now, Lydia wasn't afraid of heights per se, but once they had gone halfway up the ladder, the wind became slightly fiercer, blowing her dark bangs around her face and obscuring her view, making her very uncomfortable with her current situation. It sent an unpleasant jolt through her when one particularly powerful gust of wind gripped at her, almost knocking her off the ladder and making Luca reach out to grab her ankle in case she fell.

None of it managed to deter her, though. She meant it when she said she wanted to see this through. She wanted to witness the confrontation between Caesar and Koba. She wanted justice for Roy and Ash. She wanted everything to be right again.

It took a while, especially with the whole group having to go one by one up the ladder, but soon, they were at the very top of the half-finished tower where Koba had made his base, apes all around them on the metal beams, staring in wonder at their 'resurrected' leader.

Luca went forward to make sure Caesar was all right after the climb, laying a hand on his arm, but the large chimp just grunted and put up his own hand on the gorilla's, signalling he didn't need help. Lydia understood his reasons well enough. He didn't want to show any trace of weakness now – not in front of the colony. He needed to appear strong.

The ape moved back to stand by Lydia, Rocket and Orion, the human woman effectively getting circled by a massive, protective wall of pure muscle by the three apes. It was clear they were preparing for the worst.

And over there, by the crane on the other side of the tower, jumping down from the railing, was Koba.

Caesar moved forward, then, with slow, calculated steps as he walked onto the beam separating the two, his posture emanating calmness.

But Lydia knew better.

She knew that while he presented a calm and collected exterior, Caesar was full of anger, hurt and anxiety on the inside. He controlled it well, though, she had to give him that.

The human woman reached over and grabbed her adoptive son's hand in anticipation and felt him squeeze back just as tightly. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him baring his teeth ever so slightly in what Lydia suspected was suppressed rage at the sight of the bonobo. She couldn't rightly say she blamed him for this reaction, however. She was of much the same mind as her son.

Turning her full attention back at the scene in front of her, Lydia looked on with a growing sense of dread as Caesar now stood in front of this unpredictable enemy, hoping against hope that he would heed her words from the other night.

It was time now.

Time for the final showdown.

Time to see who was the strongest branch.


	28. A Fight for Leadership

**_Blue Eyes_**

"Caesar. Has no. Place here." Came the piercing voice of Koba, cutting through the air like a knife. "Apes follow. Koba now."

A lump formed in Blue Eyes' throat as he watched his father approached the scarred bonobo, the young chimp's entire body almost shaking with pent-up rage and anxiety. Koba was still holding that wretched gun in his hand as he seemed to strut towards Caesar on the metalwork spanning over the abyss below. It almost made Blue Eyes sick to watch.

His father was without a weapon, trusting Koba face him in a fair fight for supremacy – seeing as they were surrounded by all the colony's males. If Koba chose to use the gun against Caesar now, he would surely lose the favour of the onlookers – even that of the most loyal ones among his troops.

He would show that he could only win by the means of human tools and not by his ability as an ape male.

He had no other choice than to lay down the gun and fight _like an ape_.

And yet, Blue Eyes still feared that he wouldn't. That Caesar would be shot once again and plummet to his death for a second time. That Koba would merely tighten his grip on the colony, won over, not by loyalty or trust in his leadership – but by the fear they all had for the weapon he held in his hand.

Caesar was calm nonetheless, which helped ease Blue Eyes' racing heart.

"Apes follow Koba. To War." His father replied, loud enough for all to hear, but nowhere near as cuttingly as Koba.

"APES. WIN. WAR!" The bonobo yelled angrily as he marched forward onto the beam, still with the gun slung over his shoulder. "APES. TOGETHER. STRONG!"

The hoots and screeches from the apes on the surrounding beams were getting louder as the two contestants got closer to each other, the chill night air thick with anticipation.

Koba surely had the confidence of a leader, Blue Eyes thought clinically as he observed the bonobo's body language. Tall and confident, even with his hunched posture and horribly disfigured face. The Ape Prince himself would definitely have thought twice about facing such an opponent.

But not Caesar.

He still stood where he had first positioned himself on the beam, seeming for all the world like a great, solid mountain with the wind howling at him – even when Koba lowered his voice again and threw insults straight at the Ape King's face.

"Caesar. Weak."

The silence following this statement was so intense it was almost palpable.

Blue Eyes felt the muscles around his own mouth and eyes tighten at the jab and briefly looked over at Lydia to gauge her reaction.

She remained just as calm as Caesar, though her eyes were cold and hard as they fixed on the scarred ape. She was looking at Koba like she would a predator in the forest, Blue Eyes realised. To her, Koba was no longer an ape – but an enemy threatening the colony.

Blue Eyes couldn't help but silently agree, even if she hadn't uttered a word, and turned back to watch the confrontation.

"Koba. Weaker." Came the short, but no less stinging reply from Caesar as he meaningfully eyed the gun in Koba's hand.

That seemed to get the bonobo thinking for a moment. He pulled the weapon out to examine it briefly, almost as if contemplating whether or not he could get away with using it, before he tossed it aside angrily and charged at Caesar with a vicious cry of rage.

 _A fair fight it is, then_ , Blue Eyes thought.

The sudden reaction from the treacherous bonobo sent a jolt through everybody present, and from then on, it was pure chaos. Anxious hoots from all around the fight escalated into wild screeches and howls as the two dominant apes engaged in an all-out fistfight after Koba had pushed Caesar down onto the connecting beams below. Everywhere, apes were moving to new positions to watch the fight for leadership from a better angle, all the while slamming their fists in agitation against any surface they could reach.

It created a barrage of terrible noises and Blue Eyes almost winced at the ferocity of it all. Maurice, Luca, Rocket and Orion all seemed to be of the same mind, if the grimaces occasionally flashing across their worried faces were anything to go by.

The only one who seemed wholly unbothered by the commotion was, strangely enough, Lydia. Whenever Blue Eyes managed to pull his gaze away from the fight in order to properly reposition himself safely, he would look to Lydia's face, gauging her state of mind.

Her eyes were glued to the Ape King and his traitorous opponent whenever she wasn't moving about the unfinished structure beneath her. The apes charged with protecting her were never far behind, though in Blue Eyes' humble opinion, Lydia seemed perfectly capable of handling herself at the moment, running and jumping as if she wasn't hundreds of feet above the ground, but back down on the forest floor she knew so well.

Lydia, as well as everyone else, gasped as Caesar and Koba both fell further down the structure after a particularly harsh push from the bonobo, which had caused Caesar to grab his opponents foot to drag him down as well. The fall was not from a great height, however, as they both landed on a platform lower down the tower's interior – it still looked painful, however, and the Ape Prince winced at the image of his father's harsh landing.

Blue Eyes and the others moved to a new spot along the beam, Lydia keeping up with them without even breaking a sweat but sticking close to Rocket and Luca nonetheless - she was stubborn, not reckless, after all.

The Ape Prince called for his father with worried hoots, looking down at his hunched form from his vantage point atop the platform his group had reached. Caesar seemed fine, if a little roughened up from the fall.

He had fared far better than Koba had, in any case, seeing as the bonobo had been cut deeply in his left side by what Blue Eyes guessed had been a sharp piece of metal on his way down. He had landed further up on a metal scaffold and was in no way pleased with his current standing in the fight, judging by his enraged yell once he looked down at his opponent again.

And so, a mad chase across the tower began once Koba picked up a metal pipe and charged at Caesar.

This time, Lydia couldn't keep up as the apes all leapt and swung in between the metal beams that made up the skeleton of the massive building. Blue Eyes was just about to reach out to give her a hand, also feeling responsible for the human woman's safety, when he saw Luca grab her around the waist and lift her with a single, huge arm.

The move pulled a less than dignified yelp from Lydia, who Blue Eyes knew did _not_ like to be carried around, though she quickly wrapped her arms tightly around Luca's massive neck and accepted his help without further protests.

 _So, Lydia is safe with Luca_ , Blue Eyes thought in relief, reverting his attention to the fight as he swerved about the metal construction, his heart racing a mile a minute.

 _If anything happens to father…_

Blue Eyes really didn't want to finish that thought.

* * *

 ** _Lydia_**

She gripped onto Luca like he was a lifeline (which it could be argued that he _was_ ) as she did her best to keep her legs lifted off the surface he was running on, making sure they wouldn't get bruised. It was not like the gorilla had time to consider being careful with her – he had to follow the fight in case Caesar needed help.

Not that Lydia had any idea what Luca, or anyone else could do, should the Ape King come up short-handed. It was a fight between leaders and so, it couldn't be interfered with, that much she knew.

The grip around her waist was painfully tight, and Lydia was certain that she would, at the very least, end up with a few pressed ribs.

 _Oh well, it's not like I haven't tried_ _ **that**_ _before_ , she thought as the memory of a particularly disastrous jiu-jitsu lesson from the past came to mind. At least she knew she could handle it.

Even so, she ended up digging her fingers deeply into Luca's fur and skin to, at the very least, relieve _some_ of the pain that coursed through her whenever the large gorilla jumped down onto another beam with a heavy thud, jolting her entire body with the action. Really, did they have to _run_ like this?

Honestly, she was quite amazed Luca was able to carry her so effortlessly, even if he wasn't being particularly gentle with her.

Through all of this, the pain, the confusion and the rapid movements of the seemingly hundreds of apes darting around the tower, Lydia only ever kept her eyes trained on one ape: Caesar.

Perhaps it was strange, but deep down, Lydia feared that if she lost sight of the Ape King for even a second, she would lose _him_ as well. Just like she had lost Roy only an hour prior to this confrontation. She wasn't too worried about Orion at the moment, seeing as her son kept close to her and Luca and, crucially, wasn't the one facing a power-hungry, homicidal, evolved ape.

So no, in all honesty, as of right now, she wasn't too worried about Orion – but Caesar, now that was an entirely different matter. Koba and his ideals had already robbed Lydia of someone she loved once, and she understood the same could happen to Caesar at any moment now. There was just so many ways for this to go wrong.

Luca set her down once they had reached another vantage point and Lydia had half a mind to be thankful that she was no longer being manhandled. She really did feel safer having control of where she was going.

Down below, the confrontation only escalated further.

"Trusted Koba. Like brother!" Caesar spoke accusingly at the enraged bonobo. They had stopped running and now faced each other, Koba with his iron pipe and Caesar with a metal floorplate.

"Caesar. Brother. TO HUMAN!" Koba spat back, swinging the pipe with all his strength. It dented Caesar's improvised shield a fraction but didn't manage to hurt the Ape King. Luckily.

"Caesar. Take in. Human! Let her stay. FOR YEARS!" The scarred bonobo screamed angrily, clearly referencing to Lydia. "Take her council. Pretend she is ape! BUT SHE IS NOT! CAESAR DOES NOT SEE!" Caesar's gaze remained cold, yet wary as he kept fending off Koba's hits.

"But Koba… Koba fight. FOR APES! FREE APE!"

Several more swings further dented the floorplate in Caesar's hands.

"Kill ape." He retorted dryly, his voice never reaching the same volume as Koba's, though his words were heard by every spectator all the same. The pipe had become momentarily stuck in the dent it had made in the floorplate, and the two leaned closer to catch their breath as a result.

"Koba fight. For Koba."

Ripping his weapon loose from the dent, the bonobo swung the pipe yet again.

"Koba… Belong… in cage."

Caesar's opponent rained down hits with the pipe between each word and soon managed to knock the floorplate out of his hands, leaving the Ape King with no protection once again.

It seemed to satisfy the bonobo, who smirked triumphantly through his ragged breaths, obviously thinking he had already won. He made to swing one last time in what was quite clearly meant to be the blow that would send Caesar to the ground for good and Lydia inhaled sharply in fear as the scene played out down below.

Only neither she, nor Koba had anticipated Caesar's next move, which involved crouching down and elbowing the attacking bonobo in the deep cut along his ribcage once he had the pipe raised to strike down.

It made Koba drop the metal pipe with a loud clang, bend over in pain and, for a brief moment, Lydia found herself enjoying the look of pain on his scarred face. Relished in how he hunched over and released a raspy yelp at the sensation. She couldn't find it in herself to be ashamed about it, however. Whatever pain Caesar would inflict on the bonobo, it could never compete with the pain of losing a loved one – Lydia and Rocket both knew that.

Seeing as both apes were now without a weapon and forced to rely on their fists once again, a vicious brawl broke out between them just as it had before.

It might have lasted for only a brief moment, but to Lydia, it lasted for an eternity as each ape rained down punch after punch on the other. Each time Koba managed to get a good hit at Caesar, she would quietly curse at the bonobo under her breath. No one around her seemed to notice, though. Not even Orion, who stood right beside her, now grasping her hand tightly – as if he was afraid she would run away if he didn't.

Not that she would do that, even if she had wanted to. She was currently standing within a tight circle of apes, once again being flanked by Rocket, Luca and Orion, while Blue Eyes and Maurice stood a few feet further away from her, observing the fight with bated breath.

The two apes finally pushed apart, Koba going to lean on a piece of scaffolding while he held a soothing hand to his wound. Even with the sporadic lighting of the construction site, Lydia could see blood steadily trickling down the bonobo's flank.

Caesar, thankfully, sported no such wounds and stood proudly at the other side of the platform where their fight had taken place for the last couple of minutes, his face hard as stone as he regarded his opponent.

It was so intense that Lydia imagined the air around the two could be cut with a knife, the way they stared at each other with eyes full of hatred, hurt and betrayal.

The spell was broken once again by Koba, who had finally caught his breath to release yet another terrifying battle cry as he charged at Caesar unexpectedly, making both of them fall backwards into a scaffolding which collapsed into the seemingly bottomless pit in the centre of the tower.

Lydia's heart stilled for a moment at the sight, horror finding its way across her features.

"CAESAR!" She screamed at the top of her lungs as all the spectating apes cried out in alarm. Even Maurice had called out in horror as he saw his old friend fall – a deep, guttural roar which resonated through Lydia's ribcage. She didn't pay it any mind.

It was pure luck, Lydia guessed, that there had been a sturdy chain for Caesar to grab right as he fell, saving him from plummeting down yet again and making Lydia breathe a sigh of relief. Unfortunately, Koba too, had managed to grab hold of a chain and now, both were swinging back and forth above the abyss, throwing punches at each other each time they met above the dark pit.

No sooner had the thought that one of them would have to let go crossed her mind before a great tremor shook the entire tower, followed by a resounding explosion that shot flames up through the middle of the construction further down.

The violent trembling shook sections of the tower loose and suddenly, pieces of the building was raining down on the apes. Frightened screams and the whirring sound of heavy metal segments giving out filled the air as Lydia struggled to maintain her balance and failed miserably as the platform beneath her feet collapsed.

This time, it was Orion who reached around her waist and lifted her off her feet – and just in time for Lydia to see how the metal floor, once sturdy enough to carry two chimps, a gorilla, an orangutan and a human, now being engulfed by the sea of yellow and orange flames hundreds of feet below.

While firm, Orion's grip on her wasn't as unforgiving as Luca's had been, though she still felt her ribs protest at the way all her weight was put on them. Each impact as Orion lurched off onto another beam with her thrown over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes sent another jolt of pain through Lydia's body, but she didn't dare try and correct her position in fear of distracting Orion from his task.

 _When has he become this strong?_ Her mind questioned as chaos descended all around them. To lift a fully grown human woman like that and throw her over his shoulder with such speed and ease. Was it not just yesterday he had been sitting atop her backpack, grooming her hair and staring in wonder at the world as it passed by on their journey?

Still, it seemed considerably more difficult for him to get around like that, so Lydia did her best to just hang on tight and trust her son to find them a safe spot to settle until the tremor from the explosion down below had stopped.

 _Down below… Malcolm…_

Lydia hadn't had the sense to spare him a thought since they left the subway, but now, she worried that he had fallen victim to the blast – she really hoped that wasn't the case. She was just beginning to like him.

Finally, mercifully, Orion found a place for them to be as the tremors stopped and Lydia took in her surroundings once her son had let her down from his shoulder.

On a platform just beside them, Blue Eyes, Rocket and Maurice had found a place to be as well and Lydia figured that Orion had been smart enough to just follow the group as best as he could – it was always best to stay together.

Luca had gone in another direction, though Lydia's eyes quickly found his hulking form further down the structure. He didn't seem hurt.

However, as Lydia cast her gaze out across the rest of the tower, she discovered that many other apes _were_ hurt. Many lie whimpering and struggling underneath scaffolds and loose metal beams, while others were clearly dead – either killed by the fall or the debris landing on them.

It was then, as Lydia scanned the area with mounting disbelief and sorrow, that she spotted Caesar – already at work trying to help those who could be helped. Amidst all the chaos, it sent a wave of relief through her to know that he, at least, had not been killed.

"Stay here. Mother." A raspy voice spoke beside her, startling Lydia into turning towards the sound. Sure, she had heard Orion speak plenty of times before, but he had never sounded so… commanding before. Especially not with _her_.

When she had fully turned to him, he was already halfway down one of the beams on his way to assist Caesar and the other apes in helping those who had been hurt.

"Stay safe. Help apes. Up here." He clarified, still having the sense to look apologetic for bossing her around. "I help. Down there."

She nodded seriously and turned to assist a young ape who had become stuck beneath two sets of scaffolding not far from where she stood. Another ape soon went to join her and together, they managed to lift the heavy metal pipes and splintery wooden boards off the poor soul. He could barely stand once it was all gone, yet he looked thankfully up at Lydia all the same.

 _And to think, a moment ago, he might not have hesitated to knock me down_ , Lydia thought, a strange mixture of sadness, anger and pure incomprehension swirling inside her chest.

No sooner had she moved on to the next ape in need of help before a barrage of rapid gunshots sounded and bullet whirred past not far from where she stood, prompting her to crouch down as fast as she could and immediately look for the source of the danger.

Koba.

Of course it was Koba.

 _Of course_ he had survived too.

And now, he was standing there, in the middle of it all, gun blazing left and right at anyone unfortunate enough to still be out in the open – though his focus seemed to be primarily centred on the apes loyal to Caesar

And Lydia herself.

* * *

 ** _Caesar_**

The bullets didn't hit himself or Blue Eyes, thank goodness for that, as they made their way behind cover when Koba started shooting. Instead, they bounced off the metal segments all around the place and landed on the metal floors and beams with high-pitched clangs. In between that and the even sound of the gun firing bullet after bullet, the bonobo's crazed, raspy shouts could be heard as he aimed the weapon in Caesar and his apes' general direction.

Would Koba stop at nothing to get his war?

Suddenly, as the bullets flew all around, Caesar heard an unmistakable, deep cry of pain coming from Maurice's direction, and he shifted his position behind the beam he used as a hiding place to see what had happened to his friend.

What he was met with made Caesar's fur bristle. His old friend had been hit by one of Koba's bullets and was now nursing a wound in his cheek flap. Even though it looked to only have been a grazing bullet, it still made Caesar's blood boil to know that his friend might very well have been killed just now – had the gun been angled just a bit further to the right, Maurice would have been hit right in his face. He would have been dead on the spot.

Rocket and Blue Eyes were near enough to help the older ape, though they still had to be careful about not getting hit, seeing as Koba still wasn't done shooting.

Caesar realised then that he could not spot Lydia or Orion near the three apes, and a flash of panic went through his chest – what if Lydia had been hurt? Was she still with Luca? Had she been separated from her son?

Those, as well as a thousand other thoughts raced through his mind in less than a second, until he finally spotted the human woman on another platform, further away from Rocket and the others than Caesar would have liked. Orion was nowhere to be seen.

The Ape King was surprised, however, to see one of the apes originally following Koba now helping the human by wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her down for cover – a necessity, since Koba had now begun aiming directly at her instead, his battle cries echoing louder than ever against the surrounding metal structures.

The sight of this – the mere thought that _she_ might end up as yet another one of Koba's victims had Caesar seeing red.

It all happened so quickly that Caesar barely knew what he was doing before he was mid-leap in Koba's direction, startling the unsuspecting ape. His enemy didn't even have time to turn and shoot before Caesar was over him and they tumbled down yet again onto the debris, heavy thuds sounding whenever each ape hit a particularly hard surface.

Every single impact sent a new wave of pain through Caesar but he could especially feel it in his chest, seeing as his newly-stitched wound was not meant to withstand such abuse. He was amazed it had even held together up till now and sent a silent thought of thanks to Ellie for her great work on his wound as his body lost its momentum on his way down.

Despite aching all over, he was quick to get up, and was momentarily confused as to where his opponent had gone before his attention was drawn to the sound of anguished, frustrated groans coming from the edge of the platform he had landed on. He would be able to recognise that raspy, guttural sound anywhere by now. It grinded against his nerves like a rusty blade against a craggy stone and made Caesar's nostrils flare in irritation as he got up to stand straight.

He calmly approached the edge and saw how Koba was now dangling from a twisted, broken beam, seemingly unable to use his left arm to pull himself up due to the cut he had received at his flank. Not that he didn't try, though, as he desperately attempted to lift his arm up to help support his weight.

And though he _did_ make it further up towards safety, it was no use if he couldn't manage to pull himself all the way up – they both knew this.

Koba stopped his struggling and stared up at Caesar, panting heavily from the effort. The bonobo's expression was still smug, despite his current predicament, as the surrounding apes had moved further down to observe the two.

The silence that now surrounded them stood in stark contrast to the roar of the explosion only moments ago and served to heighten every single one of the Ape King's senses as he stared down at his would-be assassin.

"Ape. Not. Kill… Ape." Koba managed in-between his laboured pants, his one good eye fixing Caesar with a triumphant stare.

Inhaling the cool air deep into his lungs, Caesar bent down slowly, sliding his large hand around Koba's arm to hold it in a firm grip, and pulled him up slightly towards himself.

He stopped short once he had partially lifted his opponent out of harm's way, however, lifting his verdant gaze to stare around at the spectating apes.

His eyes found Maurice with little difficulty, and he watched as his oldest, most loyal friend and advisor held a soothing hand to his own head, covering the wound he now sported on his face. Around him stood Blue Eyes, Rocket and Luca, staying by the older ape to support him as he whimpered softly in pain.

It was then, as he saw what this traitor had done to his old friend, that Caesar fully understood the words Lydia had spoken to him the other night as they resonated through his mind.

 _"Koba stopped being an ape long ago, Caesar."_

And so, he returned his gaze to the creature dangling in his grasp, the certainty that Caesar wouldn't let go still so blatantly evident in his one good eye.

He had another thing coming.

"You are… Not. Ape." Caesar spoke lowly, vehemently, fixing his former advisor and friend with a hard look before he let go of the bonobo's arm.

The last look he ever got to witness on Koba's face was one of shock and fright as he began his violent descent, screaming savagely at the top of his lungs the moment Caesar's hand opened up to let him fall.

The Ape King didn't even flinch at the sight. Not even as the ape's body caught on a wire which flung him onto a rickety metal beam, the impact knocking it loose and making it plummet down together with the bonobo.

Once the echo of Koba's final scream had faded into silence, Caesar lifted his eyes to once again regard his apes – yes, they were _his_ apes now.

At that exact moment, just as that thought had struck him, he locked eyes with Lydia, who was standing together with Orion and a group of other apes on a platform further up than the one Caesar himself stood on.

She looked roughened up, her face smudged with spots of grime and her clothes ripped and torn in different places. Several strands of her dark hair had found their way out of her simple braid and the knees of her pants were still covered in the dark, dried stains of Roy's blood.

Even so, she seemed relieved – happy, even, as their eyes connected across the pit at the tower's centre.

She nodded approvingly at the Ape King as she draped an arm firmly around her son's broad shoulders.

Yes.

They were _all_ his apes to lead once again.

Even if one of them was also a human.


	29. A Mother's Tears

_**Lydia**_

"You could come with us, you know…" Malcolm spoke carefully, his face tired, though his eyes were as sincere as ever as he regarded Lydia.

The dust had settled quickly after the females had come to the city and all had bowed down to Caesar once again, restoring him to the position of leader of the colony. Lydia had never seen such relief on a face as when Cornelia had spotted her husband, safe and sound, after having believed him to be dead for the better part of three days.

And though it warmed her heart to see the royal ape family back together, it also reminded her that her own family would never experience such a moment of their own ever again. She was happy for Caesar and his family, she truly was…

It was just that she couldn't escape the tide of sorrow as it finally managed to creep up on her now that everything was beginning to fall back into place again. Things were returning to normal – and yet her world had been irreversibly changed.

Nothing would ever be as it used to be anymore.

She noticed how Caesar exchanged a doubtful look with Cornelia at Malcolm's words.

The apes had found the humans again after Malcolm had disappeared into the dark, Caesar and himself having said what they had thought would be their final goodbye only moments earlier.

Ellie and Alex had arrived at the tower in the jeep, bringing Blaze and Storm with them in the back of the vehicle. The dogs had been ecstatic to see familiar faces again and didn't seem to be able to contain themselves as they ran between all the apes, rushing to greet each and every one of them.

"You know I can't do that." Lydia answered Malcolm, speaking in a tone that told him he should know better by now. She looked to Orion beside her, whose posture she noticed had stiffened by the mere suggestion of her leaving with the humans.

"My place is still here. With the apes." She smiled, knowing it was sincere only because she was looking at Orion as she said it. The look she received from him was tender and knowing. There was no way she was leaving Orion – especially not now, after Roy had died and he needed her more than ever.

 _Or maybe I am the one who needs him…_ She thought in the back of her mind.

Malcolm shrugged.

"That's fair. Just wanted to make sure you knew your options." He replied with a small smile on his lips, which was copied by Ellie standing just beside him.

 _As if leaving my now fatherless son was ever an option_ , she wanted to say, though she knew Malcolm hadn't meant any harm by his words. It was merely because she was now truly struck with what had happened, but had no peace to properly process it, that she felt the urge to lash out at any and all whose words could be misinterpreted.

Knowing this, she chose to contain the urge and instead opted to change the subject.

"Speaking of that, where will you guys go now?"

The trio looked at each other uncertainly, as if the idea of deciding on a specific route or destination hadn't even entered their minds yet.

"Well… I don't know, really. We didn't expect to have to relocate, but with the soldiers on their way here…" Ellie spoke softly, her gaze shifting from Malcolm, to Lydia, to Caesar and back again.

A silence fell over the group, even as the entire colony was moving about all around them, finding their friends, mates, parents and siblings – be they dead or alive by now. A lump appeared in Lydia's throat as she spotted Rocket at the other side of the street in front of the tower, consoling Tinker as she hid her face in her mate's chest, the tremors from her sobbing visible even at this distance.

He must have told her about Ash…

"Can wait. Have time to decide." Caesar suddenly spoke, making everyone turn their gazes to him instantly.

"I thought you said we needed to get out of here?" Malcolm inquired uncertainly. He sounded relieved, probably due to the fact that he was offered a bit more time to decide where to take his family now that their colony was no more, but he also seemed doubtful as he reminded Caesar of his own words.

The Ape King shared a look with his wife, who hadn't left her mate's side since they had been reunited. Cornelius was still clinging tightly to his mother's chest, though for some reason, his glistening, green eyes kept seeking out Lydia's own ones. It was almost like the infant could sense that something was still troubling her, even if he couldn't possibly understand such a thing at his young age. He wasn't more than a couple of days old, for crying out loud!

And yet, Lydia thought she saw compassion in the small chimp's eyes.

"Soldiers will not. Be here. For next days." Caesar persisted, fixing Malcolm with a serious stare. Cornelia nodded beside him, patting her infant son's back as he began to get restless.

"Caesar's right, Malcolm. It will be some time before the military gets here anyway – you might as well take a few days to decide on where to go and gather provisions." Lydia interjected. She honestly wouldn't mind having these humans around a little while longer – she had become used to them by now.

"Dad… They have a point, you know? We have to have a plan first." Alex, who had been silently observing up until now, joined in.

Malcolm still looked doubtful, though.

"What-What about you guys? What will happen to you once we leave? Is there nothing we can do to help?"

Lydia already knew where this was going, and almost groaned out loud at Malcolm's words. Ever the mediator, this man.

Instead, she chose to subtly tell him he should leave well enough alone already.

"The same thing that would happen even if you left right now. Seriously Malcolm, you guys have already gone above and beyond for the apes here, almost getting killed helping us. Don't you think it's time you looked after yourselves too?" Her tone was half-joking, but her words left no room for misunderstanding: _Take your family to safety._

 _They need you more than we do._

 _This is not your battle._

An intense look was shared between the two, Lydia's blue eyes staring straight into Malcolm's brighter ones, though it was he who relented in the end, tension leaving his body as he seemed to deflate in defeat.

"You're right. It's just… This is our home. Besides, it's not like we haven't played a part in this. If we had never come up and bothered you guys-"

"Then you would still be sitting down here, hundreds of people crammed together, running out of power anyway. You did what you could to prevent this – all of you. Just sometimes… sometimes things don't turn out how we want them to…" Lydia interrupted, starting in a strong and confident tone, like a mother lecturing a child, though she trailed off towards the end as the gravity of her own words hit her.

No… very few things in life turns out how we want them to.

She could feel how the group regarded her with sympathetic looks as she finished her little speech and immediately hated it. She couldn't stand pity – it only made her feel sorrier for herself and if there was one thing she didn't need right now, it was that.

Feeling sorry for herself.

Luckily, Ellie seemed to catch on to how Lydia was beginning to withdraw and decided to shift focus onto herself instead – goodness, she was going to miss this woman once they were gone.

"It's settled, then. We'll stay for a couple of days. It will probably do us good to get some proper sleep as well after everything that's happened, right?" She spoke with an air of finality to her words. It might be Malcolm who did most of the talking, but in the end, it seemed to be Ellie who had the final say in their relationship.

It kind of reminded Lydia of Caesar and Cornelia if she was honest with herself.

Meanwhile, Cornelius had become more and more erratic in his movements, and Cornelia's peting on his back had done nothing to calm the infant ape. By now, he was halfway out of his mother's grip... Reaching for Lydia.

The Ape Queen relented when she realised, at last, that her youngest child for some reason had his mind set on getting to the human woman, and carefully handed the little prince over to Lydia, who took him while looking questioningly down at the chimp now in her grasp.

Cornelius wrapped his small arms around Lydia's neck and buried his face against her upper sternum, though he made sure he was able to still peek over his own shoulder to keep an eye on his parents and brother, who, like the humans, all had a mixture between astonishment and fondness trailing across their features.

However, Lydia was the only one who noticed that Caesar's gaze seemed to contain more… tenderness, as he looked at his son so safe and secure in the human woman's arms.

It was gone without a trace before she could think on it further.

* * *

 _ **Orion**_

Father's funeral had been beautiful, in Orion's humble opinion, even struck with grief as he was.

It had taken them the better part of a day to collect the victims of Koba's short reign, as well as the casualties from the partial collapse of the tower in the city.

Orion and Lydia had gone to collect Father together with Maurice and Ellie, who had been courteous enough to offer to drive his body back to the tower, so they could transport him together with the other apes who had fallen in the dispute. She also maintained a respectful distance as the three went to the body, staying by the car rather than follow them up the walkway where Father had been left.

The blood on and around the body had dried, now dark and cragged on both fur and pavement. Even so, Orion was glad Ellie and Alex hadn't moved him – only covered him with a spare sheet from the house so scavenging birds wouldn't take notice.

Mother hadn't cried again at the sight of Father lying there, though Orion knew better than to think she had already moved on. The look in her eyes was still just as pained as before and the tenderness with which she handled the body as they carefully brought it to the car was enough to tell Orion that she was just as grief-stricken as he was himself.

Mother was by no means a stoic person – she quite often wore her emotions on her sleeves (at least that's how he believed the expression went), but if there was one thing Orion knew his mother disliked doing in front of others, it was crying. Especially in front of him – Father had told him so years prior.

She wanted to be strong for Orion, he knew.

But right now, the young ape knew that it was time _he_ was strong for _her_. Like Father had told him to before he died.

They had placed the body in the back of the jeep where Mother sat with him while Orion was in the front passenger seat. Maurice sat in the back, being so large he filled up almost the entirety of the seats. They had said nothing on the way back to the tower.

When they arrived, Father had been placed together with everyone else who had fallen. Each body was put on planks the colony had been able to scavenge from the surrounding area, so they could be transported back to the forest. Once there, the funerals would be held – some separate, arranged by family, like Father's, and some in bulks. The latter was arranged to make sure even the apes without families would also get a proper burial, though more often than not, other ape families would have been so close with an individual that they allowed them to be buried with whoever of their own relatives that had died.

Thus, many of those who were left to be buried in bulks mostly turned out to be apes who had shared Koba's ideals and committed atrocities in his name right up until their deaths. Those apes were considered traitors to the core, who nobody wished included in their relatives' burial.

Most were laid to rest in hollow trees, near waterholes or on top of hills and cliffs – most often places the family and friends knew were favoured by the fallen individual.

Father's burial site was no different in that regard.

Mother had chosen for him to be placed in the cave that had conjoined with their hut in the village before it had all been burned down. When questioned about this by Maurice, who had suggested placing Father in a less… gloomy location, Mother had simply stated that this cave was all that remained of their home now and that she knew Father would want to be laid to rest there because of that.

And so, Father's body was brought up there and placed in the deepest recess of the cave, where the water trickled down from a crack in the ceiling. A few scattered rays of sun also managed to peek into the cave from this crack, which provided just enough light for everyone to be able to see Father for one last time, as he was laying there, surrounded by a nest of wild flowers. By his side was his favourite spear and a small knife used for cutting up skins, which had been placed in his hand on top of his stomach.

Resting around father's neck was the crude leather string, adorned by the teeth and claws – the symbol of their family. Of their unity.

Only then, as his eyes fell on that object, did Orion let the tears roll down his cheeks silently, finally letting the despair and hopelessness wash over him together with the realisation that what he had always feared the most had now happened. He had lost yet another parent and this time, he was sure to remember it.

Remember how Father's blood had tainted the ground.

Remember his voice getting weaker with each breath.

Remember how the light faded from his bright, green eyes.

Having that thought in mind, Orion hadn't felt Blue Eyes' hand squeezing his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. Maurice's soothing coos had fallen on deaf ears. Rocket's signed words of reassurance hadn't been seen, for Orion was blind to them then.

It was only Mother's touch that had broken him out of his sorrowful trance as she stood beside him and took his hand gently. In the darkened cave, it was hard to discern her expression clearly, though Orion knew she would not be crying – she would save that for a private moment when he wasn't around to witness it.

Deep down, he somehow wished that she wouldn't do that. He wanted her to be able to let go. He wanted to tell her she didn't need to be strong for him. Not anymore.

Another part of him wanted to just bury his face in the crook of her neck, weeping and wishing that things could go back to how they were before all this had happened. He chose to ignore that part as best he could. He wasn't a child anymore, running to the nearest adult for comfort.

Later, after the funeral, he had approached Mother, trails of tears still glistening down his cheeks as he sat stiffly beside her. She had gone to the pond atop the hill not far from the village and he had followed in her tracks simply because he didn't know where else go to.

Now, he was staring blankly out across the pond as he sat on the fallen log, Mother doing much the same at his side. Her feet weren't dipped in the water as usual, but still clothed in her worn boots and hanging just above the water's surface. The scent of burnt wood from the village still hung ever so subtly in the air, even up here, though it was not as assaulting a scent as the day just after it had happened. The memory it triggered still made Orion feel sick to his stomach, however, and he began picking at the moss stuck to the fallen log to distract his own mind from it.

The silence was beginning to eat at him – silences in his Mother's presence were never this tense before, but right now it felt like he was drowning in it, wanting to say something, but not knowing what.

Except…

"Mother…" He began tentatively, his voice small but grating. He hated that about his voice at times like this – it was never quiet! Never smooth!

She didn't even startle, to Orion's surprise – he knew he would have, had someone broken the silence like that around him. Instead, she turned her head softly to look at him with tired, red-rimmed eyes, nodding to indicate that she was listening.

"Why, mother?" He asked, his voice turning louder. Frustrated.

She only cocked her head to the side with a raised eyebrow.

"Why what, Orion?" Her voice was soft and smooth. Calm as the water around them.

"Why do you. Not cry?" His voice was loud and clear now as his fingers dug into the mossy bark of the log underneath them.

For a fraction of a second a look of surprise at his question graced her features. She hadn't been expecting this question – perhaps a thousand others – but not this one. Then, her face took on a sympathetic look as her shoulders slumped in what seemed like defeat.

"I do cry, Sweetie. I cry a lot." She admitted honestly, maintaining eye-contact with him as she did so.

He exhaled somewhat harshly through his nose, frustrated that she didn't understand.

But he was too quick to judge her just yet, it would seem.

"Just not around you, and not out here, where everyone can see…"

Orion let go of the tree's bark with his digits and instead laid them on top of his thighs as he stared at his mother with a raised brow.

"Why not?" He asked simply. The frustration had vanished from his voice, having been replaced by utter confusion now.

Mother sighed deeply as she ran a hand down across her face, as if to wipe the tiredness off her features. She didn't succeed.

"I… just really don't like it, Orion. My tears are not for them, or you to see… Please don't take it personal, Sweetie. It's just the way I've always dealt with it, okay? I know it's… that it might seem strange, but… It's how I can handle it best." She seemed to struggle with finding the right words and Orion guessed it was because she didn't want him to think that it had something to do with her not wishing to share her pain with him.

"You need to understand, Orion, for a long time, before I found you and…" She paused, as if the mere act of saying Father's name caused a lump to appear in her throat. "Before I found you and your father, I was all alone. I had no one to talk to about it. No one to listen… And even before that… Well, let's just say your… grandfather wasn't the most emotionally sensitive guy, alright?"

He understood that well enough, though he did think that Mother's way of dealing with her sorrow might not be very healthy. Still, it made sense that she would have found her own way to deal with it, and that it would have persisted even after she had found a new family.

A question entered his mind then, at the mention of his adoptive grandfather. A man he had never met.

"Did you… Did you cry too. When your father. Died? And brother?"

A long silence followed Orion's relatively simple and innocent question. A silence in which Mother seemed to contemplate deeply on how to word her reply, which was the only reason he didn't immediately attempt to retract his question. Mother had never spoken much about her human family and Orion, sensing already as a child that it was a sensitive subject, had never asked.

Not until now, that is.

"Yes." She replied quietly. Suddenly. Looking down at her hands folded in her lap, she sighed once again. "I cried for a long time then… Every morning when I woke up… and every night as I went to sleep."

Orion was puzzled by her words. Though they did answer his question, it also raised another one.

"Why like that? In morning And night?" He prompted, tilting his head to the side without realising he had done it – much like Mother herself tended to do when she was puzzled by something.

Another sigh escaped her as she cast her gaze out across the water's calm surface.

"Because it was at those times… it was at those times that I felt the loneliest." She finally replied in a small voice, so unlike her usual tone and volume that Orion had to really concentrate to catch what she had said.

"During the day, I had to focus on surviving. Finding food and shelter. It didn't leave me much time to think about anything else than that, really… But during the night, when I'd have to go to sleep all alone, or in the morning, when I'd wake up with no one there… Nothing but my own thoughts to keep me company." Mother took a deep breath, then, shuddering as she exhaled, almost as if the mere thought sent a chill through her.

"Those times were the _worst_ …" She finished her explanation while still staring blankly out across the pond, though her eyes seemed glossy now.

Orion felt sorry for even asking just then, but at the same time, a small voice inside his head told him that he had needed to know this. That it was good that he had made Mother tell him this, even if it pained her to do so.

The frustration with her lack of tears at the funeral disappeared in that instant, and Orion scooted closer to her and laid a tentative arm around his mother's shoulders, pulling her to him gently in an attempt to comfort her.

She may not show it in the way everyone else usually did, but she was racked with sorrow at Father's passing. Ash's too, he knew – and everyone else she had bonded with who had died in the last few days.

Honestly, if there ever had been someone in his life that Orion really _hated_ , it was Koba.

Mother leaned into Orion and put her head against his cheek, letting all tension leave her body to slump against his side. Like she had suddenly given in to the strain of everything that had happened.

They sat like that for what felt like half a day to Orion, though it might in fact only have been about half an hour. It was a strange feeling, to suddenly have Mother rely on him so heavily – and not only by holding her slumped body in an upright position as they sat atop the old log, but also by having to pry into her emotions and make her tell him what was wrong. Usually, their roles were reversed in this, Mother having to interrogate Orion whenever the adolescent was distressed and closed in on himself.

 _This is something Father would probably have done, back when he was still alive_ , Orion thought, realising only now that, while his mother _did_ put up a tough front, she was no more invincible when it came to emotions than anyone else was. She too needed someone to shoulder her troubles, just like Orion did, though he had never realised that until this moment.

She had always seemed like a sturdy pillar for him to lean on and though he had always known, even as a child, that Mother had a sadness in her he couldn't quite pinpoint, he hadn't considered, even for a moment, that she would ever be one to need emotional support. From _anybody_.

"We should probably go, Sweetie… They're going to bury Ash soon." Mother's quiet voice pulled him out of his sad musings and he squeezed her shoulder briefly in reply.

"Yes… We should." His raspy voice sounded against her hair before he moved to get up on the log.

Orion offered his mother a helping hand, which she accepted with a rueful smile before letting him help her get off the log and onto dry land. His hand remained around hers as they trudged down the path away from the waterhole, down to what had only days past been their home.

Now, it would serve as a burial ground for Father, Ash and many others.

Orion squeezed Mother's hand as they approached the small gathering standing near the place where Rocket and Tinker's hut used to be, the distressed mother's mournful cries as well as her mate's comforting hoots the only sound that could be heard from the group.

Mother's hand squeezed his in return and when he shifted his gaze to look at her, he was met with her sorrowful, glossy stare.

But she did not cry. Would not.

Not until tonight, when there would be nothing to distract her… No duties, no obligations, no Father.

 _But she will not be alone_ , Orion thought determinedly as he stepped forward to bid his childhood friend a last goodbye.

And still, Tinker cried.


	30. Take No Pity

**_Lydia_**

It was a strange feeling, walking through the streets of San Francisco again after all that had happened. Especially in broad daylight and the streets completely void of any form of life – be it ape or human.

It was two days after Roy's burial and Lydia could barely fathom what she was doing back in the abandoned city again. It was Caesar who had ordered that she come, trekking through the place together with Malcolm, Ellie, Alex and a couple of apes, which, among others, included Orion, Luca and the Ape King himself.

Rocket and Blue Eyes were given the task of searching the forest for a fitting new home the moment the burials were all done. They had found it not long after, a network of caves deep within the forest, much deeper than the apes had ever gone before. It was situated behind a waterfall way further upriver from where the dam was, and could easily fit the entire colony, by Rocket's estimation.

And so today, he and Blue eyes, as well as several other males, were put in charge of moving the entire colony to their new home while Caesar went with the smaller group to scavenge with the humans – it was the least he could do, the Ape King had said, to show his gratitude for all their help.

Lydia knew Caesar suspected it wouldn't be long now before the war broke out in earnest, and he wanted the humans who had helped them out of harm's way as fast as possible.

Which was also why Lydia and the group she had been assigned were back in the city. They were looking for things Malcolm and his family could use once it became time for them to leave and search for a new home of their own. They couldn't stay here, of that everyone was certain, and Caesar wouldn't risk their lives in the upcoming battle – they had done enough for the apes as it was and the Ape King could not ask them for more.

As of now, no one had arrived yet and Lydia was quite content with how empty the streets were. How the windows stood gaping and glassless, the interior of the rooms they had once shielded shrouded in darkness.

It fit her state of mind perfectly, though she did her best not to let it consume her during the day. There were other things to attend to then, rather than nursing her emotional wounds.

Ellie emerged from an abandoned store, shaking her head dejectedly. Nothing there to loot. The members of the group were beginning to all look quite disappointed with the outcome so far of this little excursion, as it had yielded few results so far – Lydia had warned them that might be the case earlier in the day.

Truthfully, she had suspected that Caesar had assigned her to his group to keep an eye on her, as he had seemed especially worried ever since they had returned to the forest – she had noticed the looks everyone shot at her, thank you very much. She was grieving, not blind.

Now, however, she knew that it might have been because she had more experience scavenging than all the members of the group put together. She had survived on her own doing that for months before she found Roy and Orion, and had continued to gather useful materials ever since then, even while she lived at the Ape Colony.

It had become a less frequent activity for her to partake in once she had a steady food source and learned to produce her own clothes and such, but she still liked to think she knew where to find useful materials if need be.

It was like riding a bike, really – once you've learned the technique, you never forget it.

Now, if only Malcolm would stop insisting they look in all the wrong places…

"I told you already, we're not going to find anything here." Lydia spoke as she moved to sit on the hood of an abandoned car, arms resting on her thighs. "This is one of the main shopping areas of the city, that's plain to see, even for someone who isn't from here. And anyone who lived here would've gone to this place first to loot anything worth taking long ago."

Malcolm sighed hopelessly and his shoulders slumped so much that Lydia feared they might just fall off soon.

"So where do you propose we go?" He spoke with just a hint of irritation in his voice.

Normally, Lydia would have met him with a clipped tone and a request to reign in his attitude because hey, she was just trying to help – but she just didn't have it in her to retaliate. Perhaps that's what had Caesar – and everyone else, for that matter – keeping an extra eye on her.

Instead, she shrugged, adjusting her bow across her shoulder.

"Well, I don't know this city like you do, but I'd suggest we go to a less… central street. Less known." She suggested, feeling everyone's eyes on her. "That's what I used to do back in the day, anyway. There might be way fewer stores, but those that are there are more likely to still have something worth our time."

At the mention of her past scavenging experience, Malcolm's eyes immediately softened and he seemed to almost be ashamed that he had used such an annoyed tone with her before. She didn't want his pity, however.

"So, is there such a street anywhere nearby? Do you remember?" Lydia hurried to add, regarding the man with a raised eyebrow.

He seemed to think very hard on this, but the look in his eyes already told Lydia that he wasn't really able to recall anything about that. _Understandable_ , she thought. So much had happened since the Simian pandemic that it was probably difficult to recall such an insignificant detail so long after it had happened.

At least for Malcolm it was. But, surprisingly, not for Alex.

"There used to be a street with a few smaller shops like, five blocks from here. Maybe six." The teen quipped from his place beside Orion, who was currently investigating one of the abandoned cars like his mother had taught him to do – to no avail, she knew, given the street they were in now, but it was good that he was still trying.

"Don't you remember, Dad? We went there a couple of times when I was little and you couldn't be bothered to go to the super marked further into town?" Alex spoke inquisitively.

It seemed to spark a memory in Malcolm's mind and the man looked at his son with a bewildered expression on his face.

"How could you possibly remember that? You were, what? Four? Maybe five?"

Despite the heavy heart currently residing in her chest, Lydia managed to smile and let out a soft chuckle at the situation.

"You'd be surprised, Malcolm. Sometimes, it's the strangest things that tend to stick to the mind at that age."

Both he and Ellie smiled back at her with some much-needed humour. Lydia jumped down from the car's hood and stretched her arms out in front of her, loosening the tension in her sore muscles. She really hadn't taken care of herself these past few days and she was beginning to feel it – heck, she was sure it even showed.

"So, lead the way, gentlemen, and I'll show you the fine art of scavenging. _Truly_ scavenging." She shot a pointed, though playful look at Malcolm, who rolled his sparkling, blue eyes at her, admitting defeat.

She had to admit, it was nice to have something to fill up her day with. Some task keeping her busy, both in body and in mind. In this, Caesar had judged correctly.

Speaking of the Ape King, he had made his way up to walk beside her, pulling his large, black steed along by its primitively woven reins. The beast whickered at Storm, who was trailing behind Lydia, but otherwise made no complaint as Caesar directed it forward.

"Are you alright?" The evolved ape asked lowly, doing his best to keep their conversation discreet as their group moved through the streets.

Oh, how she dreaded that question. Of course she wasn't alright! Her lover had died only a couple of days prior and she was facing a war that could potentially destroy everything and everyone she had left to love.

But once again, she simply didn't have the strength or the wits about her to come up with a wisecracking reply like she normally would. Instead, she just inhaled slowly through her nose and released it as a quiet sigh, letting her darkened eyelids droop with the action before she replied.

"For now…" She knew it was cryptic and probably off-putting – he was only trying to inquire about her well-being after all. She just didn't want to think about this right now, much less speak of it.

Caesar seemed to sense her apprehension and didn't press her further for a reply.

"If you wish. To speak… Know that I am here." He merely said, a soft look in his eyes once she turned her head to look. It shouldn't perplex her so much that he made this offer. It really shouldn't.

But with him being re-established as the colony's leader, arranging for the relocation of all the apes and preparing for an upcoming war, Lydia really hadn't expected that he would be able to make time for her and her troubles. Not anymore.

The look in his eyes told her differently. He really meant what he had said.

He would listen, if only she would talk.

Her heart clenched as she regarded him. She wasn't sure she could speak of it right now, or anytime soon, for that matter, but his offer was appreciated all the same.

"Thank you… I'll keep that in mind." She replied, knowing how her own gaze had softened considerably at the offer.

Caesar nodded briefly and directed his gaze ahead once again as they neared their destination, now rounding the third block – another three to go, if Alex' memory served him right.

Speaking of the human teen, he still seemed to be on good terms with Orion, which eased Lydia's worries considerably. Her adoptive son had been keeping near her ever since they had been reunited and Lydia had begun to fear that he had taken Roy's final words to him a little too seriously.

Or maybe it was just his way of mourning. She wasn't quite sure, as it was hard to be mindful of everyone else's pain when she herself was so caught up in her grief, even if she didn't show it.

Still, it was good to see Orion interacting with others again, and Alex had already proven to be a very good influence on her son, making him talk out loud more and expanding his vocabulary.

They stopped a few times on the way to the street Alex had spoken of, picking up a few items Lydia deemed useful for either herself or the human trio currently in the apes' care. A few jackets, shirts, belts and buckles from a clothes store here, a box of matches and a can of peas from an apartment there – it all added up, really.

"Is this even edible anymore?" Alex eyed a can of soup Lydia had managed to fish out from the back of a kitchen cupboard in a ground floor apartment. It had been covered in dust and the expiration date was no longer discernible, which seemed to have Alex further on edge about the product. Lydia shrugged as she moved on down the street.

"Should be. You won't know until you open it, but it's always better to just take such stuff along and check it just before you eat it. Otherwise you'll risk wasting an opportunity for a meal anyway." She spoke absent-mindedly, hauling herself up by the arms to look through another broken window in the block they were passing.

Ellie sounded her agreement with a quiet 'mhmm' as she went up to take the can from Alex's hand and placing it in her own backpack.

"Right." The teen replied simply, moving forward with the group.

Nothing seemed to be worth taking in the apartment Lydia peeked into, so she let go of the windowsill and let herself drop down onto the pavement again, moving on to the next row of windows.

"Were you always this casual looking through people's old homes in the past?" Malcolm asked, looking at her with a raised eyebrow as he hoisted his own backpack higher onto his shoulder. It sounded slightly accusing to Lydia's ears, but she figured that she was probably only imagining that because of her mood.

Turning her head to regard him, she noticed that he eyed the windows with an uncomfortable look and realised that he probably felt bad for what was essentially looting. She understood the sentiment somewhat.

"Not in the beginning, no, but I learned to ignore my conscience when it became a question of survival." She explained almost clinically as she hoisted herself up to another window. "No one has lived here for years and they're not likely to come back, Malcolm. Once your life depends on what people leave behind, you realise that it doesn't really matter much that somebody used to call this their home – because it isn't anymore."

Another starkly bare apartment – moving on.

"What if somebody ransacked what used to be _your_ home? Like we're doing right now?" He persisted, though Lydia sensed that they were moving down a more philosophical lane, as his voice sounded more curious than accusative by now.

"Someone probably already has long ago. It doesn't really bother me much, to be honest. It's not the place or the things in it which are important – it's the people. And they've been gone for years now." She didn't mean to sound so… well, casual about it, but it was a simple truth, really. She honestly had no qualms about people, whoever they might be, searching through her old house, her old room, her closets and cupboards. Whatever objects that still held meaning to her, she carried in her backpack – the rest were left for anyone to take.

"Right… Sorry." Malcolm replied sheepishly, tugging at his collar uncomfortably.

"What for? It's a valid question, after all, and it's okay to be curious. Honestly, curiosity is part of what got me this far in the first place." Lydia winked with a slight smirk, earning herself a few chuckles from the human trio, as well as a brief, amused look from Caesar.

They finally reached their destination after a few more peeks into the abandoned apartments along the way and Lydia was pleased with how it fit her description of what they needed. There were a few smaller, scattered shops, quite obviously having lacked the economic means to move to more frequented locations. These were the best places to find useful things, in Lydia's experience, since it was usually only the locals in the area who knew these shops even existed, while the general public and people just passing through tended to go for the more well-known shopping areas.

This lowered the chances of these shops and apartments being completely empty, though after so many years, Lydia didn't want to get her hopes up too high. There had been plenty of time for others to discover these places, and there _had_ been a human colony not too many miles from here.

Most of the humans the apes had captured had fled the city, however, taking only the most essential with them in their hurry to put distance between themselves and the apes, so the chances of them going through a place like this before leaving were minimal.

Either way, it was their best option and Lydia was determined to do her best in aiding Malcolm and his family.

"How about you guys go into that kiosk over there and see what you can find?" She asked Malcolm, as well as a couple of apes who had joined them on their trip. This group included Luca as well, who Malcolm had begun to feel a whole lot safer with by now despite their… rather loud first meeting. "Ellie, Alex and Orion can go to the drugstore further ahead, and Caesar can take the rest of the apes to the super market down the street."

"What about you?" Came Caesar's gravelly voice, a slight frown on his face.

Lydia pointed at the block behind her, directly across the street from where they stood.

"I'll be going in there and check out the shops and the apartments above. You won't dream of how many useful things can be found in a simple barbershop when you're in a pinch." She spoke easily, adjusting her backpack.

It was true – she had stumbled upon many useful things in any hairdresser or barbershop she had crossed in the past – mostly in the form of scissors, razorblades and tools for sharpening these, but she would never turn down an opportunity to get a hold of such items. She might be living in the wild, but she still tried to keep at least some semblance of her… feminine bathroom routine, such as keeping her legs shaven, for instance. She imagined Ellie would be of the same mind in this matter.

Caesar shook his head at her and she tilted her own in confusion.

"No one goes alone." He spoke resolutely, before turning to Spear, one of his subordinate apes, and signed for him to take command of the group going to the super market.

Lydia rolled her eyes at the Ape King as he nodded to the others and began trudging towards the barbershop, trusting Lydia to follow as the other groups split up to go about their tasks.

As soon as they entered the shop, Lydia couldn't keep her mouth shut anymore.

"Not trusting me to be on my own, do you?" It wasn't as much a question as it was a statement. She didn't look at him, however, as she began searching through the drawers and storage compartments immediately.

He huffed softly at her words.

"I do... But the city. Is dangerous… You know this." He spoke, getting to work at the other side of the shop. It was a small space, but the décor told Lydia that it had been a cosy and probably well-frequented establishment back in the day.

She turned to regard him with an unimpressed look, one side of her mouth pulled into a soft sneer and her arms laid across her chest in a guarded stance.

"Don't treat me like a child, Caesar. You know I've done this years before I met you. Wasn't that why you had me come along in the first place, huh?" She had never used that tone with him before – not because he was the Ape King, but because there had never been a need for it – not until now, when he had begun to doubt her abilities and watch her movements like she was some inept toddler, viable to stumble and hurt herself at any moment.

He seemed startled at first, turning around to face her fully with a look of slight surprise on his rugged face. He had heard such jabs from her before, though they had never been directed at _him_. Then, his stare turned hard and his fists clenched at his sides.

"I do not treat you. Like a child… What I do. I do because I worry… Cornelia worries… Maurice and Rocket worries." He spoke with such severity that it might have made her wince if she hadn't been so annoyed with him already.

At the same time, he made his way over to her, taking no more than five steps before he was right in front of her, maintaining their intense eye-contact the whole time.

"Well, you don't have to. I'm dealing with it, okay? I don't want pity, Caesar." She challenged tiredly, though her shoulders refused to slump in defeat in the face of the Ape King.

At that, his gaze seemed to soften and after a moment of openly studying her face, which she knew must look haggard by now, he let out a deep exhale.

"I said we worry. Not pity."

The change in his tone was monumental as it went from harsh and almost growly to soft and tender, the shift not only present in his voice, but in his eyes as well, the golden flecks in his green irises clearer as his gaze lost its hard edge.

She was so captivated by it – and so startled by the point he made – that she didn't notice the large, calloused hand reaching for her cheek before it made contact with her skin, effectively cradling the side of her face in his huge palm. It was warm against her chilled flesh and his fingers dug through her dark tresses in a soothing manner as he adjusted it to wipe a tear away from her cheek. She hadn't even noticed she had let it slip through.

It reminded her of the moment they had shared that evening at his childhood home a few days ago… Sweet. Caring. Intimate

Too intimate.

Especially when he pulled her face towards his own, and, for a brief moment, she thought he was going to kiss her.

"Caesar-!"

She only managed to utter his name before she realised that a kiss wasn't what he was going for. Instead, he made her bow her head, so their foreheads could touch softly, closing his eyes and breathing warmly against her face.

It was a gesture only reserved for members of his family and closest friends – not something to be taken lightly.

Especially since it wasn't something he had ever shared with _her_ before.

After a second or two in which her tensed-up muscles eased back into a relaxed state, Lydia finally closed her eyes and accepted his comforting touch with a heavy sigh. She had to admit it was nice, the physical contact. The connection.

Orion had taken to holding her hand these last couple of nights and they hugged more often lately – but she hadn't taken comfort in another's touch since Roy's passing, except for a few pats on the back from various apes around the colony. They were given with good intentions, sure, but the comfort they were supposed to provide never lasted.

They weren't meaningful.

Not like this, anyway.

A few, lingering seconds later, Caesar let go of her cheek and raised his head to look at her again, eyes full of understanding.

"I only want you. To be yourself again." He spoke lowly, yet it echoed loudly through Lydia's ears.

She nodded solemnly, the barest trace of a smile gracing her lips as she regarded him. His verdant eyes, so intense and intelligent, maintained their serious stare, though she could see just a hint of the affection for her that lay underneath, just below the surface.

It was an affection she wished, desperately in this moment, that she could reciprocate – just as she had wished it that evening, when they had had their little heart-to-heart.

Only… her wound was too deep, the loss of her first love still too fresh.

And Caesar still had his own love…

There was no bitterness as that thought crossed her mind, however. It was no fault of his that he was already spoken for – it had been like that long before they even met and besides, Cornelia was her dearest friend among the female apes. Lydia wanted nothing but happiness for them both.

The only one she could blame was herself, really, for harbouring tender feelings for someone who was already with someone else.

That, and Koba, for stealing away that same happiness from her.

Lydia stepped forward, slowly circling her arms around the Ape King and squeezing tight against his hard body as she breathed a soft 'thank you' into the fur on his shoulder. She had expected the move to startle him, make him hesitate, perhaps, but his long arms swept around her the instant she leaned in, reciprocating the gesture without thought.

It lasted only for a short while, but it still meant the world to Lydia that it had happened and when they pulled apart, she could see in Caesar's eyes that he too had found comfort in their embrace, the hard lines on his face having smoothened considerably from only moments ago.

"Let's get back to the task at hand, hmm?" Lydia offered quietly, breaking the intimate spell that had held them both hostage for goodness knows how long now.

Caesar nodded with a soft smirk on his lips before he turned to step over to his side of the barbershop once again.

"Yes. We should not return. Empty handed." The mirth in his voice was like a sudden, warm summer breeze after a long, cold winter to Lydia. "Malcolm. Would not let you… 'off the hook'. If we did."

At that, Lydia released a small burst of chuckles and looked at the Ape King incredulously, his use of the common phrase so incredibly humorous to her – how long had it been since they had laughed together?

Too long, in Lydia's opinion.

"Yeah, you're probably right about that." She hummed in agreement, bending to rummage through some cabinets beneath one of the counters.

There were plenty of things left here for them to take, she was pleased to note. Lydia doubted there had even been any people here in the years after the pandemic took hold, as everything seemed to be in the place you'd expect them to be in a normal, functioning shop. Nothing had been taken or tampered with, the thick layer of dust covering everything a testament to that fact.

Lydia stood back up some time later, arms full of items which she laid out across the table top as if they were on display.

"So, Mister Ape King." Lydia spoke teasingly, gaining Caesar's attention as he finished going through a drawer. He looked at her with a raised brow, probably due to the nickname, but nodded all the same to signal that he was listening.

"How about I talk you through which of these things we can collect and for what? Seems like a useful thing to do." She presented the items with a grand swipe of her arm above the table and Caesar stared down at the arrangement of scissors, nail clippers, pieces of cloth, razors and the like with a blank expression on his face.

"Should you not. Have done that. With the other apes as well?" Came his gruff voice and though his face remained stoic, Lydia could hear the barely-concealed humour in his voice.

A confused expression flashed across her features before what he had just said finally hit home, and Lydia barely resisted the urge to slap a palm to her face in exasperation.

"Shit…" Was all she said as she let an expression of realisation slip onto her features, quite without her consent, and let her eyes fall down onto the items on the counter. Yeah… she _should_ have explained it to the other apes, actually.

The laughter that left Caesar's chest was subtle and deep, more a series of dark huffs than anything else.

It still made Lydia smile, though.


	31. Keeping Memories

_**Lydia**_

"Do you _really_ think that will be useful, Lydia?" Asked Ellie, humour evident in her tone.

The dark-haired woman eyed Ellie with a lifted brow and a soft smirk before casting her eyes at the item precariously tied to her backpack. It was an acoustic guitar she had found in a music store not far from the barbershop she had inspected with Caesar earlier that day.

"Maybe not, but certainly entertaining!" Lydia replied almost cheerily as she made her way with the group along the trail.

The fires dotting the colony's new home all crackled merrily, fed by the drafts coming from the caves deeper inside the cliffs, as well as the wood provided with even intervals. It was the first time Lydia was seeing it, and she had to admit that Rocket and Blue Eyes had chosen well. It was big enough to house the entire colony, with the largest cave located behind a gushing waterfall, acting as the inner sanctum of the entire thing. All around, the apes had already begun placing the sharpened stakes needed for further defending this new base, and nests had already been built in most of the caves – including Lydia and Orion's, curtesy of Tinker, the darling soul she was.

"So, you're actually going to use it for its intended purpose? Not going to turn it into a… paddle or something?" Malcolm drawled teasingly, his clear, blue eyes twinkling with mirth.

Lydia scoffed at that.

"It's a fine instrument, Malcolm, not a piece of fabric or driftwood to be ripped apart and reused. Have you no culture?" She jabbed right back, taking on a snobby tone of mock-bewilderment before eyeing him somewhat suggestively, adding: "But if you want to, I _could_ give you a paddling with it. Goodness knows you could use it."

Alex snickered behind Orion at the exchange, the young chimp soon joining in with an amused huff. They were sitting on a horse together, the adolescent chimp leading the horse along while the human teen held on tight. It was quite sweet to watch, actually.

Lydia had to admit, she felt quite good at the moment – the ache of losing Roy was no less prominent than before, but after her talk with Caesar, she made sure to try and actually _be_ in the moment more, rather than letting her mind return to the tragedy over and over again – if for nothing else, then at least to ease his worry for her. In the end, she realised that she was suddenly having a semblance of fun for the rest of the day and now, she felt more relaxed than she had done for over a week. It felt good to laugh again.

She also noticed that her improved mood had seemed to rub off on the rest of the group, Maurice and Luca especially huffing out laughter from time to time by now. In addition to that, Malcolm and her seemed to have developed some kind of game of the wits as the day had progressed, throwing humours jabs at each other whenever possible, which seemed to amuse the younger occupants of the group in particular.

Really, to think that when they first met, Malcolm had seemed to be scared shitless of her.

 _How things have changed_ , Lydia mused as she strolled beside the horse she had chosen for herself - a beautiful black-and-white-spotted stallion of the breed American Paint. It was something Lydia only knew because of her sister's unhealthy obsession with horses back in the days before the Simian Flu. She was quite surprised to discover that some of the endless ramblings about equines her sister spewed had actually stuck to her memory – it had certainly never been in _Lydia's_ interest to learn about them.

"Touché…" Was all Malcolm said in reply to her words, looking for all the world like he thought she might actually be true to her words about giving him a paddling. Perhaps he hadn't _quite_ gotten over his initial anxiety around her.

Lydia could only chuckle at the thought as she handed the crude reins of her steed to one of the apes in charge of the stables – which still only consisted of a couple of posts to which they tied the horses, placed under a makeshift roof near the new colony's main entrance. The others did the same, Malcolm and Ellie sliding down from the back of their shared horse, borrowed for the trip to the city – cars just wouldn't do this deep into the forest, where the terrain was more hilly and treacherous.

Everything they had found had been bundled into hides and backpacks, though Lydia's couldn't contain much more with all her usual supplies in it. She had to admit they had found quite some useful items, such as knives, thread and an amount of canned food that Lydia estimated would keep the family going for quite some time if they played their cards right. However, she was especially pleased about finding some shoes she could cut up to replace the soles on her own boots – they could really use some refurbishing by now – as well as some shirts and linen she could utilize in the future.

 _Something to keep my mind occupied, that's exactly what I need_ , she thought, though her expression betrayed nothing.

Once the horses had all been handed over, Caesar, who had surveyed the sight with Rocket before deciding to move the colony there, lead the way to the main cave. A lot still had to be done before the place would be perfectly safe to traverse, as the pathways made by the apes were still too rickety and slippery, but overall, Lydia was pleasantly surprised with how much they had actually managed to set it up in the time her group had been gone. Basic structures for huts and watchtowers had already been erected in many places, as well as some rudimentary defence-measurements along the trails leading to the colony's inner sanctum. Even now, as twilight was beginning to descent over the forest, some apes were still hard at work, making the most out of the waning light.

Soon, the steady rumble of a waterfall caught Lydia's attention, and as she exited the archway which marked the entry to the innermost parts of the fortress, she and the rest of the group was met with the sight of rushing water roaring down a sheer cliffside, behind which Lydia could only _just_ make out a large cave. Defensive spikes and torches had already been set in their permanent position along the path leading there, and the logs creating the walkways weaving in and out of the cliff looked as sturdy as they had in the old village.

"You guys work quickly…" Malcolm spoke in quiet awe as his eyes darted around the place, taking in the grandeur of it all. No one deigned the statement with a reply.

Though impressed with the progress, Lydia wasn't quite as awestruck about the sight as the other humans – it looked very much like the old village, which also had been placed around cliffs and a waterfall. If anything, to her, this felt homey.

Once they entered the cavern behind the waterfall, however, Lydia soon found herself at a loss for words. It was not only large… it was _huge_! The ceiling arched up far higher than Lydia would have been able to guess from just looking at the outside, and at the very top daylight (what was left of it by now, anyway) filtered in through a crevice in the cliff. All around on the levelled plateaus were different ape families already sitting around cookfires, all of which cast a warm, pleasant glow against the walls of the cave. In the middle of it all was a large boulder on which Lydia spotted Rocket and Blue Eyes, seemingly discussing something very animatedly. She could already see how Caesar would hold meetings with his council there, as it bore a stark resemblance to the old Law-Stone.

"You chose well…" Lydia managed to say as she stood beside Caesar, who looked beyond satisfied with what he was seeing. The Ape King only nodded in agreement, releasing a deep huff as he did so.

This would do very well as their new home.

* * *

 _ **Maurice**_

The meal that night was probably the most satisfying Maurice had had in days – freshly caught fish roasted over a cookfire, served together with roots, mushrooms and berries from the surrounding forest. He was not much of a meat-eater, given his species, but the day had been long and the trek through the forest had been hard, even when going on horseback. He had barely eaten anything since they had set out at dawn and had swallowed the meal with much enthusiasm, quite like the other members of the group, most of whom were now sitting around the fire in front of him.

Lydia sat at the old orangutan's right with Orion placed on her other side, followed by Alex, who seemed to have found a great friend in the adolescent ape. Beside the teenage boy sat his father and stepmother (as Maurice had learned it was called when the biological parent had found a new mate), who then sat beside Blue Eyes, Cornelia and Caesar. To Maurice's left sat Tinker and Rocket, who had elected to join in after the evening meal had finished and most had gone to be with their family groups.

It had been some time now since they had all finished, and Malcolm was currently in the middle of telling a story about Alex from when the boy was younger, making the adolescent in question look rather peeved, noticeably so when his eyes darted between Lydia and Ellie. Orion and Blue Eyes shared sympathetic looks with him from time to time, but otherwise seemed very amused with Malcolm's animated recount as well – right until their own parents began sharing stories about their own childhood mishaps, that is.

Maurice cast an occasional look at Tinker throughout those stories, seeing as most of them also featured Ash – in fact, most of the youngsters' misadventures had been Ash's doing. While she did go slightly glossy-eyed from time to time at the mention of her son, Tinker seemed to take it all in stride and huff along in laughter all the same.

Maurice had honestly thought that the female ape wouldn't be up for a get-together like this, and especially not with Malcolm and his family serving as a fresh reminder of what exactly had led to her child's death. She had surprised the old ape, however, sitting down with her mate and listening intently to the stories from humans and apes alike. It was good to see her enjoying herself again – she had, quite understandably, been miserable for days.

"…and I tell you, I just felt so bad for shouting that we immediately went for ice cream after that and even then, he _still_ told his mom I had lost him at the mall when we got home!" Malcolm spoke, with a mixture of humour and exasperation in his voice.

Laughter and amused huffs erupted around the fire, and though Maurice had to admit he hadn't paid attention to the entirety of the story, he caught _just_ enough information to grasp what it had been about and joined in with the others' laughter, his deep rumble reverberating through his chest.

"So, Lydia," Ellie spoke once the laughter had died down, turning to Lydia with an expectant look on her face. "Were you gonna entertain us with some music or what? I suppose you didn't carry that thing all the way here for nothing?"

Her tone was amused and teasing, but there was also an underlying curiosity which Maurice had to admit he shared with the woman. Lydia had stumbled by an old store on their way back through the city, filled with instruments in varying states of disrepair. In general, most had been structurally intact, though dusty and with missing strings and rust on them, although others had been eaten away by time and humidity due to the smashed windows of the shop.

When the aging orangutan had inquired about why so many of these seemingly valuable items had been left behind to decay, Lydia had shrugged and stared around the place disapprovingly.

"When the world falls into chaos, I suppose the joy of music is one of the first things people tend to forget." She had said before proceeding to search the place and coming out with a dirty, albeit intact instrument. She had explained to Maurice that it was an acoustic guitar, as opposed to an electric one (one of which she had pointed at to show the difference). Most of the apes on their little expedition had seemed intrigued by the instrument and tested out the strings, hooting excitedly at the sounds they made.

"I guess I can give it a try." Lydia spoke now, reaching behind her to grab the guitar which had been placed beside her backpack. It made a hollow, gentle bumping sound as it scraped slightly against the cave's floor. "But I'll warn you, it has been years since I have as much as touched a guitar – it _might_ be a bit awful. Just talk amongst yourselves while I fix it up a bit here."

Lydia winked at the woman in front of her and then proceeded to twist and turn the nuts which seemed to keep the strings in place, trying them out and moving on to the next one once she was satisfied with the sound it made. Maurice had a hard time making sense of what she was doing, and looking at the other apes, he figured that they were just as puzzled by this as he was.

"There, that should do it." She nodded, more to herself than to the group, if Maurice was to guess, and began playing.

It seemed as if she was trying very hard to remember the technique required for the instrument, as the first few tunes Lydia attempted seemed stumped and a few notes were clearly out of tune with whatever song she was playing _should_ sound like – that was clear even to Maurice. Lydia seemed to be quite aware of this herself too, grimacing and cursing under her breath whenever she made a mistake.

Soon, however, it looked like she was getting the hang of it, muscle-memory seemingly kicking in as her fingers moved more smoothly up and down the neck of the instrument in her hands, caressing the strings and rocking her foot in gentle rhythm with the beat of the song.

Maurice was, in all honesty, truly amazed with how she managed to position her fingers – many of the grips she had to twist her hand into looked quite uncomfortable, unnatural even, but Lydia made it look like it was no big deal at all and even employed her other hand to pick at the strings with all her fingers rather than simply strumming them with her thumb. There were still mistakes being made, which were all the more obvious by the crease of her brow when they happened, but as she continued on, they became less and less frequent until, at last, it was hard to make them out at all.

"Hey… Isn't that…?" Came Malcolm's voice as Lydia began another melody, his expression changing from simple enjoyment into one of recognition.

The woman beside Maurice smiled knowingly as she continued to play.

"Good to see you do have some musical taste. Remember the lyrics too?" Lydia asked, eyes shifting between Ellie and Malcolm, who briefly looked at each other with soft smiles before nodding in unison.

And suddenly, the three adult humans began singing, stunning the apes and the teenaged human beside them into complete silence.

~Well I've heard there was a secret chord  
That David played and it pleased the Lord  
But you don't really care for music, do you?  
Well it goes like this:  
The fourth, the fifth, the minor fall and the major lift  
The baffled king composing Hallelujah~

~Hallelujah  
Hallelujah  
Hallelujah  
Hallelujah~

Their voices were relatively quiet, barely overshadowing the sound of the guitar as Lydia continued to play. None of them seemed to stumble over the words or forget a line, seemingly knowing the song by heart. Halfway through the it, Ellie reached over and grabbed Malcolm's hand, earning herself a soft smile from the man beside her.

Maurice wouldn't pretend to know what the song was about, though he noted that it seemed to contain elements concerning love and pain.

What he _did_ know was that he had never heard Lydia sing before, and while he could tell she wasn't exactly accustomed to the task, he thought that it sounded rather nice – soft and clear, if a little unsteady in some places.

A smirk pulled at the elderly orangutan's lips when his eyes fell on Orion, who was currently looking at his mother like he was seeing her for the very first time, eyes widened and mouth slightly agape, the corner of his lips quirking upwards in what Maurice could only guess was the beginning of an approving grin.

The rest of the apes gathered around the fire seemed to be similarly surprised at this discovery, a few of them tapping their fingers subconsciously in time with the music. Blue Eyes and Cornelius, who were born after the rebellion against the humans, had never even seen a guitar before, much less heard one being played on. And certainly not accompanied by singing – the apes didn't do that with their strained, at times even non-existent voices. Because of this fact, the young apes seemed especially captivated by the show, much to their parents' amusement.

"Damn, I'd nearly forgotten that song." Malcolm spoke with a soft grin on his face once it had ended. "You played it pretty well too. You took classes or something?"

Lydia smiled a bit bashfully at his praise – a look rarely seen on her face – and absent-mindedly fingered the strings as she replied.

"Actually no, I-... My sister taught me how to play. She practiced for hours every day and played in a band too. She would sometimes sit with me and teach me how to play different songs – if I agreed to do her chores around the house, that is." A fond smile graced Lydia's features. "She was all around the place with hobbies: Music, horses, dancing… Only she didn't like to sing, so she always asked me to come into her room and do it while she played instead. That's how I began to get interested in playing myself too, though I only did it a couple of hours a week."

Looking briefly at Orion, Maurice noted that the young ape seemed to be sucking up the information like a sponge, and the old orangutan deduced that Lydia probably hadn't spoken much about her human family to her adoptive son.

"You had a sister?" Came Alex's rather quiet voice, full of curiosity.

Lydia nodded at the teen.

"One older sister and two younger brothers." She answered matter-of-factly.

Alex's eyes widened slightly, and Maurice imagined it was because he was an only child (at least he assumed he was, not knowing if the boy had had siblings who died when the humans got sick).

"That's a lot of playmates." Malcolm stated, reaching a hand towards Lydia. "Can I try? I used to play when I was in high school."

Lydia smiled and handed him the guitar.

"To be completely honest with you, it wasn't always by choice I became their playmate." She spoke, rolling her blue eyes in what seemed like slight exasperation.

"Oh, how so?" Ellie chimed in with her eyebrows softly creasing upwards in wonder at Lydia's words.

The woman beside Maurice shrugged before she began explaining.

"Well, sometimes I was kinda forced to do things with them. One of my brothers was deaf, you see, so I had to act as a translator for him sometimes, especially during his jiu-jitsu classes and at family dinners. I didn't mind it that much because he obviously needed it and we got really close because of it. But, you know, it didn't really leave much time for me to do my own thing. Develop my own interests."

"So _that's_ how you know sign language!" Ellie exclaimed, almost like she had uncovered a great mystery, which made Maurice rumble with a soft laugh. Caesar, Cornelia, Rocket and Tinker did much the same, observing the exchange with eyes full of mirth.

"Well, it's part of it, I guess." Lydia chuckled. "I mean, I would probably have learned it anyway, eventually, from being with the apes all the time, but it sure did help to know it from the start."

Orion huffed then, drawing Alex's attention.

"No. Brother. Or Sister?" The young ape spoke in a raspy voice, pointing at the teenage boy to underline his question.

"No, I'm an only child." The human teen shook his head. "I never minded, though. It was nice being just the three of us when I was little. Just me, Dad and… and Mom."

Alex faltered towards the end as his eyes quickly shifted towards his father, seemingly to make sure he wasn't crossing some sort of line. Malcolm didn't seem to mind, however, as he removed his hand from the neck of the guitar to pat his son's shoulder in a comforting manner.

Maurice grunted then, gaining the attention of the group.

" _In your book. The picture is your mother, correct?_ " The old orangutan signed, Lydia immediately acting as translator by speaking the words Maurice could not make so fluently.

Alex didn't seem phased by the question – didn't seem surprised or irritated that Maurice had seen something that must be a very personal object to him without permission.

"Yeah. Here, I'll show you." He nodded at the ape and turned to pull out the sketchbook from his satchel. Then, he leafed through to the page with the picture and pulled it out to show the group around the fire. "It's the only picture I have of her."

"Good to have. Memory. Like that. To remember by." Orion spoke sympathetically as he nodded at the young human, who inclined his head in agreement as he put the picture back where it belonged.

Maurice noticed how Lydia had gone quiet during this exchange, a thoughtful look on her face as she regarded her son and his new human friend. Then, her head tilted in that special way of hers, her eyes narrowing somewhat as her gaze shifted to the ground.

"I wonder…" She mumbled in a barely intelligible manner, seemingly to no one in particular, before she turned around to grab her own backpack and began digging through it.

Maurice shared a wondering look with Caesar and Cornelia at this behavior while Orion hooted confusedly at his mother. The humans seemed just as confused until Lydia pulled out an old picture frame from her backpack – the same one that Maurice had pulled out years ago when he had been asked to search her things after the strange family's arrival.

"Here it is." The blue-eyed woman spoke, blowing a stray lock of dark hair out of her face.

"Is that your family?" Ellie spoke softly as she looked at the photograph in Lydia's hands, craning her neck to see it properly until Lydia turned it around to show them.

"Yeah, well, my _first_ family, anyway." She answered with a fond smile on her face as she eyed Orion beside her.

"How old were you when this was taken?" Malcolm asked curiously. Maurice had to admit he had wondered that too when he first saw it all those years ago.

"Oh, I think I was about… eleven or twelve? Maybe… I honestly don't remember." She shrugged before lifting her finger to point at each individual within the frame. "That's my older sister, Olivia. She was about four years older than me. This here is my oldest brother, Matthew, who was two years younger than me. He was the one who was born deaf."

Maurice was pleased with how well he had been able to determine the age of the people in the picture – he often found it difficult to do so with humans. It was easy to tell a child from a teen and a teen from an adult, but to be able to guess the more approximate age of an individual was way harder.

"This is my youngest brother, Henry, who was three and a half years younger than me. Then there's my mom, Clara, and my dad, Thomas." She finished describing the people on the picture, turning the frame back to lay it across one of her legs.

That's when Cornelia hooted softly at the woman, her expression a mixture of surprise and mock-disappointment as she let go of Cornelius to sign.

" _You never told me this._ " The Ape Queen chided, lifting a finger and wiggling it at the dark-haired woman once she had finished signing.

" _Did not tell me either._ " Tinker chimed in with a lifted eyebrow. The two females were followed up by their mates, who nodded in agreement to their statement – Lydia, seemingly, had told no one about her human family.

No one but her son, it would seem, who eyed his mother with a soft smile before rolling his eyes at her.

Lydia looked sheepishly from one ape to the other, fidgeting with the frame in her hands.

"Well, none of you asked, did you, now?" She spoke before she turned to face Maurice with a mock-accusing stare. "You're actually the only one here besides Orion who ever saw this and you never asked me either. What am I to make of _that_ , Maurice?"

There was no real venom behind her words, the old orangutan knew, and still he felt slightly bad for it. He _should_ have asked – it was only sensible – and yet he was ashamed to admit that it had never occurred to him to do so. Lydia had never spoken about it on her own accord and quite honestly, Maurice sometimes forgot that she used to have a life before she came to the colony. She was one of the apes now, after all.

He huffed out a deep laugh at her jab all the same, quickly followed by Caesar and the others – even the humans, who must have figured out what the conversation was about by listening to Lydia's answer.

"Anyway, there was actually something else I wanted to do with this thing." Lydia spoke once the chuckling at her expense had died down.

She turned the picture to face downwards, exposing the back of the frame where a board was held in place by eight pieces of metal, which she began to bend backwards to remove the board itself.

To say Maurice's curiosity was piqued at this point was quite an understatement and as he looked over to the Ape King, he knew the same could be said for him. What exactly was the meaning of this?

"I think you'll find this quite interesting, Orion – I just hope nothing is damaged." Lydia spoke as she continued to fiddle with the metal pieces, having undone half of them by now. Her son's face scrunched up in confusion as his vibrantly green eyes darted from his mother's hands to her face and back again.

"But Mother. I have seen. The picture." He spoke in his raspy voice. "Many times. Now."

Lydia undid the last piece of metal and removed the back of the frame at last, smiling triumphantly as she placed it on the cave floor in front of her.

"Not these ones, you haven't." She answered, revealing a few small stacks of shiny, white paper placed behind the picture of her family. Maurice guessed it was the back of the pictures she was referring to.

Lydia quickly gathered them up in a single stack and turned them around to show her adoptive son.

The look on Orion's face had Maurice seriously worried for a couple of seconds until the adolescent ape grabbed one of the pictures, tracing two of his fingers reverently across it with his other hand.

"That is. Father." He spoke softly, eyes glued to the photo. Lydia nodded, spreading out the the stack in her hands to show the rest of the group.

"Yep, and you and me, too." She answered with a smile.

There were about ten in total and looking at them, Maurice cooed softly in recognition. It was indeed Roy in most of the pictures, posing together with Orion or Lydia – sometimes both.

The elderly orangutan picked up one and held it gently between his large fingers to inspect it. This one was a close-up showing Roy sitting with a sleeping Orion on his chest, the ape child's small fingers clearly digging into the large male ape's fur. Roy was looking down at his son with a barely-there smile on his rugged lips, one hand resting on the child's back in comfort.

"I love that one." Lydia commented, leaning towards Maurice. "We had just found a cabin we could stay at for the night and Orion was so tired he just passed out on Roy. He didn't move for hours because he was scared of waking him."

The pictures were soon shared amongst the group's members, and Lydia gladly explained the background to each of them in detail.

"Why. I never. Saw these?" Orion asked, though his tone didn't seem to be accusatory as he turned to Lydia for answers. He only seemed curious, raising a brow at his human mother while holding yet another photo – this one showing a younger version of himself sitting atop her shoulders, clumsily playing with Lydia's thick, dark locks as the woman laughed heartily. Maurice guessed that it was Roy behind the camera.

"I should have showed them to you, I know, I just… I quite forgot I even had them, Sweetie." Lydia replied with a tender look at her son. "With the daily routine we've had in the colony these last couple of years, I haven't really taken them out to look at. It was only now that I remembered I even had them."

Orion nodded, picking up another photo. It showed Roy with his arms around Lydia's midsection, his head resting on her shoulder. The human woman was reaching one hand outside the picture towards the viewer, telling Maurice that she was the one holding the camera.

"How did you even take these?" Alex asked as he handed one to his father for him to see.

"Well, we stayed for a couple of days at an abandoned house and I found a polaroid camera in a closet somewhere on the second day. It was still working and there was enough paper for about ten pictures, so I just thought I'd create some memories." Lydia explained.

Maurice had no idea what a polaroid camera was as opposed to a normal camera but decided not to question it – it didn't seem like it was important and besides, he most likely would never use that knowledge for anything. Still, such things always intrigued him – humans and their inventions.

Cornelia hooted adoringly at one of the photos and turned it towards Tinker for her to see. It was one showing Orion hanging on to Lydia's chest, turning around to look at the camera behind him with huge, sparkling emerald eyes, his mouth pushed into a pouty o-shape. Behind him, the woman was laughing toothily and grabbing gently at one of the chimp's small hands, which was clutching at her breast through her shirt.

The other female ape tittered amusedly at it before the Ape Queen showed the picture to her husband and eldest son, the latter struggling hard to suppress his huffs of laughter once he realized how sheepish his friend sitting across from him looked at having his baby pictures shown.

"Cute, wasn't he?" Lydia grinned as it was passed on to Ellie.

"Absolutely adorable." The other human woman agreed, smiling with eyes full of adoration.

 _What is it about small children than makes females be like that_ , Maurice wondered briefly to himself.

"Mhmm, I like to think he takes after me in that regard." Lydia said jokingly, making Malcolm snort with suppressed laughter.

"Without a doubt." The human male replied as he handed her the picture after Ellie had passed it to him.

Soon, all the photos were stacked back in order and Lydia was putting them into the frame once again, only to stop mid-action and pull one of them back out. Leaning over, Maurice noticed that it is the one showing all of them, Lydia, Roy, Orion and the dogs, sitting on an old bench, the paint almost completely flaked off its wooden surface. It looked very much like the picture Lydia kept of her human family – all smiles and arms slung around one another. It is a good picture.

"Mother?" Orion asked curiously as the general small talk amongst the group quieted down. Maurice almost chuckled out loud at the way the young ape tilted his head to the side, much like his adoptive mother would do. Some things had clearly rubbed off there.

Lydia only smiled softly as she picked out the photo of her first family from the frame, placing the group-picture of her second one against the glass before moving the original back in place. Then, she stacked the remaining photos the way they had been before, put the back of the frame on and bended the metal pieces closed once more before showcasing the front to the group again.

"Should have done that years ago. Much better, don't you think?" Lydia tapped the side of the frame with a slender finger, drawing everyone's attention to the change she had made to it.

It now showed two happy families instead of one, with Lydia being the link between them. The new addition to the old frame was smaller than the original photo, allowing for it to be placed in the bottom in such a way that one could still see the faces of Lydia's human family.

The symbolism of this action was not lost on Maurice and by the look on Orion's face, he understood it perfectly as well. His bright, green eyes widened a fraction before he put his arm around his mother's shoulders, pressing his forehead to her temple.

This was Lydia putting her ape family on the same level as her human one – showing that she loved them all equally and would remember them as such. It didn't matter that one consisted of her own kind, her own flesh and blood, while the other was of a different species, brought together by mere circumstance.

They were the same to her, and in his heart, Maurice knew that if she had been able to, she would probably also put quite a few members of the colony into that little frame.

The huge ape nodded his massive head in response to her question with a soft grin on his dark muzzle. The rest of the group seemed to be of the same mind, regarding mother and son with soft eyes – Tinker in particular.

" _Very much_." He signed as Lydia turned to place the item gently into her backpack again.

"So," She turned to the group, now looking expectantly at Malcolm, a teasing smirk on her features. "You think you can still play that thing?"


	32. Mothers are Mind Readers

_**Lydia**_

"Dammit!" Came Malcolm's frustrated outburst for the umpteenth time that morning. "It's a lot harder than you make it look, Lydia…"

The dark-haired woman shrugged at this, pushing herself off the tree she had been leaning against while observing the human male. It was quite amusing to watch him struggle, but Lydia figured that she would have to provide some extra help if she wanted him to at least grasp the basics of what she was trying to teach him before the family would have to leave.

Archery took a long time to master – Lydia could attest to that herself.

"Your stance is way too tense. Also, you need to stand squarely, with your feet parallel to the target – that's easier in the beginning." She instructed as patiently as she could, walking over to stand behind the man and grabbing him by the arms in an attempt to show him what she meant.

"How can I stand squarely _and_ not be tense?!" Malcolm moaned confusedly but did not resist when Lydia began to manhandle him into the correct stance.

"By positioning your feet parallel to each other and _not_ tense up every muscle in your entire body, maybe?" Lydia sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose once she let go of her 'student'.

Orion, Blue Eyes, Lake and Alex could all be heard snickering together in the background, while most of the adults managed to keep quiet. It was quite a spectacle for many of the colony's apes to witness – Lydia teaching other humans about a human hunting method.

She noticed Maurice and Caesar exchanging smirks from time to time, while Rocket mostly succeeded in keeping a straight face when her eyes caught his own.

She adjusted Malcolm's left arm to be at the same level as his shoulder, ignoring the spectators to instead focus all her attention on the would-be-marksman in front of her. She was _not_ going to let them loose on their journey to find a new home without at least teaching them how to fend for themselves!

She, of all people, knew what kind of a struggle _that_ was.

"You're not supposed to use your arms when drawing the bowstring, that's why it hurts. Use your back muscles instead." She instructed, tapping the area through the thick pullover he wore. "Let the bow work _for_ you, not _against_ you. Pull your shoulder blades together behind you."

Malcolm did as he was told, much to Lydia's relief, and relaxed as he pulled the bowstring back.

"How far?" He spoke halfway through the movement, his hesitance making him struggle to keep up the stance.

"I usually pull it back until the string touches the tip of my nose – that way, I know I'm not overdrawing." She reached up to pull his elbow further backwards, her other hand spread across the middle of his back to make sure the muscles there, and not his arm, were doing the job.

"Now, the trick to aiming is not to try too hard, alright?"

"Say _what_ now?" Malcolm asked, almost sounding startled at her words.

"Try _not_ to try." She answered simply, though she couldn't quite hold back the smirk in her voice.

"What's the point in that? I'm supposed to actually _hit_ the target, aren't I?" The man sighed dumbfoundedly, loosening the string and lowering the bow as he turned his confused eyes in her direction.

"Yes and no." Lydia answered cryptically. She could literally _feel_ the confused stares from not only Malcolm, but Ellie, Alex, Caesar, Rocket… hell, _all_ of the present onlookers seemed to be staring at her as if she was raving mad. Even Orion, which she would probably have found amusing if she hadn't been so focused on making Malcolm understand the meaning behind her words.

"Listen… Think of aiming a bow as… as… Trying to get a woman's attention, for example? The harder you try, the more difficult it becomes, right?" She came up with it quite out of nowhere, having nothing better to compare it to.

Lydia heard several quite audible snorts of barely-suppressed laughter coming from the group of onlookers her little lesson had attracted. Ellie giggled outright at the metaphor, and when Lydia turned around with a raised eyebrow, she noticed Caesar wearing a soft grin on his lips as Cornelia nudged him gently in the ribs with her elbow, eyeing the Ape King in mock-exasperation.

She turned back to the task at hand with a smile gracing her lips. The royal ape couple had been some of the first to come over to see how far Lydia had gotten with teaching the human trio about hunting and fighting. She had already instructed them in some basic jiu-jitsu moves, just in case they would run into trouble with other humans on their way and would need to get physical to escape. It was all rudimentary, of course, as Lydia hadn't practiced with anyone for years now – but it was still better than nothing. Besides, Alex had seemed very keen on learning it and had turned out to be a pleasure to teach – quick to understand instructions and eager to execute them properly.

Not that Malcolm was any different, in all honesty. Lydia just couldn't help the impulse to tease him and be less thorough with her instruction of him. It was just too amusing sometimes.

Nodding with a slight grin on his face, Malcolm restrung the bow as he had been told to do and aimed at the target – a crudely made one, painted at the side of a huge redwood tree with some of the apes' white war paint marking the rings.

"Now… Keep steady… And release. Don't overthink it." Lydia spoke gently, noticing how Malcolm exhaled through his nose just before he let go of the string with his fingers.

The arrow flew swiftly through the air – much more so than any of Malcolm's previous attempts – and hit the target's outer ring.

"That's it, Malcolm!" Lydia praised, patting the man proudly on the back as he lowered the bow to his side, looking amazed by the fact that the arrow didn't miss the tree entirely this time.

"Great job, Dad!" Alex hollered excitedly, a bright smile on his face. It was clear he was proud of his father's progress.

 _As he should be_ , Lydia thought, _it took me weeks to learn how to even draw the bowstring properly, not to mention actually hit anything_.

Malcolm smiled broadly at Lydia, his eyes twinkling in the light of early afternoon as Ellie came over to peck him on his cheek. She seemed just as impressed with him as Alex was and looked up at him in open affection.

Lydia refused to think about how Roy used to look at her like that too.

"You know, you'd make a good teacher." He spoke sincerely, stepping away from Ellie to once again knock an arrow and, applying the methods Lydia had just taught him, hit the target once again, this time on the other side of the outer ring – but it was a hit all the same.

"Provided the subject has my interest, then I suppose that's true." Lydia replied, nodding approvingly at the shot, arms crossed under her breasts as she observed.

The repeated action made the apes present for the lesson hoot along with the cheering humans, acknowledging the show of increased skill. It seemed to encourage him to do it a third time and he hit the tree once again – this time outside the painted target rings.

"Practice makes perfect, Malcolm. And you did extremely well for your first day with a bow. This stuff took me ages to learn on my own." Lydia praised as she walked over to pull the arrows out of the tree's rough bark. They were quite deeply embedded for being first-try-shots, which pleased Lydia further – it was good to see her work pay off with such palpable results.

In a way, it was a whole new experience for her to have to put something she had been doing for years now into words so that others could understand it. Back when she had first begun practicing with the bow, it had been a long and lonely learning process mostly conducted in silence. Trial and error and only herself to consult when a mistake was made. It had been a painstaking process which had more often than not left her with an empty stomach at the end of the day in those first few months.

Thinking about it now, she remembered she had looked terribly malnourished by the time she had stumbled upon the military facility which had kept Roy and Orion captive. She had basically been living off whatever canned food she could find back then and only ever hit something with her bow about once or twice a week.

 _How many successful hunts have I had since then?_ She wondered quietly as she walked back to Malcolm with the arrows now in hand. It seemed like a lifetime had gone by when in reality it was just about seven years ago. This thought startled her slightly, and as she counted the years and months in the back of her mind, Lydia reached the conclusion that she must be about to reach her 25th birthday by now. Goodness, had it been that long?

Out of the corner of her eye, Lydia spotted something which immediately pulled her from her musings and she only managed to listen to about half of what Malcolm said in reply to her words as she discreetly turned her head to get a better look.

Orion, who was sitting beside Alex on an old log not far from the makeshift shooting range, was following a certain someone very intently with his keen, verdant gaze – and it wasn't his mother or one of his old playmates like usual.

It was Ivy.

A subtle smile appeared on Lydia's face at what she was seeing.

Ivy was a young female chimpanzee who sported a soft-looking, silvery fur that covered her rather dainty build. She was smaller than most females her age, which was about a year younger than Orion himself, and three years younger than Blue Eyes and Lake. That didn't make her any less fierce, though.

Due to the fact that most of her friends were older and larger than her, Ivy had had to toughen up mighty quick and had, as a result, developed a very independent and steadfast personality – she was practically immune to peer-pressure of any and all forms.

 _A trait Orion could have benefitted from on more than one occasion_ , Lydia thought, resisting the urge to roll her eyes.

When they had first arrived at the Ape Colony, Orion had quickly found playmates in Blue Eyes, Ash and Lake, while Ivy had been an infant and too young to play with at the time. As they had gotten older, the boys had begun to separate from their female counterparts, leaving Lake to find her own fun with the other female ape children. By that time, Ivy had been old enough to play too, and the two had become inseparable from that point on.

In fact, she had arrived with Lake not long after Orion and Blue Eyes had sat down with Alex, twining a rope together as she observed Lydia's lesson with her peers – ever the practical one.

"- I mean, how long do you think it would take before… Lydia? Hey! Are you even listening?"

 _Oops, caught in the act. Real smart, Lydia_ , she thought, turning her full attention back to Malcolm and Ellie in front of her.

"Nope, I drifted off there. Did I miss something important?" She answered honestly, a teasing smile on her face – better make it seem like she did that on purpose. Orion probably wouldn't want her to draw attention to him ogling at a female and Lydia refused to be one of those embarrassing mothers.

At least in public, anyway.

She could sense how Maurice shook his giant head at her supposed tardiness and resisted the urge to send him a mock-indignant look. Knowing him, he had probably spotted Orion's behavior too – that ape seemed to know everything going on with everyone.

Malcolm's sigh was one of pure exasperation as he regarded her.

"I was just asking if you really think we can learn all of this in such a short span of time? Don't get me wrong or anything, it's much appreciated, honestly – I just… how long do you think it would take for us to find a new place? A place with people?"

Now, that _was_ a good question.

"I really don't know, you guys. I haven't left the forest since I joined the apes here five years ago and even before that, I took every precaution to _avoid_ contact with other humans." Lydia answered with an apologetic shrug. She didn't need to tell them why she had avoided other humans – they knew by now.

The couple in front of her nodded in understanding.

"But to answer your other question: Yes, I do think you can learn it. At least well enough for it to be of use, should you run into trouble or the journey take longer than anticipated. Better safe than sorry, remember?" She tapped her own temple with her index finger, smiling playfully at the two humans in front of her to ease the tension.

She knew all too well that it was a scary concept – leaving everything you know behind and jump into an unknown future with only the stuff you could carry on your back to get you through.

She also knew, however, that it was doable – especially when you had someone else to rely on.

Ellie smiled and nodded.

"You're right about that. It's just a big step and we're a bit on edge about the whole thing, that's all." She assured Lydia, confirming the woman's suspicions. She placed her hands on her hips and smiled reassuringly.

"Well, we'll just have to do our best to prepare you, huh? I'll teach you to survive in the wild like pros, I can promise you that much."

At that, a couple of loud, distinctly female huffs of laugher was heard from the onlookers sitting a couple of yards away, and the humans turned their heads to see many of the older females, Tinker and Cornelia in particular, share amused looks among themselves.

"You ladies have anything to add?" Lydia raised an eyebrow at them, the beginning of a smirk finding its way to her face. It was good to see Tinker smile again.

The female ape in question quickly composed herself before smugly signing something to Lydia, making the woman groan exasperatedly.

"Oh, come on! I can't be an expert on _everything_ , Tinker!" She whined, rolling her eyes as several more apes snickered – even Orion, though he had the decency to try and hide it behind his hand.

Malcolm, Ellie and Alex over at the log all looked beyond confused.

"Something we should know about, Lydia?" Ellie inquired, the beginning of a smile on her lips.

Lydia crossed her arms beneath her bosom, huffing.

"Yeah. Tinker says I should probably not be the one to teach you about picking roots and mushrooms… Since it might kill you if I do…" Lydia translated eyeing the female ape with a mock-sneer before shaking her head at her with a soft smile.

It was a well-established fact that Lydia could not for the life of her tell roots and herbs apart, not to mention separating harmless mushrooms from lethal ones. On those rare occasions where she did go out with the female apes to pick these, her basket _always_ had to be checked by one of the others before the contents would be mixed with the rest of the harvest.

"Oh my, so there is actually something you're _bad_ at?" Malcolm teased good-naturedly.

She put up her index finger at him, wiggling it in a reprimanding manner as she replied.

"There are plenty of things I'm bad at, Mister. I just choose to focus on the things I'm good at instead. I don't need that kind of negativity in my life. Now," She grabbed her own bow and quickly pulled out an arrow from the quiver on her back to knock it, "do try and keep up, Rookie."

She winked at him smugly before returning to her task, letting go of the arrow and sending it through the air with a soft 'swoosh', hitting the target in the white center circle.

* * *

 ** _Orion_**

Orion patted down the animal skins covering the nest he shared with his mother, making sure to put the extra soft ones at her side for added comfort – with Father not around anymore, she needed the extra warmth they provided now.

A lump formed in his throat at the thought.

Mother had not lied when she said she cried the most in the nights and mornings, though Orion knew she tried to hide it even then. He had developed a habit of holding her hand as they fell asleep, which seemed to calm her somewhat, knowing that at least he was still there – that she wasn't alone again.

He would still wake up sometimes in the middle of the night to find her gone. Normally, he didn't pay that particular occurrence too much attention. Even when he was a child, Mother had had a habit of disappearing at odd hours of the night, having been woken up by a nightmare, or simply finding herself unable to sleep at all. She would always return after an hour or two – three at most – and lie down to have a restful sleep for the remainder of the night. That had never struck Orion as a problem before – only yet another quirk his mother possessed by the fact that she was human.

Ever since Father died, though, it had seemed… different, somehow.

In the past, Mother would wake up maybe once or twice a week during her 'bad times', as Father had called it, and usually it only amounted to twice a month.

Since the night after Caesar had fought Koba, it had been almost every night – three times in a row now, and the young ape expected this night to be much the same. It was getting to the point where he was considering telling Maurice or Cornelia and Caesar about it, to be honest – but they had enough to deal with in creating the apes' new home and after all, Orion argued with himself, it had still only been less than a week since Father passed away. Maybe Mother would be back to her old self soon, as well as her old habits.

 _Time will tell_ , Orion decided as he readied the deerskin Mother used as a blanket. _If it continues for more than a month, I will go talk to someone about it_.

Mother would never go to someone with the problem herself, Orion knew that much. She had never had to either, since Father had always been able to read her and address the issue – whatever it happened to be. But he was no longer here, and Orion intended to keep his promise to him about looking after Mother from now on, even if he couldn't do it like Father had. Mother would never burden Orion with her personal problems – so he concluded that it had to be one of the older apes, like Cornelia or Maurice.

He sat down in the nest as Blaze came over to lay his head on the ape's lap and Orion petted the canine absent-mindedly as he continued with his train of thought.

Really, Mother could be so stubborn sometimes. Tough, yes, but _stubborn_.

It kind of reminded Orion of Ivy…

The adolescent ape felt his ears grow hot and his heartbeat quicken at the thought of the younger female. It was only recently, a few weeks before he had encountered Malcolm's group for the first time, that he had begun to _really_ take notice of her and his interest had been growing ever since.

True, recently, Orion had been busy with… other things. Meeting new humans, Koba's betrayal, imprisonment and the death of his father. He had worried for everybody then, including Ivy, though his main focus had been on his mother – she was a human and as such, most at risk during Koba's takeover of the colony.

Now, though, things were beginning to settle down a tad again, and Orion had to admit – the feelings blossoming in his chest were more intense than ever.

She was beautiful, in his humble opinion. Her face was all soft features and smooth skin, the silvery hair that covered her form looked so soft he found his fingers itching to run through it, and her eyes, _goodness_ her eyes – the most beautiful, green eyes he had ever seen!

Some may say that they weren't special, since most of the apes' eyes were green anyway.

Orion begged to differ on that account. Ivy's eyes, unlike so many others', had no trace of hazel or golden specks in them, but consisted of the purest, solid emerald green, and what was more, they always seemed to have an underlying mirth to them.

He had never played much with her when they were younger but nowadays, as the males and females had begun mixing together again as they entered adolescence, he often found himself sitting in the same group as her in the breaks between the apes' different chores. He had soon found out that she was not only beautiful, but also funny and a very independent spirit – and he quite liked that in her.

"Lost in thought, Sweetie?" Mother's voice sounded as she entered their secluded part of the cave, pulling away one of the animal skins which covered the entrance.

Tinker had selected this cave for them while they had been in the city to scavenge the other day and Orion had to admit she had picked well. The little hovel was just big enough to fit Mother, Orion and the dogs comfortably, plus a guest or two, should someone come by for a private talk. Apes like Maurice had sometimes done that at their old hut, so it wasn't all that implausible.

Orion nodded in reply, having the sense to be sheepish at being caught daydreaming like this. Mother smiled all the same as she stepped into their new home, fitting an extra torch to one of the fixtures on the cave wall.

Mother sat down beside him, crossing her legs as she leaned her back against the wall behind her. She looked tired, Orion noted worriedly, eyes slightly droopy and rimmed by dark rings which had been made more prominent by the low light.

"Anyone special on your mind?" She asked casually, a dark eyebrow raised and a knowing smirk directed at him.

 _Shit._

It immediately startled Orion out of his worry for her and made him stutter out a raspy reply.

"N-no…! Not r-really…" He tried to look as oblivious as possible about it – he knew that, besides being stubborn like a mule, Mother was nothing if not perceptive – especially when it came to him.

He might as well not have bothered feigning innocence, anyway. The look on her face told him she didn't buy it for a second.

"Come on now, Orion, it's _me_." She softly reprimanded with no real bite behind it. Instead, her smirk was exchanged for a soft, earnest quirk of her lips.

He was _not_ having this conversation, he just _wasn't_ …

"It is nothing, Mother. Nothing important." He attempted to brush her off, twiddling Blaze's soft, furry ear gently between his fingers as he spoke. The large canine paid it no mind, seemingly just happy to receive attention.

"I would say it's quite important. To me, anyway. It's not every day I'm faced with the possible prospect of getting a daughter-in-law." Mother spoke teasingly, making Orion splutter and startle Blaze, who looked up at the male ape and the human woman in a manner that seemed almost offended.

The dog settled down again rather quickly – Orion did not.

"Mother! It is not… It is not like that… Ivy is not-" His mouth clamped shut as soon as he said her name.

 _Shit!_

"So, I was right! It _is_ Ivy!" Mother interrupted with a hint of pride in her voice.

Orion sighed in defeat. There was no way to hide anything from his mother.

"How did. You guess?" He asked in a defeated manner, scratching his arm uncomfortably. He was sure his whole demeanor screamed insecurity by now – he was just happy it was Mother in front of him and not Ivy. _That_ would have been humiliating.

Mother winked at him, which only served to make his ears go even redder than they already were.

"Let's just say you should be more careful about ogling at ladies in public, Son. You need to get subtler if you don't want people to notice."

Orion groaned and covered his face with a large palm, finally giving in completely to the humiliation he was feeling. What if somebody else had noticed? What if _Ivy_ had noticed!?

 _Shit, shit, shit!_

"Don't worry too much, Sweetie. I don't think anyone else noticed… Well, Maurice might, but you know how he is." Mother spoke in an attempt to ease his mind, patting his shoulder gently. Was she able to read his mind or something?

Orion removed his hand from his face, dragging it down across his features slowly until it fell into his lap.

"I just… I do not. Know if I can… I mean. How do I…?" He struggled to find the words to describe his current predicament.

At this point, he wasn't sure if Ivy would even think of him that way. They were both still young and Orion was well aware that he came from a… less-than-normal family. He had no idea how to make an impression on ape females. His mother was a human, for crying out loud!

Mother was quick to interpret what he meant. She always had been, thankfully.

"How do you catch her eye?" She spoke softly, a gentle look on her face now.

Orion nodded in a subdued manner, his ears feeling like they were on fire by now.

Mother tilted her head to the side, looking thoughtful.

"That's a tough one, Sweetie. I would tell you to just talk to her about it and tell her how you feel, but I know that's easier said than done… Hmmm." A line appeared between her eyebrows as she thought, tapping her finger against her clothed thigh.

"You know, you could just talk to her more in general – figure out her interests and show her that you care about what she has to say." Mother offered.

Orion huffed dejectedly.

"Ivy likes. Yellow and blue flowers. And looking at birds." He spoke matter-of-factly, his voice beginning to strain – he had been talking with Alex for much of the day and it was beginning to hurt. "She also wants to. Start a new garden. Like yours… Weaves baskets for fun… And does not like mushrooms."

Mother stared at him like he had grown a second head as he finished reciting what Ivy had already told him. Was it really so strange that he had actually listened to the things someone had told him? Wasn't that common courtesy?

At least that's what Mother had already told him, so what was the big deal _now_?

"Sounds like you already know a lot about her, Sweetie." She spoke softly. She almost seemed impressed.

Orion just nodded cautiously.

"How about a gift, then? Something you know she would like? Or perhaps have her show you how to weave one of those baskets of hers?" Mother suggested, making him groan softly.

"Weaving baskets. Is females' task…" He explained exasperatedly. Mother should know this, even if she wasn't exactly a normal female herself – at least not by ape standards, anyway.

She crossed her arms and regarded him with a raised eyebrow, challenge clear in her blue orbs.

"And that should prevent you from learning something new? Come on, Orion, I raised you better than that!" She reprimanded somewhat sternly, shaking her head at him. Mother had never liked how the tasks in the colony were separated by gender, though she didn't make a show of mentioning it most days. It was the apes' culture, after all, and she respected that. "No matter – what about the gift-idea, then? Surely you can come up with something she would like?"

Orion bit his bottom lip in thought at this suggestion, staring intently down at the animal pelts beneath him in the nest. What would Ivy like? A necklace, maybe? It seemed to be quite normal for the females to wear jewelry – Ash had once told him that the necklace Tinker wore was a gift from Rocket… Perhaps…

"I do not know… It is difficult to tell. What a female likes." He shrugged finally, looking up at Mother in a hopeless manner.

Then, a thought struck him.

"Mother… What did… What did Father do? How did you know. That he liked you?"

It seemed like such an innocent question – and one he was ashamed to admit he had never had the sense to ask. Nonetheless, it seemed to catch Mother off-guard, and her eyes widened a fraction at the inquiry before she tilted her head to the side once again.

Really, where did that quirk even come from?

"Hmm… That's a good question, Son, though I'm not sure if it would help you with Ivy, to be honest…" She pursed her lips but didn't seem to reject the question itself.

Orion shrugged at that.

"I would like. To hear it still." He smiled then, for the first time since Mother had begun her embarrassing interrogation. He always loved to listen to her stories about her and Father, especially since they were so few and far between.

Mother nodded, a reminiscent smile on her face.

"Well, if you must know… Your father didn't think much of me in the beginning, to be honest. In fact I'm quite sure he didn't like me at all, at first."

 _Wait, what?_

"Why?" Orion asked instead, confused beyond belief. He had never known that.

"Well, he didn't exactly have the best experience with humans before he met me. I think he kept his feelings to himself for a long time because of that, even after he realized what exactly those feelings were." Mother explained patiently, gesturing calmly with her hands.

Well, that made sense, he guessed.

"However, after a month or two, he began softening up. Sitting closer and even holding me while we slept to keep me warm – I suppose you were too young to remember that."

He nodded in reply. Orion had no recollection of this development. He only knew that they had slept like that ever since he was a child.

"Well, that's how it started. Once we settled down for the night, we would talk about our lives, our wishes, hopes and goals and after some time… I don't know, we just sort of began getting more… physical, I guess." Mother absent-mindedly rubbed the crook of her shoulder as she explained, and Orion just _knew_ then that she was thinking of the marks Father had sometimes left there. Mother had usually hidden them with her clothes, so the other apes wouldn't notice, but living with his parents, Orion had often seen them and recognized them for what they were – a claim. A signal to others that Mother was spoken for.

His ears heated in embarrassment at the thought, knowing exactly _how_ they had gotten there in the first place.

"Well," Mother pondered, a devious smile on her face as she seemed to pick up on Orion's discomfort, "the whole 'keeping me warm' was still the excuse he gave… To begin with, anyway."

She winked at Orion then, making his whole face heat up at her implication.

"Mother!" He exclaimed embarrassedly – this was not what he had in mind when he had inquired about his parents' developing relationship!

He knew that other apes had a much more relaxed attitude towards mating in general, though they didn't exactly do it in front of everyone either. It was a private thing, but one no one fussed about or raised a brow at.

Then again, most of them hadn't had the upbringing Orion did, largely shielded from the fact that his parents had sexual urges to satisfy. It just wasn't something they had discussed.

Mother chuckled good-naturedly at his embarrassment. Goodness, was she on to him tonight…

"Sorry, Sweetie, but that's how it went! Your father and I just… got closer over time. We shared everything because we had to in order to survive and take care of you. After some time, feelings just started getting into the mix. That's what usually happens when you are so close every day. You talk, you get to know each other and then, if the chemistry is there, love just… happens."

Orion, though still slightly exasperated at his mother's suggestive recount, smiled and nodded at her words. Maybe one day, if he managed to become closer with Ivy, he could have what his adoptive parents had had together – he certainly hoped so.

He yawned then, his jaw aching with the action.

It caught him off-guard, seeing as he hadn't realized how tired he actually was until now.

"Perhaps we should get some rest, huh?" Mother suggested, shifting to lay down in the nest and pulling the animal skin over herself – she had already changed into the ratty t-shirt she now wore to bed, an item she had scavenged from the city a couple of days ago. It already had her smell on it.

"I think so too. Long day." Orion agreed as he went to put out the torches fixed to the cave walls.

Blaze, realizing he wouldn't receive any more attention tonight, moved over to sleep near Storm, who had been out cold ever since Mother entered the cave. They seemed to settle into their old routine better than anyone else.

Orion laid down beside Mother, reaching out to grab hold of her hand as he did every night now. It seemed so small and dainty compared to his own calloused hand, rough and hairy as it wrapped around her smooth one.

She kissed him on the forehead affectionately before settling down completely, closing her tired eyes in preparation for some much-needed sleep.

Orion squeezed her hand.

"Goodnight Mother." He spoke softly, feeling fatigue from a day full of activity overtake him.

"Goodnight, Sweetie." He heard her answer.

He hoped she would, indeed, have a good night, for once.

* * *

 _ **Caesar**_

That night, Caesar was woken by the agitated stirring at his side, the warm body of his wife tossing and turning every few minutes now impossible for his drowsy mind to ignore. Opening his vibrant, golden-flecked eyes, he was met with Cornelia's soft features only inches away from his own face, the low light from the nearby torches giving her skin a warm glow. She didn't seem to be in pain, Caesar quickly assessed, though she did have a gentle, barely-there frown marring her beautiful features.

 _Is she having a nightmare?_ The Ape King wondered.

Cornelius had, despite the inherent instinct ape children had to cling to their mothers, distanced himself from Cornelia, choosing instead the safety of his older brother's embrace as he slept. This puzzled the Ape King even further – right until he lifted his hand to his mate's face in an attempt to soothe her restless sleep with a gentle caress.

Her skin was slightly damp and, in Caesar's opinion, emanated far more heat than it rightly should.

His brow creased as a frown found its way to his lips. This wasn't normal.

Just as that thought struck him, his wife's beautiful, vibrantly green eyes opened up to fix him with a tired, confused look. He didn't remove his hand from her face, choosing instead to cup her cheek in his large palm.

" _What is wrong?_ " She signed gently, careful not to wake their children with her movements.

" _You are warm. Uneasy. Woke me up._ " The Ape King answered in sign, his face marred with concern for his mate. He spoke more and more often these days, but in situations like these, he was glad he could still employ sign language to get his point across.

Cornelia sighed and nuzzled her face into his hand, a soft smile on her lips – it seemed a bit forced to Caesar.

" _You worry too much. It has been a long day. Many changes happening._ "

Caesar's frown deepened at that, telling his wife he didn't believe that for a second. Instead, he reached a different conclusion – he had seen this behavior in her before.

" _You are still sick…_ " He signed, a pained look in his eyes. This was bad.

And he was sure he was right when his wife's face fell, and she averted her gaze from his own.

A heavy silence followed as Caesar brushed his thumb against her cheek. It seemed to stretch into eternity before he finally decided to grunt softly, gaining her attention once again.

He put his forehead against hers once their eyes connected, sighing deeply before whispering, as best as he could with his deep, gruff voice.

"Tomorrow. We ask Ellie. And Lydia for help… For medicine."

He could tell she wanted to argue, seeing the doubt in her eyes – she didn't voice her protests, however, and Caesar wondered if it was due to lack of strength to do so, or if she really did see the logic in his words and just didn't like it.

Nonetheless, she nodded against his hand, her eyes droopy with fatigue.

"Sleep now." Caesar urged gently, never removing his hand from his mate's warm cheek.

She fixed him with an adoring look before giving in to his words, letting her eyes close slowly as he continued to stroke her cheek with his thumb, soothing her back to sleep.

Caesar himself didn't get much rest that night, lying awake and worrying about the future for his apes.

An impending war, a barely-finished new home, Koba's surviving followers still bearing a grudge against him and now, his wife, the mother of his children, was sick as well. There was no shortage of things to worry about for the Ape King.

He just hoped Ellie would be able to help his mate… if not, then…

He dared not finish that thought.


	33. A Matter of Life and Death

_**Rocket**_

Rocket had suspected something was wrong the moment he saw the Ape King's face the next day. Caesar was usually a hard ape to read, but that morning, the deep crease on his leader's brow was recognized by Rocket as one not of anger, irritation or even suspicion – but worry. Deep, _deep_ worry.

Not that he let it show in front of the rest of the colony. Rocket was pretty sure he was only able to tell because he and Caesar were as close as they were, because the Ape King wore a carefully constructed mask of authority and calmness as he handed out tasks for the day to the colony's members. To them, the expression was no different than Caesar's customary serious frown – they were all used to it by now and, given the trying times everyone knew lie ahead, it was probably also what they all expected from him. A hard expression and curt commands.

But Rocket knew better.

So did Maurice.

And so did Lydia.

Something was seriously wrong, and Rocket had a pretty good idea of what, or rather _who_ the cause of his old friend's worries was. He might not be among the smartest of the evolved apes, but luckily, he had a mate who was – in his own, humble opinion. Well, that, and she had the benefit of being a very close friend of the Ape King's dear wife, who had not been herself lately. Especially not when she thought no one was looking.

Now, the balding male chimpanzee had never been one for deep, emotional conversations, nor had he ever felt that he was particularly good at comforting those in distress. Not even his own son, who had more often than not gone to his mother when tears began spilling from his eyes, back when he was still just a child.

 _He barely ever got a chance being an adult…_ The stray thought entered Rocket's mind, though he quickly banished it – It would do no good thinking about that now.

No, Rocket was very much a _practical_ ape male.

And so, because of this, he didn't press his leader for answers once everyone had been sent to deal with their assigned tasks. Maurice was better at that sort of thing, whereas Rocket would make sure things were going smoothly and relatively conflict-free while Caesar saw to whatever it was that bothered him. It was like an unspoken agreement between the three of them.

Which is why Rocket was all the more surprised when the Ape King approached him, the mask of calmness fading entirely as he put a heavy hand on his old friend's shoulder. It was almost as if the weariness Caesar felt got transferred to him in that moment, and Rocket's face was claimed by an equally worn expression as the two made eye-contact.

"I know. Tinker must have. Told you by now…" The Ape King began, seemingly struggling to find the right words in this moment. Rocket just nodded at his leader in response.

Caesar's frown only deepened.

"It is true… Cornelia is still sick… Getting worse." He ground out lowly, his gaze shifting to the ground as he drew a heavy sigh. "Rocket… I will need. Your help. Keeping apes together… Many are still restless…"

Rocket didn't have to ask what his leader meant by that. It was clear that some were still unhappy with the outcome of Caesar's fight against Koba – these apes wished to fight. Wished to face the humans straight on with their own destructive metal weapons. Even worse, they wanted to continue the hunting and the terrorizing of them, which had abruptly been stopped once Caesar had reasserted himself as leader of the colony.

Others simply wanted to leave. Get out of the forest and as far away as possible from the battle-hardened humans who were on their way now. What was it Lydia had called such an action – "abandoning ship"? Rocket couldn't rightly remember.

He understood neither of the groups, honestly. Caesar had won a fair fight and Koba had, as Rocket had come to expect of the bonobo by then, employed dirty tricks to ensure he would win, using a human weapon against not only Caesar, but anyone who happened to be in his line of sight in that instant. Maurice still had the wound on his cheek flap to prove it, though it had begun to heal up quite nicely already.

Besides, facing a group of humans specifically trained to kill would be suicide, even with the added advantage of using their own weapons against them. The apes had lost the element of surprise by attacking the human colony, showing them exactly what they were capable of. They would not be caught unawares next time around, of that Rocket was sure.

And abandoning the colony was completely out of the question. Caesar had been a good and just leader of the colony for ten winters and the fact that some were willing to forget that and leave everything behind only made Rocket fume with barely-contained fury.

 _Cowards_ , he thought, _scurrying like rabbits when the colony needs them_.

He nodded resolutely at his leader and friend as it crossed his mind. He would do what he could to maintain order while Caesar did what he could for his sick wife. They had to stick together in these troubling times.

Besides, had he still been the dominant male of the two and Tinker had been the one suffering, Rocket had no doubt Caesar would have done the same for him.

" _Tend to Cornelia. I will watch the colony and make sure everyone prepares as planned._ " The balding ape signed discreetly, keeping watch of who was looking as he did so. It wouldn't do to have those still against Caesar see that his family was having trouble. After everything that had happened, Rocket had no doubt that some of the remaining opposers to his reign might take advantage of this vulnerable situation.

Caesar nodded his thanks, a softer look finding its way to his otherwise stern gaze. The Ape King patted him firmly on his back.

"I must find Ellie… Do you know if. Lydia is training them today?" He asked as he turned his head to cast a searching look across the colony. The new layout consisting of cliffsides and plateaus of varying heights, all coupled with a denser vegetation, made it hard to pinpoint where anyone was.

" _They are practicing fighting again. Hand-to-hand. In the clearing south of the entrance._ " Rocket answered. Caesar hadn't been present when she ventured out of the inner sanctum of the colony with the trio, so she had reported to Rocket instead.

It was important to know where everybody was these days.

The Ape King nodded seriously and turned away from his lieutenant, intent on finding the one person he figured could help his queen. Rocket knew why he thought so – the medicine Ellie had administered before Koba's takeover had done wonders and would probably do so again.

At least he really hoped so. He didn't think Tinker could take another loss of someone she held dear so suddenly, and Cornelia _was_ her best friend.

Furthermore, the balding ape didn't even want to imagine how _Caesar_ would deal with it, should tragedy strike… He didn't share his feelings with Rocket as often as he did with, say, Maurice or even Lydia, but Rocket still knew that Cornelia was Caesar's anchor. His light. A guiding hand to pull him in the right direction when the Ape King began to doubt himself.

Their wives were very similar in this regard, really.

And to make matters worse, as Rocket was reminded once he saw Blue Eyes head out together with Orion, that it wasn't just Caesar who would suffer if the Ape Queen died. Their eldest son was sure to be affected, not to mention little Cornelius, who was only a few days old and nowhere near being able to survive without his mother. He was still nursing and had already been separated too much from her since his birth.

Not that it would be hard to find nursing females willing to take care of the Ape Prince, should tragedy strike – provided that Caesar would still be in charge by then. If things didn't settle down among those still opposed to his reign, the future did indeed look bleak for the Ape King.

Rocket looked at Caesar's retreating form as a sense of trepidation gripped at his heart.

Surely, the world could not be this cruel to someone so good?

* * *

 _ **Caesar**_

It didn't take long for Caesar to find Lydia and the others. Honestly, it was just a question of following the sound of loudly voiced instructions followed by pained groans. She was probably teaching Malcolm how to parry a kick again, Caesar concluded.

From the sound of his frustrated grumbles as the Ape King approached the clearing, it would seem he still had trouble doing it. Or perhaps Lydia was just giving him a hard time – again.

Either way, he would have to cut this lesson short. It was a question of life and death.

He pushed aside the vegetation surrounding the clearing in time to see Malcolm haul himself onto his feet, his pants dirtied from what Caesar assumed must have been a fall, courtesy of Lydia's powerful kick. She never had done much of this jiu-jitsu since she came to the colony, so it was quite a surprise to everyone once they saw exactly how proficient she was at fighting. She kept saying she only ever reached blue belt-level, whatever that was supposed to signify. All he knew was that she was skilled enough to kick down a grown human male, which was impressive in itself to Caesar, considering her slender built and somewhat smaller stature compared to Malcolm.

"You almost had it this time, Dad!" Alex called from the side lines, his tone one of encouragement as he watched his father receive what Caesar estimated to be the beating of his life. Perhaps it was a good thing the Ape King had to interrupt this lesson, if for nothing else than the sake of Malcolm's health – how long had they even been at it?

Looking at Ellie, it was clear she had already been subjected to Lydia's teachings, though the woman seemed less… roughened up than her mate. Her clothes were dirty, true, but she didn't sport the same blossoming bruises that Malcolm did. Instead, her hair was dishevelled, and she wore a flush across her cheeks from exertion, but looked overall satisfied and, perhaps, ready for another round of training.

Once Lydia had pulled Malcolm to his feet, it was almost like she sensed someone was staring at her, for she snapped her head in Caesar's general direction with a raised eyebrow, reminding him of the time he had caught her bathing all those years ago.

He quickly shoved the thought out of his mind.

"Caesar! Is something the matter? Have the army arrived?" She spoke worriedly, drawing the remaining humans' attention to his presence. She must have read his expression and drawn her own conclusion – she was almost as good at reading him as Maurice was by now, courtesy of their countless nights spent talking of everything and nothing at the same time.

He shook his head solemnly, his lips seeming to be permanently stuck in that deep frown he had felt etched onto his face all morning. It was barely three hours past sunrise and he already felt exhausted beyond measure just from trying to keep up pretences around the other apes.

"No… I need to speak. With Ellie. And you." He replied cautiously, trying with all his might to convey to Lydia how serious whatever he wanted to speak about was and that it should be kept private.

Malcolm, Ellie and Alex all shared looks of worry while Lydia only nodded seriously in Caesar's direction.

"Okay then. We'll end the lesson for now." She agreed, already stepping towards the Ape King when Malcolm spoke up.

"Nothing we can help with?" He questioned, gesturing to his son as well. It didn't sound like he was feeling offended by being excluded – only curious and wishing to help, as Caesar had come to learn was a habit of this man.

He paused to think about it – he had originally thought to ask Ellie and Lydia for help because they each had been there when his mate had gotten better again – administering the medicine and supporting Cornelia through her sickness while the drugs took effect. He never even considered Malcolm and Alex might be able to help as well in this matter.

He nodded his head and waved them over to make them follow him back to the colony. They weren't going to tell a soul about Cornelia's sickness, of that Caesar was sure.

And his wife needed all the help she could get – she had barely finished feeding Cornelius that morning before she went to lay down again, fatigue seemingly overtaking her all of a sudden.

No one said a word on the way back, Caesar's severe expression enough to make the humans keep their questions to themselves. Lydia walked beside the Ape King with long strides, her deerskin coat trailing behind her dramatically as they entered the tunnel that marked the entrance to the inner sanctum of the colony. Few took notice of them, seeing as the human trio wasn't an uncommon sight in the Ape Colony by now, not even as they followed Caesar and Lydia with obvious curiosity.

Caesar had to restrain himself from not shooting his wife a disapproving look once they reached their nest and he saw that she was up and about, performing her duties as the leader's mate even with her face looking beyond tired and her stature slumping ever so slightly. She really was stubborn sometimes.

A few females were sitting together with her, weaving baskets and signing avidly about something to do with the children playing too close to the waterfall, while Cornelia obviously did her best to keep up a healthy façade. It might have fooled most of the females present, who didn't know the Ape Queen as well as he did, but Tinker, who sat beside Cornelia, kept shooting her friend worried looks, even as Caesar entered the cave with his human entourage.

The Ape King had no doubt that Tinker had figured out what was going on by now, but for the sake of keeping up the illusion that everything was fine, he dismissed _all_ the females, no exceptions, reasoning that he needed to speak with his wife and the humans in private about a sensitive matter – not exactly a lie, per se, but also not the entire truth either.

Truth and lies… How he hated balancing between the two.

Tinker looked about ready to protest but seemed to think better of it after sharing a look with Cornelia, who nodded imploringly at her friend before redirecting her gaze towards her husband and the humans he had brought.

Once everyone had cleared out, Caesar inclined his head towards the area near the couple's nest, indicating for Lydia and the others to sit down as he went to help Cornelia relocate to the nest itself. She seemed slightly out of breath as their youngest son still clung to her chest, his bright, inquisitive eyes scanning the faces of the newcomers.

Once the Ape King finally sat down beside his wife and child in their nest, he drew a heavy sigh before looking up at the humans in front of them with tired eyes.

He didn't get to utter a word, Lydia beating him to it and hitting the nail right on its head.

"Cornelia… you're still sick, aren't you?"

The soft smile which had previously graced the Ape Queen's features disappeared in that instant in favour for a hopeless expression which Caesar didn't think fit his wife's face at all. Like she thought she was being a nuisance to those around her with her persistent sickness.

Cornelius, seemingly sensing his mother's change in mood, cooed softly and reached up to touch her cheek with his little hand. The level of empathy his second born son showed at this early age never ceased to amaze Caesar, who reached an arm around his mate to try and provide some reassurance as well.

The Ape Queen nodded subtly, running her fingers through the fur on her infant son's back to distract herself.

Caesar decided he would lead the conversation, seeing as his wife clearly didn't feel up to the task. It was quite understandable, after all.

"She is…" The Ape King replied to Lydia's question, shifting his gaze from his wife to the humans. "Sleeps bad and has fever. Growing weak again. Slowly but steadily."

Lydia and Ellie nodded along with mounting worry clear in their gazes while Malcolm and Alex seemed at a loss for words.

"I thought this might happen. I told Lydia it might not be enough with one day's treatment. We should have continued for a few more days…" Ellie spoke clinically, though her eyes told Caesar that she was truly concerned about this recent development.

The Ape King remembered how he had given her only one day to make his wife better, only to be confronted about it by Lydia later that same day and reluctantly agreeing to give Ellie more time.

For his mate, Caesar would do anything – he had only felt too betrayed and angry at the time to listen to reason until Lydia had spoken with him.

The treatment would have continued too, if it hadn't been for Koba's betrayal which lead to the humans being chased away, separating Cornelia from the source of the medicine she still needed.

Would Koba continue to cause Caesar and his family harm, even from beyond the grave?

"Can you help?" He asked Ellie gently, rubbing Cornelia's arm comfortingly.

Lydia turned to the woman as well, a small flicker of hope in her blue eyes that Caesar was certain was also present in his own green orbs.

It was extinguished almost as quickly as it appeared when Ellie shook her head sadly, her expression almost as anguished as Caesar felt in that instant.

"I-I'm sorry, Caesar… I don't have any more antibiotics. I used what I had left on you to make sure you wouldn't get a fever after I removed the bullet…" She explained gently, her shoulders slumped, and her face contorted into an expression of defeat – the same look she had worn when telling Lydia that Roy couldn't be saved.

Before he could reply, Alex spoke up as his eyes darted from the Royal Ape Couple and back to Ellie and Malcolm.

"Isn't there something we can do to get more? We could go back to the city and find some drugstore. Or look through the colony again."

Malcolm shook his head solemnly at his son.

"The place is in ruins, Alex. If there is anything left, it's buried beneath several feet of rubble by now…"

"What about a drugstore, then? Granted, most stores I have been to have been ransacked by addicts, but there's bound to be some in the lesser known areas of the city." Lydia inquired, backing up the adolescent human. Caesar could see a desperation in her eyes that he hadn't witnessed in days.

He knew Cornelia meant the world to Lydia as well, seeing as it was the Ape Queen who had talked Caesar into bringing Lydia back all those years ago – he knew for a fact that she would do everything to save his wife, whatever the cost on her own part.

"We might find something, but after so many years I wouldn't risk it. If we did find the antibiotics we need, it's most likely expired after ten years unless it's in the form of pills. We treated Cornelia with liquid antibiotics last time by means of injection, but if we find something like that lying around, it wouldn't be potent enough to treat the infection anymore." Ellie estimated matter-of-factly.

The way she approached the problem in such a clinical way reminded Caesar greatly of Will back in the days when he was still living in the Rodman household.

"But if we went to the city and found pills? Would they be enough? Are you saying there's a chance, Ellie?" Lydia questioned further. Caesar noticed how her knuckles turned white from clenching her hands in her lap.

Ellie looked doubtful as she replied.

"I don't know, Lydia… The chance of us finding the antibiotics we need are slim as it is, and from the way the infection is spiking up so suddenly again, I'd say we'd need either a powerful dose or pills to last for a week, just to be sure…"

Caesar felt a sense of hopelessness overtake him as he looked at Ellie's defeated expression. Lydia's slumping posture at the information didn't make it better. Each woman was an expert in the fields that would have an impact on whether or not Cornelia would get better – Ellie knew what medicine was needed, and Lydia knew where to scavenge to find it. If they _both_ thought it was far-fetched – hopeless, even, then Caesar knew there was nothing to be done – his wife would have to fight off the sickness herself, or she would die.

The Ape King looked down at his infant son clinging to Cornelia's chest, just as any ape infant would cling to their mother for the first year of their life. He _needed_ her – at this moment even more than Caesar himself did.

 _And what of Blue Eyes?_ Caesar thought apprehensively. His eldest son may be at the very threshold of adulthood now, but the Ape King knew that the mere notion of losing Cornelia would be devastating to Blue Eyes.

Right now, he didn't think of the possible consequences his mate's death could have in regard to his leadership of the colony. All he cared about was his family.

"I'm so sorry, guys. I really wish there was something I could do. You've done so much for us and here we are, all useless when we should be helping…" Ellie spoke sorrowfully, her whole demeanour emanating such sadness and guilt that Caesar couldn't help but feel for her as much as he did for himself and his family. This woman truly _did_ want to help – she just didn't have the means to do so.

Malcom laid an arm around his wife's shoulders in much the same way Caesar was holding Cornelia, a matching look of sorrow in his own face as well. Beside the couple, Alex hung his head in sadness, wringing his hands in his lap.

 _If only a greater part of humanity had been like these people_ , Caesar pondered thoughtfully.

The Ape Queen leaned towards Ellie, laying a hand on top of the woman's own, staring sympathetically into her eyes once their gazes met.

" _You have done everything you could. Ever since you arrived, you have done that. Even when it put your family in danger_ , _you helped me and saved my husband_." Cornelia signed gracefully, her movements in no way hindered by the presence of the ape child clinging to her chest. " _I cannot thank you enough for that. I could never ask you for anything more_."

Lydia translated Cornelia's words in a strained voice that sounded like she would begin to weep at any moment now, but as usual, she kept the tears at bay, though her blue eyes glistened clearly in the light which filtered through the waterfall nearby. She was just as affected by the prospect of losing Cornelia as anyone.

Caesar was, as he had been so many times before since he met his wife, impressed with her ability to express herself so eloquently and sincerely. He may be the one who spoke out loud most often and he may be the leader of the Ape Colony, but he knew it was his queen who possessed the ability to reach into people's hearts with her words. She could heal emotional wounds with just a few signs better than Sparrow could physical ones with all her herbs and salves, Caesar had known this for years.

It _did_ also seem to have the same effect on Ellie, who smiled despite herself as tears had begun to trail gently down her cheeks. She wrapped her hand around Cornelia's and squeezed gently.

"Thank you" She spoke earnestly, Malcom kissing her temple softly in comfort.

Cornelia nodded, a gentle smile gracing her lips as she regarded the humans in front of her. Caesar adored those soft looks his wife seemed to lavish upon those around her. She really was the soft to his harsh. The gentle to his stern.

The Ape King nodded at the humans in front of him, grateful for their attempts to help. Even if he was disappointed by the fact that there was nothing to be done, it was at least reassuring to know that it was not due to a lack of willingness on their part.

"What if I went to the city?" Lydia spoke quietly, making Caesar's, as well as everyone else's head snap towards her. "I could search through some drugstores and see if there's anything we can use. I know it's a long shot, but… I want to at least _try_."

The look on her face told Caesar that she was completely serious – her lips were pressed together into a thin line, her was jaw set and her eyes had taken on a hard edge that usually only occurred when she was preparing for an argument – Caesar had seen it often enough to know this.

"No one goes alone." The Ape King was quick to remind her, shaking his head to underline his opinion on the matter. He did _not_ want Lydia to go to the city – especially not alone.

"So send Spear or Rocket with me. Heck, send Luca! If anyone's left there at all, they wouldn't dare get close if even _one_ of them was with me." Lydia challenged, crossing her arms over her chest defensively.

Caesar exhaled heavily – he wanted Cornelia to get well as much as Lydia did – even more so, in fact. It was his _wife's_ health they were talking about here, after all – but he could not, _would not_ risk Lydia's or anyone else's life for gathering medicine they might not even be able to use, much less find. The trip to the city they had made a few days ago had been risky enough as it was, even if the group going that day had been rather large.

"And if the soldiers come. While you are there?" The Ape King challenged back, his gaze regaining its usual sternness. Was she hell-bent on getting herself killed now that Roy was gone? Was that it? "How will we. Tell you? How will you. Get away unseen?"

It was a valid question. Malcolm had been unable to recover any working radios or walkie-talkies for him and his family to use and more importantly, the new colony was placed much further into the Muir Wood forest – further away from the city.

And there was no way of knowing how far Lydia would have to go in search of the medicine they needed – if it was even there to begin with.

Just as Lydia was about to counter him – he was certain it was a counter, her expression alone told Caesar as much – Cornelia interjected, hooting softly to gain everyone's attention before she began to sign.

" _What about Orion? If you get captured? Don't say it cannot happen. You know it can._ "

Caesar had to admit it was a low blow, especially for his wife, to use Lydia's adoptive son, her only living family member, as ammunition in this discussion. Still, she made a fair point – Lydia was all Orion had left and if she got captured by the soldiers while searching the city, the adolescent would have lost both his parents in the span of just about a week.

Cornelia would never agree to risk it, and neither would Caesar.

" _He still needs you._ " The Ape Queen added with an imploring look in her eyes.

Lydia looked less than impressed at this, though Caesar noticed that something in her eyes changed at the mention of her son. They grew softer, less guarded and Caesar knew then that his mate's reasoning had worked as intended.

Still, it didn't mean Lydia had given up completely. Her eyes strayed briefly, but meaningfully down to Cornelius, who had fallen asleep with his head resting against his mother's sternum.

"He needs you more than Orion needs me." She said softly.

Cornelia shook her head at that.

" _He will have his father and brother. If you die, Orion will have no one._ "

The last of Lydia's will to argue seemed to leave her once Cornelia had finished that sentence, the human woman's shoulders slumping and her arms falling into her lap in defeat.

Ellie, who Caesar guessed had been able to follow the conversation based on Lydia's words alone, nodded sympathetically, as did Malcolm just beside her.

Before any of them could utter another word, screeching sounded from somewhere outside the cave and Rocket came rushing in on all fours, hackles raised and eyes wild.

The combined sight and sound immediately had Caesar's heart racing in dreading anticipation. He had a pretty good idea what this was going to be about.

" _Soldiers!_ " Rocket began signing as soon as he had reached the group and made it back into an upright position. " _They have arrived! In the water! Their ship!_ "

Both Caesar and Lydia immediately stood, ready to follow the balding chimp to see for themselves.

"What's the matter!?" Malcolm asked startled, scrambling to his feet as well, though with much more difficulty than either Lydia or Caesar himself.

"Rocket says they're here! In the Bay!" Lydia quickly translated before darting after the ape in question. Caesar only got to send his wife a lingering, worried look before he stormed out of the cave as well, hot at Rocket's heels.

Once outside the colony's grounds, Caesar hurried up the nearest of the enormous redwood trees, his fingers digging into the bark each time he hauled himself upwards with all his might. Lydia was not able to climb these trees, he knew. She would most likely stay at ground-level, looking worriedly up at the apes as they made their way to the treetops to confirm what Rocket had reported.

Caesar knew it frustrated her to no end. Climbing trees was one of the very, _very_ few things Lydia could not do very well, especially not if she wanted to keep up with the apes. It was not ideal, but, being human, it was one of the limitations she had to live with in the colony.

The Ape King reached the very top of the giant tree just in time to see a large ship sail into the Bay separating the forest and the city of San Francisco, gliding under the Golden Gate Bridge at an agonizingly, almost tauntingly slow pace. On that very ship were the people who had been called to come and kill his apes, Caesar knew. The humans who had come to bring them hell.

He felt a sense of impending doom wash over him in that instant. The war Koba had started was here at last.

And Caesar had no choice now but to fight.

Fight as he had done years ago to secure the freedom of his apes.

Fight to maintain his position as leader while his mate was steadily getting sicker.

Fight to prove that Koba was wrong. Wrong about Caesar and the humans he swore could be reasoned with.

The vicious roar booming from the Ape King's chest towards the ship echoed throughout the Muir Wood forest, followed by the hundreds of apes who had now joined him in the treetops.

It was not a fight he intended to lose.


	34. The Plea of a Queen

**_Lydia_**

Lydia held Cornelius close as Tinker attempted to ease Cornelia's discomfort by drenching one of Lydia's leftover pieces of cloth in cold water and laying it gently across the Ape Queens forehead. It seemed to relieve her somewhat, if her barely-audible sigh was anything to go by, but it was only too clear that it would be a temporary comfort.

It had been three weeks since the ship carrying the soldiers had arrived in San Pablo Bay, and since then, Cornelia's condition had only worsened. It had gotten to the point now what she was too sick to properly care for her infant child most of the time – it was now necessary for him to be wet nursed by another female in the colony, who happened to have a child around the same age. There had been quite a few to choose from, and most were more than willing to help take care of the youngest Ape Prince.

Caesar may have had his authority questioned recently, but Cornelia was still a very much-loved female leader, which quickly showed once her illness became so severe that it was no use to try and hide it.

Nobody had dared challenge the Royal Couple's position yet, seeing as the soldiers down in the city had wasted no time setting up camp and fortifying the entire centre of San Francisco as their new base of operation. Caesar had his hands full with doing much the same, placing strategic lookouts while also sending out apes to work on setting up traps and smaller bases throughout the forest – anything to throw off the soldiers and lead them away from the apes' actual location.

There was simply no time for petty squabbles over leadership right now – they needed to prepare for what was to come.

Cornelius cooed softly as he pressed his cheek against Lydia's sternum, his vibrantly green eyes trained on his mother's form. It was clear he would rather be held by her instead of Lydia, no matter how evident it was that he adored the human woman – he wanted his mother and Lydia couldn't blame him.

She was just happy that he felt comfortable enough with her not to squirm and thrash in her arms, like he did with many of the other females who attempted to hold him. The moment he was done being fed by his assigned wet nurse, a very mild-tempered chimp named Brook, he was done with her – period – and immediately started squirming out of her grasp.

She took it in stride, however, understanding that an infant would always prefer his own mother over anyone else, and went about nursing her own child once Cornelius was done.

Lydia stroked the small ape's back as she released a heavy sigh.

"How is she feeling?" Came a soft voice from a few feet away, almost making Lydia jump in surprise – she hadn't heard Ellie's approach.

Once she had managed to calm down her racing heart, Lydia lowered her head dejectedly.

"Even worse. Still feverish and she still hasn't eaten." She answered as she reached down to grab Cornelia's hand, stroking the back of it softly with her thumb. It had been a few days since she had last been able to keep anything besides liquid down.

The hand was, as the rest of the Ape Queen's body, incredibly warm and clammy to the touch.

Ellie crouched down beside them and nodded as she examined Cornelia, as she had done pretty much every day for the past three weeks. The expression she wore on her face remained the same as the other times she had done this – a look of deep worry and frustration.

Worry for the Ape Queen's life, which once again seemed to seep from her with each passing day, and frustration over the fact that there was absolutely _nothing_ Ellie could do to help. They were feelings Lydia very much shared.

Ellie sighed and adjusted herself into a cross-legged position beside Lydia, a deep crease present between her delicate brows as she redirected her gaze towards her friend and survival-coach, taking in her appearance.

"You look tired." She informed Lydia matter-of-factly.

"I am." Lydia answered simply. It was no use denying it. She was exhausted.

Before the soldiers had arrived, life had been hectic enough as it was. Lydia had just lost her lover of six years and was attempting to deal with that loss _and_ a grieving son who needed her support. In addition, they'd also had to relocate the entire Ape Colony to a new home and fortify it to prepare for when the war Koba had started would finally reach their doorstep. And in the meantime, she had also been busy preparing Ellie, Malcolm and Alex for when they'd have to set out in search of a new home of their own.

It had been more than enough to have her collapse into the nest and immediately fall asleep from pure exhaustion – especially after that dreaded day the soldiers had arrived, marking the beginning of what Lydia knew would be a trying time for everyone. Coupled with the fact that Cornelia's sickness had now broken out in earnest, it was no wonder Lydia was now sitting in a slumped position with dark rings around her eyes.

For the last three weeks, Lydia had barely slept at all, racked with worry for what the future had in store for herself and those she loved.

Tinker eyed her long-time human friend with a sympathetic look as she wiped Cornelia's forehead with the moist cloth from before, cooing softly at the Ape Queen when she attempted to shift into a different position.

Truth be told, Lydia thought she herself had no right to complain. Everyone was working hard at the moment, and no one more so than Caesar.

The Ape King had already voiced his frustrations to Lydia about his inability to be there for his wife while also preparing for the battles he knew lie ahead. He wanted desperately to spend every hour with Cornelia, but his duties towards his apes kept him far away from her ever since that blasted ship had glided into the bay. He had barely been home this last week, leaving his wife in the tender care of his closest friends and allies. Goodness knew there were enough apes around who still held a grudge against the Ape King and getting at him through his weakened wife – well it would have only been all too easy for them, had it not been for the likes of Lydia, Blue Eyes, Maurice and Luca.

Oh, and most of the females who still supported their queen – even a gathering of males would think twice about facing a horde of angry female apes. They had been a tool in Koba's ploy to take over already – they would not find themselves in the same position again.

Lydia had no idea how much time passed after having confirmed Ellie's words, but knew it must have been quite a while once she was pulled out of her dark musings by the woman – Cornelius had fallen asleep against her chest, Lydia's fingers gently carding through his fur having been enough to lull the infant to sleep.

"You should go get some rest, Lydia. There's no reason Malcolm and I can't look after her for a few hours. Besides, you won't be able to put an arrow through anything if you're seeing double from sleeplessness anyway." Ellie informed her seriously.

Lydia knew she was right, and she also knew Ellie, as well as everyone else, wanted only what was best for her – but even if she was so tired she could literally _feel_ her heartbeat against the back of her eyeballs at this point, her mind refused to let her rest. There was still so much to do and now more than ever, Lydia had people who depended on her.

She would not let them down, she had made that much of a promise to herself already.

Lydia shook her head in reply to Ellie's words.

"I'll stay here until Caesar gets back. It shouldn't be too long now." She spoke, noting how the sky had turned considerably darker since she had first sat down by the Ape Queen that afternoon.

In truth, there was no way of telling _when_ Caesar would be back – but Lydia knew he would be. He would simply not leave his mate to toss and turn in feverish discomfort through the long, dark night – even if Blue Eyes was still here to look after his mother.

Speaking of Blue, he was taking this just about as hard as Lydia expected he would. He guarded Cornelia as often as he could and was over her in a second the moment she started coughing or moaning in discomfort. He had been very torn about whether he should head out and help his father or stay home and make sure the colony was safe and under control. This tug-of-war between his duties to the colony and those to his family clearly frustrated him as much as it did his father, but Blue, unlike Caesar, had had the luxury of being able to choose.

And he had, in the end, chosen the latter option - a wise decision, in Lydia's humble opinion.

It was safer that way, after all. To have Blue Eyes stay in the colony and act as de-facto leader in his father's absence during the day. He was not the naïve adolescent ape he had been before Koba's betrayal and he kept a vigilant eye on those of the bonobo's former followers who remained in the colony.

Despite everything, Lydia was glad to see that the elder Ape Prince at least wasn't closing in on himself as a result of the difficult situation his family was facing. Over the course of these last three weeks, he had frequently sought out Lydia when the need to talk about it all with someone struck him, a prime example of how much their relationship had improved since their talk back at Caesar's childhood home. It seemed like so long ago now.

Also, he and Orion seemed almost inseparable nowadays – even more so than they had before Ash's death, their friendship having transformed into something akin to brotherhood as a result of their dear childhood friend's recent passing.

Lydia knew it helped them both greatly in dealing with the grief and anxiety they both felt and was also, in a way, relieved that Orion had someone other than her to share his sorrows with. Someone his own age.

And if Cornelia was going to pass on, which seemed inevitable at this point, Lydia suspected that it would be good for Blue Eyes to have someone at his side who knew the pain of losing a parent. It had certainly helped Orion to talk with Lydia about it, but she was his mother and though she still missed her human family dearly, the pain was no longer as fresh and tangible as Orion's was.

Honestly, if she hadn't had the photograph of them, Lydia was almost certain she would have forgotten what they had even looked like, their images already distorted within her own mind.

Ellie nodded in understanding, most likely not wanting to argue with Lydia – or maybe she already knew it was a lost cause to try and persuade Lydia to leave and get some rest. She was nothing if not stubborn, Lydia herself was very well-aware of that.

She just couldn't help it, really.

"I'll leave you to it, then. Goodnight, Lydia. Tinker." Ellie spoke gently, nodding at them both as she got up and turned to leave, her footsteps soft against the cave floor.

"Goodnight." Lydia called after her in a soft voice, so she wouldn't wake the ape child sleeping on against her chest.

Blue Eyes had told her that Cornelius had problems sleeping through the night, frustrated that he couldn't seek comfort from his mother in the same way that most apes his age could – that something so natural and instinctual was denied to him due to his mother's discomfort. Instead, he was to sleep in the arms of either his older brother or his father, and while the youngest Ape Prince _did_ clearly find comfort in their embraces, everyone knew that an infant like Cornelius would always prefer their mother's touch. Apes did, after all, rarely leave their mother's side during the first year of their lives.

Tinker hooted softly, gaining Lydia's attention – goodness, she was truly absent-minded today… Maybe she should at least try and take Ellie up on her advice. This kind of negligence was not going to do much good when protecting Cornelia.

It was only then that Lydia realised that the Ape Queen had turned and was staring at them both tiredly, a thin sheen of sweat on her skin glistening in the light from the torches placed around the cave. Sick as she was, Cornelia still managed to give a soft smile, though it looked incredibly strained, even to Lydia.

The Ape Queen eyed her son in the human woman's arms, still fast asleep with his head resting against her sternum and his little hands clutching her coat tightly.

" _He feels safe with you._ " Cornelia signed slowly. Lydia almost wanted to tell her not to try and sign, seeing how the effort of lifting her hands seemed strenuous to her friend. Instead she merely looked down at Cornelius, as if to confirm the Ape Queen's words, before nodding her assent

The sick female ape regarded them with a fond look, though there was an underlying sadness in her eyes that Lydia couldn't help but notice.

" _It is a good thing. He will need someone else to seek that feeling from soon…_ " She continued, making both Lydia and Tinker's eyes go wide.

" _Cornelia! Don't say things like that!_ " Tinker signed urgently, a stern expression appearing on her face. " _You must believe yourself you will be okay! Fight for your son…!_ "

"She's right, Cornelia, you can't give up now." Lydia chimed in, her brows scrunched up in worry at her friend's words.

Cornelia only shook her head at them, a look of resignation overtaking her features.

" _I don't want to keep false hope. I know there is no way back from here – the medicine helped last time… But we have none now and I feel worse than I did before… before everything happened._ " She said calmly. Though her hands were shaking, she still signed in such a graceful manner.

Lydia felt tears starting to prickle at the back of her blue eyes and had to take a couple of deep, calming breaths to keep them back – Cornelius didn't even stir at her irregular breath and heartbeat.

Tinker did nothing to hold back her own tears and Lydia almost envied her the ability to let her sorrow show like that. It was something Lydia still struggled with even now.

"Cornelia… You can't die now. The colony needs you. _We_ need you. Caesar, Blue Eyes, _Cornelius_ … they all need you…!" Lydia spoke in a desperate whisper. "You have to keep trying…"

A shallow sigh left the Ape Queen then, and she looked up at Lydia almost as if she were an innocent child who didn't understand how the world worked – the three of them all knew that couldn't be further from the truth and that Lydia only urged her friend to keep fighting because of how much she cared.

And because they both knew her words were true. Cornelia was needed by so many – her family most of all.

Still, the Ape Queen shook her head at the woman in front of her.

" _You know I will not stop fighting. I cannot do that… But you also know you cannot douse a fire with a drop of water, Lydia._ " She signed carefully. " _I am tired. I have fought for long and it has not helped. It will not help._ "

Tinker whimpered sadly.

" _My son is gone, Cornelia. My mate may die fighting the soldiers… And now you say you will leave me too?_ "

Cornelia shook her head at that.

" _Please don't speak like that, Tinker. Rocket is a strong ape. He will not die and you will not be left alone._ "

There was a deep conviction behind the Ape Queen's words – almost as if she believed that now that she had said it, it was how it was going to be. She reached over to gently grab Tinker's hand after she finished signing, her eyes pleading with her friend not to make this harder on the Ape Queen than it already was.

Tinker only nodded in a disheartened manner, too emotional to say anything else as she sucked in her bottom lip in an effort not to cry even harder.

Lydia was absolutely heartbroken at her friend's words, thinking it was very unlike Cornelia to just… give up like this. This was not how her friend usually was – kind and gracious as she may be, Lydia knew Cornelia was a hardy soul and _at least_ as stubborn as her husband when push came to shove.

Then again, Lydia could also understand Cornelia's reasoning. Yes, she had a mate and two sons to keep on living for, but at the same time, there was only so much one could do when it came to an ailing body, and the Ape Queen had already fought for so long, having been sick even before Cornelius was born.

The human woman had suspected for well over a week now that her long-time friend was not going to get better, but denial had prevailed up until now as Lydia, as well as everyone else, desperately hoped that her body would overcome the illness.

But it was not to be. Lydia knew it, Cornelia knew it… Heck, even Caesar, stubborn as he is, must have realised by now.

The Ape Queen was going to die. Maybe not today, or tomorrow, but soon.

It just seemed too cruel to Lydia, losing her mate and then her best friend in such a short span of time.

And worst of all, she knew she wasn't the one who would suffer the most with Cornelia's passing…

Lydia gently squeezed the little ape child currently resting in her arms, staring at the cave floor with glossy eyes.

That's when Cornelia derailed her train of thought by putting a gentle hand on Lydia's knee, squeezing ever so slightly to make the human woman lift her gaze to meet her own. Her breathing was still laboured, and her brow dotted with pearls of sweat, but her eyes, evergreen as the newly unfurled leaves of the forest, were as kind and comforting as always.

" _Help my family when I am gone. Help my sons and my husband. Please._ " Cornelia signed and even though her gaze shifted between her two friends sitting by her, her gaze lingered for longer on Lydia.

The human woman didn't know what she was supposed to make of that fact. Didn't know why the Ape Queen would be so imploring towards her specifically. Perhaps it was because it was Lydia who was currently holding her precious infant, or perhaps it was because tears had now started running down Lydia's cheeks, something Cornelia had never witnessed before, as opposed to Tinker, who had no qualms about letting her sorrow show in the form of tears.

The human woman nodded nonetheless, wiping the moisture on her cheeks away with her gloved hand before laying it atop the Ape Queen's own limb, squeezing it softly.

Her voice was strained as she replied.

"I will, Cornelia… I promise."

* * *

 _ **Cornelia**_

Cornelia smiled softly as Caesar came into view and she craned her neck to get a better look at him as he walked over to her with urgency – as he seemed to always do nowadays, perhaps expecting her to pass on at any moment he was gone from her side.

They had talked about this before… or at least she had _tried_ to talk with him about it. How she didn't think she would last much longer, sick and weakened as she was. She had meant what she had said to Tinker and Lydia. She was tired of fighting, willing her body with all her might to finally get better when all she got in return were more feverish nights, bouts of dizziness and fits of nausea.

Her husband would hear none of it, telling her to stay strong and that she should not talk like that, quite like Lydia and Tinker had done – only they had listened, in the end.

Tonight, she _would_ talk like that, though, and he _would_ listen too, even if he hated every word she was going to utter. They could not keep on pretending that everything was going to get better when it clearly wasn't – especially not when even their eldest son seemed to know that the inevitable was fast-approaching.

She knew Caesar took the loss of loved ones with a heavier heart than most, having had his human family ripped from him at the peak of his adolescent years either by disease or by simply having them removed from his life – or rather, him being removed from theirs, as it were.

It was also one of the reasons why he fought with such ferocity whenever those he cared about were threatened, something she had witnessed more than once in their time together.

But there was no one Caesar could fight to make Cornelia better and she knew that was probably what bothered him the most. The inability to do something, _anything_ , to make her better. Her husband was a problem-solver by nature and liked to have control over any situation and yet in this, he had none.

The Ape Queen knew that her mate had already seen his human father waste away at the hands of the disease that killed the humans, coughing blood and gradually getting weaker until one day, his body had given out under the strain. Caesar had told her about the time he had gone back to visit him a very long time ago and she still remembered the look in her mate's eyes quite vividly as his mind went back to that day – a look of utter and irrevocable sorrow and regret. Almost in the same breath, Caesar had also told her that his human grandfather, the man who had named him and adored him like they had truly been connected by blood, had also been taken by disease years before, while they were all in the Ape Prison, though seemingly this one had been a disease of the mind rather than the body.

It had hurt Caesar all the same and that was probably why it pained her so much more to know that her passing on like this would only continue this tragic cycle.

Caesar sat down by her in their shared nest, his brow creased in a mixture of worry and affection as he stared down at her, caressing her cheek gently.

Cornelia sighed at the soothing touch. Compared to the hotness of her face caused by the fever, his hand felt refreshingly cool against her skin, even though she knew he was probably as warm as he always was. The Ape Queen nuzzled into her mate's hand, large and calloused against her cheek, sucking up all the comfort she could before she would have to discuss what weighed so heavily on her heart.

He would definitely not like hearing it, even if she suspected he knew it was inevitable at this point. It was almost like he believed that not talking about it would make it go away, though she knew that her husband was not that naïve.

Either way, Cornelia refused to leave things unresolved.

" _You talked with Lydia and Tinker_ …" Caesar removed his hand to sign, straight to the point.

There was no sense in asking her if she was feeling better, they both knew that, so he had gradually stopped doing so for the last week. She was relieved that she didn't have to answer in the negative anymore, leaving him with a look of defeat on his face night after night.

Some things _were_ better left unsaid.

Cornelia nodded in response, though a look of puzzlement overtook her features. How had he known this? They had only just greeted him in passing, leaving the cave as he entered.

Her confusion must have shown enough for him to realise, for he answered her unspoken question only seconds later.

" _I could see that Lydia has been crying. Tinker too. Red eyes. Sad looks._ "

Ah, of course, that would have been an instant giveaway. Lydia never cried in front of others. Never. Tonight had been the first time Cornelia had ever witnessed it herself and it had pained her that _she_ had been the cause of it. There was something… startling about seeing Lydia with tears in her eyes – she always appeared so strong…

Tinker had cried in front of Cornelia before, so it hadn't surprised the Ape Queen nearly as much as it had once Lydia's eyes filled with tears, which was also part of the reason why she chose to focus more on the human woman as she voiced her plea to take care of her family once she was gone.

Once again, Cornelia nodded in confirmation at her husband's words, though a sad expression now crossed her face.

" _We spoke about… death_." She signed carefully, gauging her mate's reaction as that dreaded word was formed by her hands. " _My death_." She elaborated, though she really doubted he would have understood it any other way.

Caesar's eyes were as soft as they were when he first entered the room, but his mouth set into a hard line at her words, his nostrils flaring as he tried to keep his composure.

"Cornelia-" His gravelly voice resonated against the walls, breaking the tense silence.

She knew what he was going to say and put a graceful hand against the side of his face to halt his words before he could utter anything other than her name. He looked almost startled at the move but stopped talking all the same. When she was certain he was not going to protest further, she removed her hand from his face to sign once again.

" _We cannot keep pretending, Caesar._ "

His frown deepened, but thankfully, he remained silent for the time being.

" _I know it is not what you want to hear but we both know it is getting worse. Blue Eyes knows it too, I can see it on his face…_ " At that, she paused, tears springing forth as she thought of the looks her eldest son would bestow on her whenever he thought she wasn't looking.

It was a look of deep sorrow and foreboding – not unlike the one his father currently wore as he followed her hands with his intense, green stare.

The Ape Queen's gaze softened, knowing her husband needed a gentle approach to such matters.

" _I need to speak of this, Caesar. It cannot wait, and it cannot be hidden away. Just please, listen…_ " She paused, choosing her words carefully.

She was getting tired already and her hands felt shaky, but she needed to get this off her chest. The longer she waited, the more difficult it would be to say. Still, Caesar said nothing.

" _When it happens… When I am gone… I know you will be feeling lost. You will be alone with our sons, at war with the human soldiers and the colony will be restless. It will be hard for everyone… But you must stay strong, Caesar. You must make a future for our sons. Promise me this…_ "

Caesar's eyes locked with his mate's as he seemed to weigh her words, analysing them with his keen mind. The silence engulfing the two as he did so was almost suffocating to Cornelia, but she knew she had to wait for him, just as she had had to wait for him to be able to express his feelings to her all those years ago. He needed time to plan his words, as he always did so carefully.

The answer that spilled from his lips was not what she expected – in fact, it wasn't an answer at all.

"You are preparing. To die _._ " He spoke heavily, a pained look in his eyes.

It hurt to hear him say it.

Cornelia felt her bottom lip quiver ever so slightly at his words, yet she refused to let herself be overcome by emotions just yet. Shaking her head softly, she fixed him with the gentlest stare she possibly could.

" _I am preparing you for what is to come. I know you, Caesar. You do not handle loss well, and you have many who depend on your guidance._ "

The Ape Queen sighed, feeling her strength to keep herself coherent slowly ebb away once again. The fever and nausea often came in bouts, giving her small windows of time in which she could function somewhat normally before it washed over her again with renewed strength. These small moments of relief were steadily getting shorter and happened less frequently as time went by, further prompting Cornelia to say what she needed to before she would no longer be capable of it.

" _You close in on yourself when you grieve. When your human father died, you barely slept and spoke to no one unless you were forced to. You cannot do that now, Love._ " She signed slowly, willing him to understand.

It was not often terms of endearment were used between them, but she felt it was necessary to underline her point now.

" _I need you to understand that I am not giving up. I will fight until the end, just like I know you would for me and our sons. But… You must prepare for what lies ahead, Caesar._ "

She didn't need to specify what it was that lie ahead – they both knew that well enough – a future where Cornelia was not by his side.

She reached up with both hands to gently cup his jaw, signalling that she had finished her little monologue and was now waiting for his reply, whatever that might be. He closed his eyes at her touch, exhaling heavily through his nose as his entire posture slumped in what looked like utter defeat. It was an entirely foreign look on her husband and Cornelia creased her brow in worry at the sight.

Despite her increasing fatigue, this was probably the longest speech Cornelia had ever given Caesar and she could already feel how her body was returning to its feverish state with a vengeance. She would not give into the urge to lie down and rest, however, not before he had promised her to do what she asked. She needed to hear it. Needed to know he would continue to be the great leader and father she knew him to be – even if she was not there to support him through it.

At last, he nodded his head, opening his eyes to meet her gaze once again. He looked almost as tired as she felt just then.

"I promise." The words fell heavily from his lips, low and intimate, and he leaned forward to put his forehead against her own, sealing his promise with the familial gesture.

Cornelia released a breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding and finally let the tears roll down her cheeks.

She knew he would have a hard time keeping his promise nonetheless, no matter how sincere he had been when making it.

But later that night, as her fever took hold once again and shivers racked her being, Cornelia's mind drifted to all those who cared for their little family and she took comfort in the fact that at least her husband would not be alone with his burdens.

And with that thought easing her mind, Cornelia was finally able to fall into a restless sleep, unaware of the intense, green gaze of her husband keeping watch over her.


	35. The Queen's Farewell

_**Lydia**_

A week and a half after their heartfelt conversation, and Lydia now stood at the bank of the river further down from where the colony was located, her mind in a complete disarray as she stared blankly out across the water.

Cornelia had just been buried a few hours ago, having been laid to rest among the roots of one of the giant redwood trees surrounding the colony, in a beautiful, tranquil clearing not far from where Lydia currently stood.

It had been Caesar who had chosen his wife's final resting place, having combed through the surrounding area of the colony to find the perfect spot. One that would reflect everything he had loved and appreciated about his late wife. Her peace, spirit and the feeling of home that was to be found in her embrace. He had told Lydia as much when she had dared to inquire about it.

She thought the clearing he had ended up choosing was nothing short of beautiful.

The sunlight filtered down between the redwoods' needles, casting all sorts of green and golden nuances across the ground and against the huge, reddish-brown trunks, and all around were moss-covered logs and roots snaking their way among bright, green ferns, their leaves dripping with morning dew.

It was just the sort of place Cornelia would have loved. Calm, peaceful and in the very heart of the wild forest the apes loved so much.

Lydia bowed down to pick up a somewhat flat stone by her feet, among the hundreds of others littering the bank of the river, and turned it between her fingers a couple of times before she threw it across the water's surface, the stone skipping a couple of times before it finally disappeared into the slow-moving, murky current.

The funeral itself had been a beautiful spectacle as well, very much fitting the setting in which it took place. The entire colony had come to pay their respects, swarming the clearing from the ground and far up into the giant trees surrounding it, observing in complete silence as the burial was conducted.

Lydia had stood a bit back from the ceremony, quietly taking in the scene before her as she grieved the loss of her old friend. Orion had been beside her, his large, elongated hand wrapped comfortingly around hers. On Orion's other side Malcolm and his family had stood, sadness clear on their faces as well. They had developed a close bond with the Royal Ape Family over the past month and a half and had desperately wanted to help Cornelia to the very end – they had been honoured when Caesar had asked them to be present for the ceremony.

Honestly, Lydia had thought it only fitting, given all they had done for the apes – they had as much a right to be here as anyone else.

Maurice was the one conducting the whole thing, directing the apes carrying the body forward and placing Cornelia's crown of branches atop her head as she was laid to rest. Caesar had put Maurice in charge of orchestrating the ceremony, knowing that his best and oldest friend would ensure Cornelia got a proper farewell. The sorrow was clear on the orangutan's large, dark face, though his demeanour had been sombre and dignified as he performed his duty as an elder member of the Ape Council. Caesar could have found no one better suited for the task, in Lydia's humble opinion.

Tinker and Rocket had been standing at the forefront of the ceremony. Being the Ape Queen's closest friend and Caesar's second in command respectively, this came as no surprise, and neither did the fact that Tinker had been sobbing quietly into Rockets shoulder as he held her, devastated by her friend's passing.

Rocket had not cried, Lydia didn't think she'd ever seen him doing so, even at Ash's funeral, which had led her to believe that she and the balding ape male had much the same approach to grief – letting it out in private, that is. Still, he held his mate in a comforting embrace, hooting ever so quietly to soothe her, pain clear in his features all the same.

Not being able to focus for too long on Tinker's subdued sobs, lest she begin to cry herself, Lydia had scanned crowd in general, taking note of every single individual present in and around the clearing, on the ground and in the trees. Most of the present apes' faces were set into expressions of deep sorrow and quiet contemplation – Cornelia had been a beloved queen, the matriarch of the tribe and a caring, selfless individual, and many among the apes had fond memories of her gentle guidance.

Of course, there had also been those looking on with stoic calmness, their faces etched in stone as they stood back from the ceremony. Those were apes like Red, Gray and Flint, all former followers of Koba and none of them truly welcome at the Ape Queen's burial. The only reason they had even been there in the first place was because Caesar had deigned to give them a second chance, true to his nature, even if Lydia thought it was a mistake to even let them stay in the colony. So far, nothing had happened, though she suspected the time hadn't been opportune for them to attempt anything – she didn't trust any of them as far as she could throw them after what had happened, and if Caesar wasn't going to keep an eye on them, at least _Lydia_ would.

As of this moment, Caesar had in no way been capable of taking care of possible strife within the colony anyway. He had been thoroughly occupied with being there for his sons, as well as dealing with his own grief – a precarious balancing act that Lydia knew all too well herself by now. The loss of Roy was still a deep, open wound within her heart, aching and ever-present, even as she went about her daily tasks. It made it hard for her to truly be there for Orion, especially in the immediate aftermath of Koba's betrayal, even if her adoptive son had been exceptionally strong for her in this time.

She was just happy he had his friends to lean on, Blue Eyes, Lake, Ivy and all the other young apes who had been there for him in a way Lydia hadn't been able to.

Now, it would seem that Blue Eyes himself would be the one needing that same support and, knowing her son, Lydia had no doubt Orion would provide it.

He knew all too well what it was like, after all, to lose a parent.

Speaking of Blue Eyes, he had been standing at the forefront of the ceremony, holding his little brother in his arms while putting up a sorrowful but dignified front, when in reality, Lydia knew for a fact he was completely shattered by the loss of his mother, and probably didn't want to have his grief displayed in front of the entire colony like this. He would most likely have been much more comfortable with a private, small ceremony, like the ones Roy or Ash had had for their burials.

It couldn't be helped, though. Blue Eyes was the Ape Prince and heir to Caesar's throne and as such, he was required to take an active part in this – whether he wanted to or not.

Cornelius, the poor, sweet child, had been clinging to his brother and looking around at the spectacle with wide, uncertain eyes, quite unaccustomed to the sheer number of apes around him. At the sight of his mother being carried forward on the stretcher made of branches and covered in fine pelts, he had whimpered and hooted confusedly, trying to get out of his brother's grip and get to her, though he had calmed down at the gentle touch of his father's hand against his back.

Lydia's heart had bled for the little ape child then. He was much too young to lose his mother and even though he probably wouldn't remember this at all once he got older, he was already old enough in this moment to understand that something wasn't right.

As for the Ape King himself, Lydia noted that he acted with all the poise and dignity expected of him, standing with his arm around his eldest son's shoulders, back straight and lips set in a thin line as usual.

His eyes, however… They had revealed a deep pain within him, a shattered and broken look shining through as he followed his wife's funeral.

The Ape Queen had been brought forward slowly by the females who had prepared her for the ceremony, decorating her as well as the stretcher she had been placed upon with wildflowers of varying colours, though predominantly white ones, braided together into thin garlands. Cornelia's brow had been painted with the signature red line of the Royal Ape Family, but her face had otherwise been left untouched, leaving her feminine, tranquil features bare for all to see.

That's when Lydia had felt the tears rolling down her cheeks, as the sun's rays fell through the treetops into the clearing, coating everything in their warm, almost divine glow as the Ape Queen, her long-time friend and the very reason she was even here to begin with, was brought forward to her final resting place.

She hated how she couldn't hold them back, even though she knew there was no better moment to let them fall. She just didn't want anyone to see…

And when Maurice had caught her eye, himself with a look of deep mourning on his dark face, it was all Lydia could do to stifle the whimper caught in her throat.

Orion noticed it, she knew immediately he did when he squeezed her hand ever so slightly in comfort, but otherwise, he gave no outward signs that he had noticed, which Lydia had been very grateful for.

They had carried Cornelia slowly through the parting crowd of apes, who had all bowed their heads in respect for their late queen. Then, they had lowered her into the grave that had been dug out between two large, protruding roots of one of the redwood trees, and covered it with a finely woven net of branches and fern leaves.

On top of the net and around the grave itself, the females carrying Cornelia forward had then placed several small bouquets of flowers, each and every one of them carefully made by other females in the colony.

It was a spectacular sight as the sunlight broke through the treetops onto the petals and Lydia couldn't help but think that the Ape Queen would have loved to see it for herself.

Another whimper struggled its way up through her throat, but this time Lydia managed to fight it before it had a chance to spill forth.

After Maurice had finished signing words of praise and fond memory of the Ape Queen, Caesar had let go of his eldest son, reluctantly, Lydia had noted, and stepped forward to the tree Cornelia's remains had been buried beneath. With a primitive stone dagger in hand, he had carved the Royal Ape Family's symbol upon the tree's trunk on the area which had been stripped bare of its ragged bark.

He had started with the circle and then went on to the four inverted curves inside it, slicing deeply and with great precision into the wood, so that no one might forget exactly who lies there. The Ape King had worn a look of regal restraint as he did so, though even from a distance, Lydia had seen the rigidness of his muscles as he went about his task.

The only sounds to be heard as the apes' leader completed his work were those of the forest. Birds chirping, wind rustling the tree's needles and leaves, critters scurrying to and fro.

Once the carving had been made, Caesar had beckoned his sons forward, and Blue Eyes stepped up to his father, still with little Cornelius clinging to his chest.

Together, they had dipped their hands into a bowl of white war paint, which they then used to cover the freshly carved trunk, making the deeply cut crevices in the wood stand out even more.

The whole ceremony had ended with the Ape King and his sons facing the crowd, signing their sincere thanks to all who had attended, as well as some last, praising words about Cornelia and her achievements as a wife, a mother and a queen.

 _And a friend…._ Lydia had thought sadly, wiping the tears away with her sleeve before anyone else could see…

She was pretty sure Caesar had seen too, though. Their eyes had met as he had turned to address the crowd with his sons and if anything, the Ape King's face had seemed even more haggard and sorrowful then.

When everything was said and done, the apes had dispersed quietly to go about their tasks – like they would any other day.

That was what had seemed so strange to Lydia. How life just seemed to go on once it was all over. It had been the same with Roy's funeral and with Ash's too. It seemed almost cruel that life would not let people, parents, children, siblings and friends, dwell on their loved ones' passing for more than just the brief duration of a commemorative ceremony before it was back to normal. Almost as if nothing had happened.

As if something important wasn't missing.

It made Lydia's chest ache just thinking about it. Made her damn it all to hell, even.

And it made the tears she had tried so desperately to suppress finally slip down her cheeks.

She picked up another more or less flattened rock and skipped that across the water as well. This one only jumped two times before submerging with a soft, undignified 'plop', which would have been comical if not for Lydia's current state of mind.

She almost wished it would rain. Pour down as thunder clapped above the forest, the wind viciously tearing and ripping at everything that stood in its way. At least then, the nature around her would have matched the storm inside her, a whirlpool of pain, sorrow and hopelessness swirling within her gut.

Instead the sun shone brightly down onto the forest, birds chirping as the river flowed calmly past and a gentle breeze rustled trees' leaves pleasantly.

It just didn't fit. _Nothing_ seemed to fit.

Suddenly, a soft, curious-sounding rumble reached her ears and Lydia, startled at being broken out of her sorrowful reverie, came face to face with Maurice, standing only about ten feet away from her and staring at her with pitying, green eyes.

 _No… not pity. Worry_ , Lydia reminded herself, thinking of the words Caesar had spoken to her that day in the city when they had been alone in the abandoned barber shop.

Yes, it was worry which emanated from the old orangutan as he regarded her, his green eyes kind and gentle.

* * *

 ** _Maurice_**

Maurice had been standing at the edge of the woods, quietly observing the human woman down by the river as she skipped rock after rock across the water, each throw sloppier and angrier as time went on. He didn't even think she was aware that she was doing it, her body language rigid and her movements choppy as she picked up the rocks from the riverbank.

Truth be told, it was Orion who had first made him aware that something was seriously up with Lydia. The young ape had been concerned for his mother for quite some time now but had put off telling Maurice due to everything else that had been going on recently. The war with the soldiers, building a new home for the apes, Cornelia's sickness and the fact that the adolescent was still quietly dealing with his own sorrow at the loss of his father – there had been enough for the young ape to think about, that's for sure.

It had now been a couple of weeks since Orion first approached Maurice about the human woman's troubles and originally, the aging orangutan had wanted to do something about this sooner. But then Cornelia's sickness hard worsened drastically, just as the soldiers down in the city had made their first full-blown attack on the apes further down in the woods.

Maurice was, even though he knew it couldn't be helped, ashamed to say that he had had to push his good friend's troubles down on his priority list while helping Caesar planning out everything. They all had been forced to push emotional matters aside, honestly. Even Lydia herself.

But enough was enough. The tears he had seen trailing down her cheeks during the ceremony had prompted the ape to act.

Even someone as strong as Lydia would break under continued strain like this, with no one to share her pain with now that Roy was gone.

At least that was what Orion had told him was the problem, and Maurice was inclined to believe it.

Despite their close friendship, Lydia had rarely been keen on sharing her sadness when it struck her, choosing instead to change the subject or not say anything at all when the topic did occur.

It hadn't struck Maurice as a problem before, mostly due to the fact that she always put up such a tough front. Lydia had rarely seemed like someone who would need to depend on someone – but she obviously had, and now that someone was gone…

It was quite clear that she did not intend to turn to her son and start to burden _him_ with her troubles, which was understandable enough even to Maurice, who didn't have any children of his own. Still, it was not healthy to keep everything bottled up inside, that was as obvious to an ape as it was to a human and from what Maurice could understand on the adolescent ape, that was exactly what Lydia was doing right now.

It just wouldn't do – especially not now, what with everything that was going on. The members of the colony would need each other to rely on, now more so than ever before.

So, since Caesar already had his hands full as it was, Maurice had taken it upon himself to help their long-time human friend – whether she wanted his help or not.

He had made his way quietly down to the river from the edge of the forest, more so out of habit than an actual need to be silent. True to his species, Maurice always moved about without making much of a ruckus, though when he released a soft rumble to alert Lydia to his presence, he almost wished he had been clumsier making his way down the rocky bank.

She looked rather startled at his sudden appearance and coupled with the tears steadily streaming down her dark-rimmed eyes as she spun around to face him, she made for a truly harrowing sight indeed.

Lydia hurriedly wiped her eyes with the back of her gloved hand as she spoke.

"Oh! Maurice! I-I didn't hear you… You really shouldn't sneak up on me like that…" She spoke, stammering and her voice breaking ever so slightly towards the end of her sentence. "Did you… uh, want something?"

Maurice rumbled a second time, deeper in his throat, in a rather unimpressed manner at her attempt at hiding her state of mind. Was she seriously going to try this, even with tears still visible in her eyes and her mouth twisted into a strained frown?

This one was going to be a tough nut to crack.

" _Wanted to talk._ " The red-haired ape signed carefully, his eyes full of meaning as they caught hers. " _About how you are._ "

At that, she seemed to tense up ever so slightly, staring at the ape in front of her with a guarded expression.

"Really, Maurice? There's no need for that, honestly. I'll be fine. It's Caesar and Blue Eyes you should worry about, really. They just lost a wife and mother." She replied, crossing her arms over her chest.

Maurice was having none of it.

" _And you and I lost a dear friend. Don't act like it does not affect you as much as it does me, or anyone else, Lydia._ " The orangutan signed, gently but firmly at the human woman in front of him.

He didn't like talking like this to Lydia, who he knew to be a very capable woman in all other matters, as well as a very close friend of his. Maurice hoped that he didn't come off sounding like he was reprimanding an errant ape child, for that truly wasn't his intention.

He only wanted her to share her pain with him, as he felt he could with her.

He only wanted to make sure she would be okay.

She didn't seem convinced by his words, though her face did grow softer as she replied.

"It's not like it doesn't affect me. I just deal with it differently, Maurice."

It was a poor excuse, and she even seemed to know it herself as she said it. True, people, both humans and apes, dealt with grief differently, but even so, it was still important to do it in a healthy manner that didn't leave you even more miserable.

Which was exactly what Lydia was doing to herself right now. Making herself miserable.

" _By not sleeping in the night for weeks? Tears only when no one is looking? Pretending you're not hurting inside?_ " The aging ape challenged simply, a brow raised softly at the human in front of him.

Her deep blue eyes widened a fraction at his words and her arms fell limply down to her sides as she stared at him with an unreadable expression on her pale face.

Perhaps he had crossed a line?

Perhaps he had misjudged the strength of their friendship?

Perhaps she truly did want to be left alone?

"H-how did you…?" She didn't finish her sentence, letting it hang in the air for him to discern as her expression turned into one of confusion.

" _Orion worries._ " Maurice answered gravely, grunting sadly as he signed his words.

Finally, Lydia released a dejected sigh as her shoulders slumped, seemingly in defeat.

"He went to you about it, didn't he?" She asked quietly. Maurice nodded his huge head in confirmation.

She didn't seem angry or hurt, perhaps disappointed, though Maurice sensed that this was directed more towards herself than at her adoptive son. He was only trying to help, after all, and Lydia seemed to realise this as well.

" _He came to me some time ago. Said he knew you could not share your pain with him. Said he knew now that losing Roy had left you alone with your emotions. He worries much for you because of this but knows he can do nothing because you try to protect him_ …" Maurice explained carefully, doing his best to make it clear that Orion had not been ratting out on her, but had done what he did out of love for his mother.

As he finished his explanation, something significant seemed to change in Lydia's expression. Her mouth fell slightly agape as she released a shaky exhale before she reached a fist up to her mouth, stifling a broken sob when tears welled up in her eyes.

"Oh, Maurice… What am I even doing to my little boy?!"

The question was followed by barely-suppressed whimpers as Lydia began to cry in earnest, bringing up her other hand to shield her mouth.

"H-He knew I couldn't share my pain? Oh, what kind of _mother_ am I?!"

Maurice hooted gently at her, stepping closer to put a comforting hand on her upper arm. He hadn't meant for her to take it this way, thinking she had somehow been mistreating Orion by attempting to shield him from her sorrow – he supposed it was a natural thing for any parent to do, really.

He managed to regain Lydia's attention with a gentle shake of her arm and motioned for her to sit down with him on a nearby old log on the stony riverbank. She followed him without question, still with tears streaming freely down her face.

Once they had sat down, Maurice turned to the human woman by his side, an imploring look in his eyes.

" _You are a good mother. The best Orion could wish for. He knows this too. That is why he wanted to help you. Please, don't ever doubt yourself like that, Lydia._ "

Maurice had been signing his words slowly and carefully, making completely sure that Lydia saw every gesture even as tears blurred her vision. He wanted to make this absolutely clear to her – there was nothing wrong with her as a mother, _nothing_ at all. In fact, Maurice was certain that she couldn't have done a better job, even if she had been an ape and not a human.

" _Listen carefully, Lydia. Orion is a smart, young ape. He sees your pain but knows you don't wish to burden him. That is why he came to me for help. He knows you need to share this with someone, not just keep it inside_."

Lydia was still sobbing softly as the elderly ape signed but nodded nonetheless at his words. It was surreal seeing her like this, so damaged and fragile-looking as her defensive walls and tough façade came crumbling down. Maurice was quite unaccustomed to having anyone, especially females, crying like this and having to comfort them and with Lydia, the scenario seemed doubly bizarre for the orangutan.

Still, he would do his best to be there for her – for her own and for Orion's sake.

"I know, I know, Maurice… It's just, I-I don't know _how_ to do that with anyone else…" The human woman spoke once she had calmed herself somewhat and her sobs had died down a bit, turning into quiet sniffles instead.

"Ever since I f-found them, it was always… it was always R-Roy who I could share everything with… I never thought I'd ever need anyone else to listen… A-and now that I do, I just don't know _how_ to go about it anymore."

It was obvious that this was something that frustrated her greatly, more so than Maurice had anticipated, really.

Then again, he could understand her dilemma.

For the better part of six years, Lydia had had one person she had always gone to when things got rough and this had made it easy for everyone else to assume that she was just emotionally tougher. That she was someone who was emotionally self-sufficient – a solid rock others could lean against and rely on when the world just seemed all wrong.

In truth, she was just as susceptible to the pain life dealt as anyone else, maybe doubly so, due to her difficulty in sharing this pain with others.

Orion had been right to approach him about this, Maurice thought as he put his hands up to sign.

" _You must relearn this. It is not good to keep everything inside, even Caesar, stubborn as he is, knows this to be true._ "

The orangutan smirked ever so slightly as he signed these words to her and despite her sniffling, she did manage to smile softly in return, laughing quietly as she wiped her reddened eyes.

"And I assume you're volunteering to help me relearn, huh?" Her tone wasn't mocking or disbelieving, but teasing and light-hearted as the wet trails dried on her cheeks.

" _Not only me. Caesar, Rocket, Tinker, Luca – they will all help, if you will let them. You are part of apes, and apes should help each other_." Maurice signed resolutely, watching Lydia sucking in her lip as she processed what he had said.

" _Roy and Cornelia would want this too…_ " He made sure to add, even if he knew it might be a low blow at the moment, when she had already bawled her eyes out once – still, he deemed it necessary to make sure he got his point across. A bit of extra motivation wouldn't hurt, and Lydia had always struck him as a woman who did not give up once her mind was set on something.

He just hoped he could set her mind onto this.

To his relief, after a short while, Lydia sighed softly and nodded her assent, locking eyes with the large, red ape.

"Alright, Maurice, I… I'll give it a shot. I promise."

They sat there for the rest of the afternoon, quietly going over what had happened in the last few months and how it had made each of them feel. There had been tears, there had been cursing and there had been consoling embraces.

In the end, despite her red eyes and soft sniffles, Lydia had seemed in a much more balanced state of mind than Maurice had seen her in for weeks and while he knew it would take a lot more than one afternoon of talking, he was certain Lydia would get better with time.

And if he was completely honest with himself, the elder orangutan felt a whole lot better as well.


	36. Someone To Talk With

Blue Eyes had finally seen his chance to get a moment to himself, away from his responsibilities to the colony. It was a few days after his mother's funeral, and even then, he had not been able to slip away and deal with his emotions properly. Immediately after the ceremony, he had been forced to hand over his little brother to his wet nurse, Brook, and head out to help with the construction of some defensive measures out in the forest. In passing he had only received a gentle, comforting pat on the back from his father, who himself looked about as haggard and grief-stricken as one could possibly get at this point.

In the past, back when he had still been an easily-manipulated adolescent, Blue Eyes might have blamed his father for being too caught up in his responsibility to the village and accuse him of not taking his time to properly comfort his children in a situation like this.

Now, however, Blue Eyes knew that it just wasn't that simple – and it never had been.

Father had even less time to process Mother's death than Blue Eyes did, since what little private time the Ape King had, he had devoted to comforting his sons these past few days, providing soothing gestures and attempts at conversation and reminiscing.

For the most part, his attempts were successful, and Blue Eyes honestly couldn't remember when he had last been this close with his father.

But even if Blue Eyes was able to take comfort in this newfound unity with Caesar, there were just some aspects of this grief the young ape knew the Ape King would never be able to help him process.

Father had lost his wife – his life partner – and while Blue Eyes had never known what it was like to have someone like that of his own, he had always been able to see just how much his parents had meant to each other. Mother had been the calm to Father's storm when things didn't go right. The one with whom he could share the burden of leadership.

And she had understood him on a level that Blue Eyes knew he, as Caesar's son, never could.

They had completed each other, like two halves of a rock that had cracked down the middle – and now that Mother was gone, all of Father's jagged edges were exposed as he tried to deal with the loss while also taking care of the colony. Most days he seemed stoic to those who approached him, carrying on with his duties as a leader with the same determination and decisiveness as he always had – only now he was seeing but not looking, hearing but not listening, and all the while he sported a grim-looking frown, his eyes hard and his demeanour callous.

It was only when he sat with Blue Eyes and Cornelius in the evenings that the Ape King seemed to become his old self, at least for a while, regarding his sons with sad, but tender eyes.

With Cornelia's passing Blue Eyes had lost something else entirely compared to his father. He had lost a deeply-ingrained part of himself. His own flesh and blood. Someone he had always been able to see himself within, especially in those moments when he had felt the most disconnected from his father. Mother had always seemed to know Blue Eyes' innermost thoughts, even before he really had had the chance to make sense of them himself, and no matter how strained things got between the adolescent and his father, she had always been the rope which tied them together.

With his mother dead, Blue Eyes felt like a young tree that had been uprooted from the nourishing soil it so desperately needed to grow.

Coupled with Ash's death, which Blue Eyes still very much blamed himself for even now, the young ape felt as if he was just about to reach his breaking point. It was only made so much harder by the fact that he seemed to have more responsibility towards the colony than ever before now that the war with the humans had broken out in earnest. Clashes with the soldiers were still few and far between for now, but there was no doubt in Blue Eyes' mind that it would only get worse from this point on.

And that was yet another thing which added to the Ape Prince's worries. How many more of his loved ones would end up dead as this war continued? – was it ever going to end at all?

Would his father die? His brother? His honorary uncles? Perhaps Orion or even Lake, if the humans ever managed to find the apes' home…

These questions kept ringing through his mind day after day, distracting him and filling his heart with a sense of dread and foreboding. It was almost too much to bear for the adolescent ape, who clenched his large fists unconsciously atop his thighs as he stared at the ground beneath his feet. He had come to sit by his mother's grave, knowing that few would dare to bother him here.

Despite it being a grey and gloomy afternoon with dark clouds hanging ominously above the forest, Mother's clearing seemed as tranquil as the day of her funeral. The bouquets and garlands of flowers which had decorated the place had long since been removed and the sunlight had no chance of casting its rays through the treetops today, yet it seemed to Blue Eyes to be as beautiful as it had been during the ceremony. All around the Ape Prince the clearing was bustling with life, birds chirping and critters scurrying from the forest floor and all the way to the top of the trees, but even then, it seemed that nothing could disturb the restfulness which resided here.

It encompassed Mother's spirit perfectly – wild and unruly, yet calm and soothing all at once.

 _Father chose well when he settled on this place_ , the Ape Prince thought quietly.

He was sitting on top of one of the huge roots of the redwood tree his mother was buried beneath, his pale, blue eyes going over his surroundings appreciatively. Honestly, he had expected to be saddened and uncomfortable by returning to this place, knowing that just a few feet away lay the female who brought him into this world – his mother, who he missed so terribly it made his heart ache just thinking about her now.

And yet as he sat here, quietly observing everything around him as he let his thoughts wander wherever they pleased, Blue Eyes was overcome, not with sadness or anger, but with a deep sense of longing.

Cornelia had ushered him into a life full of responsibilities and expectations from everyone around him, and it had weighed down on him ever since he was old enough to understand this, at times making him feel hopeless and bitter. But no matter how burdened he had felt with his title as Caesar's heir, she had always been there to guide the young prince like nobody else, not even the Ape King himself, had been able to do.

It was that guidance, as well as her comforting presence, that Blue Eyes was longing for the most in this moment.

And try as he might, Father just could not know the pain Blue Eyes felt because of this. True, the Ape King had lost his human father to disease, but that had been long ago and after a long time of separation. The emotional wound he had suffered from this was no longer a fresh, open one, and besides, the Ape Prince had a distinct feeling that his father's bond with his human father, albeit still a loving one, had been completely different from the connection Blue Eyes had shared with his mother.

The Ape Prince had briefly considered talking with Lydia about it, seeing as she had lost both of her parents and would surely know what the young ape was going through, but the same problem remained as it did with his father. It had been a long time since it had happened, and Lydia had grown a lot since then. He appreciated her ability to understand, he really did, but in this, she just didn't seem like the right person either.

Just as that thought passed his mind, a rustling from within the bushes at the other side of the clearing caught Blue Eyes' attention and his body immediately tensed up. Who was it that so rudely came to interrupt him _here_ , of all places? Could he not have just _one moment_ of peace?

But his indignation at the intrusion was quickly forgotten once he saw who it was coming out of the bushes, a look of uncertainty clear in his bright, green eyes.

It was Orion.

All Blue Eyes' tensed muscles loosened at the sight of his long-time friend, who now stood awkwardly at the edge of the clearing, seemingly debating with himself whether it was alright to enter or not. The Ape Prince appreciated the consideration the younger adolescent showed and hooted encouragingly when icy blue orbs met forest green ones across the lush glade that was his mother's final resting place.

Orion would always be welcome here.

A soft smile appeared on his friend's features once he realised that he wasn't intruding, and he fully stepped out of the bushes to approach his fellow adolescent with respectful, tentative steps. Orion's gait had always been relaxed, yet purposeful, much like his adoptive human mother's, but right now, he seemed to step very lightly across the quiet clearing, almost as if he was afraid to disturb the peace here. This was something that Blue Eyes had always appreciated in his friend – his seemingly inherent ability to sense the mood in any situation and act accordingly, ever the peacekeeper.

This particular talent had broken up fights between the other ape children more than just a few times when they had been younger, and even back then, Blue Eyes had always marvelled at the ease with which Orion seemed to apply this skill.

The Ape Prince kept his eyes trained on the younger ape as he approached and scooted over on the huge root once Orion had crawled onto it to take a seat beside him. After that, they merely sat in comfortable silence for a while, enjoying the song of the birds and the rustling leaves above and around them as the oncoming storm continued to brew above.

To be honest, after a few minutes of this, Blue Eyes didn't think Orion was going to say anything and believed that he had merely come to enjoy the quiet as well, providing quiet comfort rather than words.

He had been wrong.

"It has not. Faded for me. Yet." Came a quiet, breathy voice beside the Ape Prince, who snapped his head from the scenery in front of them and back to his side, where he found his friend staring, not at Blue Eyes, like he had expected, but up at the symbol carved into his mother's tree. The symbol of the Royal Ape Family.

Orion had begun to speak way more frequently since Alex had become their friend, the human adolescent still being… less than proficient at signing, though it should be said that he tried very hard.

Blue Eyes stared at his friend with squinted, confused eyes, waiting for him to elaborate, and Orion directed his gaze back down to him with a serious look on his face.

"The… longing. Like something is. Missing… It has not. Gone away. For me either."

Just like that, Blue Eyes understood, and he felt his heart constrict within his chest, as if the aorta itself was wrapping around the beating muscle, trying to squeeze it into stillness. He quickly looked away from his friend as tears began prickling behind his blue orbs, his fists clenching once again atop his thighs.

"Sorry…" He heard from beside him almost immediately, the voice small and sincere.

It wasn't like he was mad at Orion for… whatever it was he was trying to do right now. Helping, probably, if the Ape Prince knew his friend well.

He just hadn't been prepared for it. At least that's what he told himself right now.

He had wanted someone to talk to about this – and, when he really thought about it now, who better than his childhood friend, who had experienced the same only a month and a half prior to himself?

They had spent almost every waking hour together since Koba's betrayal, though the only sensitive subject they had really discussed had been Ash's death. It was a pain they had had in common, whereas Orion's loss of his father had been… foreign to Blue Eyes, who hadn't known how to approach his friend about the subject to comfort him – true, he had thought Caesar had died after Koba had shot him, but in the end, he hadn't and thus, Blue Eyes hadn't had the chance to experience the… finality of it.

Still, thinking about it now – how alone Blue Eyes himself had felt with this pain then, and how alone he was with it now, he honestly felt terrible for not doing more. _Being_ there more for his friend in this difficult time.

And Orion had taken it so well when Blue Eyes had been struggling to deal with his mother's sickness too.

With that in mind, a heavy sigh left Blue Eyes' lungs before he turned to face his friend once more, an equally apologetic expression on his own face.

" _Don't be sorry._ " The Ape Prince replied in sign, his gestures subdued. He didn't want Orion to think he had been wrong for coming here. " _I want to talk._ "

It seemed to brighten Orion's spirits a bit and the younger ape nodded at Blue Eyes in acceptance. Then, he tucked his lower lip between his blunted teeth, chewing on it as he chose his next words carefully. Blue Eyes didn't mind waiting.

"I think about Father. Every day… All the time. He is in my thoughts." Orion spoke softly as he folded his hands in front of him and diverted his gaze back to the scenery around the two of them. "Mother says. It will never go away. Not completely… The sorrow… And I think. She is right."

A lump formed in Blue Eyes' throat at the thought. He had suspected that when he had first felt the deep sense of loss claw at his heart.

"But… it gets easier. With time… It already has. For me… Just a little." The younger ape continued, reaching over to lay a heavy arm around Blue Eyes' shoulders.

It was hard to tell that there was an entire year between them nowadays. When they had been children, Orion had always been considerably smaller than Blue Eyes, Ash and even Lake, but now… now he was almost larger than the Ape Prince himself was, having caught up to his peers around a year or two ago. This fact was only underlined by the arm he had put around his friend's shoulders in such a brotherly fashion that Blue Eyes almost managed to crack a small smile.

" _I hope you are right, Orion… I miss her very much… So much it hurts._ " Blue Eyes replied, growing sadder with each signed word. It really did hurt. A lot.

"It will do so. For a long time. I think." Orion spoke gently, understandingly, squeezing the Ape Prince's shoulder comfortingly. "I think for. A long time. It will feel… Like something is. Missing… A piece inside… One that makes you… _you_."

It was _exactly_ how it felt.

Blue Eyes nodded solemnly and rubbed his cheek with the back of his hand, only now noticing the tears steadily trickling down his face.

"But it will help. To talk…. To remember. With someone else too." Orion spoke, offering his friend a pained, but no less sincere smile.

It was all too clear the younger ape was still very much affected by what had happened to his own father, which made Blue Eyes feel doubly guilty.

The Ape Prince drew a heavy, trembling sigh. Ever since he had discovered that his father had survived Koba's attempt at his life, it seemed like he had done nothing but apologize. To his father, for being such a stubborn, naïve child. To Lydia, for being so biased towards her when all she had ever done was care for him. To Ash, for not doing more to prevent his all-too-early death, though he knew his friend wouldn't ever be able to answer his pleas for forgiveness.

And now, he realised, Orion was next on his list.

" _Orion… I am so sorry. I should have tried harder… To understand. To help. I should have said something…_ " The Ape Prince signed with jagged movements of his hands. He would have spoken the words to underline his sincerity, but Blue Eyes knew his disused voice wouldn't take the strain very well – especially not with the emotional state he was currently in.

" _I have been a coward and a very bad friend. To Ash_ _ **and**_ _to you._ " A raspy sob left his throat at that, and he briefly sucked in his lips to try and keep the tears at bay before raising his glossy, blue orbs to stare directly into Orion's own, bright green ones. " _Please, can you forgive me?_ "

Orion seemed almost startled at his friend's words, staring back at Blue Eyes with his mouth slightly agape and widened, equally glossy eyes. It took a few seconds before he seemed able to even reply to his friend's pleas, and when he closed his eyes, shaking his head, Blue Eyes heart momentarily stopped until Orion began speaking.

"There is nothing. To forgive, Blue Eyes. It is a hard thing. To discuss… I do not blame you." He replied truthfully, his expression serious and imploring. "And we talked. About Ash already… He would never. Blame you either."

The arm still around Blue Eyes shoulders squeezed him yet again and shook him gently before it let go completely, and Orion moved his hand back to rest in his lap.

"You should stop. Blaming yourself… It will not help you. Or Caesar. Or Cornelia and Ash."

A soft smile found its way onto Blue Eyes features, despite the depressing subject of their conversation. Orion's words sounded very familiar to the older adolescent's ears.

" _You sound like Lydia now._ " He raised an eyebrow at his childhood friend, offering him a crooked smile and a raised, inquisitive eyebrow.

The younger ape beside him mimicked his teasing expression at that and replied in a tone of mock-exasperation.

"Of course, I do. You always said. I am a 'Mommy's Boy'. Right?"

There was a brief moment after that utterance in which both adolescent chimps only stared at each other with growing smiles on their faces until, in the end, neither could hold back the laughter anymore and burst out into brief fit of chuckling huffs.

" _Sorry about that as well_." Blue Eyes managed to sign once they had both regained their composure.

Orion shrugged, still with that easy, playful smile on his face.

"I do not mind it… I suppose that. It is just. The truth."

An easy silence prevailed after that, the two childhood-friends merely enjoying the sounds of nature all around them, chirping birds, scurrying critters and buzzing insects alike. Blue Eyes had no idea how long they sat like that – it might have been hours, or it might have only been a few minutes.

It was the most comfortable silence Blue Eyes could ever remember experiencing and he was loath to be the one to break it, in all honesty.

But there was something he just had to say, and as he felt the first, tiny drops begin to fall onto his muzzle from the threateningly dark clouds looming above, he decided now was the right time.

"Orion..." The Ape Prince spoke out loud for the first time since the beginning of their conversation, his voice hoarse and breathy from disuse. It grabbed the younger ape's attention immediately, and he snapped his head towards Blue Eyes, his green gaze full of curiosity.

"Thank you."

Simple as they were, these two words, uttered with the utmost sincerity from the Ape Prince, had Orion's smile brighter than ever, and he nodded once in reply. He didn't need to say anything out loud – Blue Eyes knew what he meant. Knew that he was thanking him too, for letting him have this conversation with the Ape Prince.

And as the rain began pouring down and the two were forced to make their way back to the colony, Blue Eyes had to admit he felt immensely better, even if he hadn't done much talking at all. True, his heart still ached terribly, the empty void Mother's death had left inside of him still a painfully fresh and tender wound – but now, he had someone to share it with.

Someone who was going through exactly the same thing.

Someone he knew would always, _always_ be willing to talk if need be.

And somehow, that fact alone seemed to make the whole world just a tiny bit brighter for the Ape Prince.


	37. Insult to Injury

_**Lydia**_

Lydia was sitting on a log in the glade where she usually trained Malcolm, Ellie and Alex, her mind straying to and fro as she stared at nothing in particular, simply enjoying the quiet she found here.

Few ever came to this place due to the fact that most were either out fighting the soldiers or, in case of the females, making themselves busy at home with various tasks to keep the colony going. Gathering berries, roots and herbs was becoming essential now that it was only a small, select group that went hunting instead of the bulk of the colony's males, as they had been used to in the past.

Seeing as Lydia was damn near useless when it came to foraging and Caesar didn't want to risk her life fighting the soldiers directly (much to her chagrin), she was glad she could at least continue to hunt and provide for the colony as she had always done – though with the added pressure of not being able to rely as heavily on another hunting party as she had in the past.

In fact, she had returned from one such hunt only an hour or two ago, and had expected to train archery with Malcolm, Ellie and Alex when she had found that they were occupied elsewhere. The human couple were both out foraging with a group of females, learning from them a skill Lydia herself could never hope to teach, and Alex… Well Alex was spending time with Orion, as was becoming their custom during the afternoon.

To be honest, though she had come to greatly appreciate the human trio's company and found great joy in teaching them what she knew about survival, Lydia had to admit that she was happy to receive some time to herself and her thoughts.

It was a rare occurrence these days.

 _Well, at least I don't have to worry about Orion's safety_ , Lydia thought as she picked at the thick layer of moss on the log she was sitting on.

Orion was one of the few males who had been selected to stay home and watch over the colony, still considered young with his seven years of age on him, but as steadfast a follower of Caesar as his mother was.

Lydia also had a sneaking suspicion that Caesar had chosen to keep Orion in the colony with the intention of keeping him out of harm's way for her sake, sparing her the potential pain of losing the last family member she had left now.

Whatever the reason, she was glad Orion wasn't out there risking his life and limb, even if she knew he was itching to be with Blue Eyes and support him.

A sigh left her, and she looked through the treetops, up at the pale, blue sky above them all. Given the choice, Caesar would probably have liked to keep Blue Eyes home as well – but the oldest Ape Prince, with his eight years of age, was just about ready to enter the ranks of the adult apes and besides, Caesar couldn't very well keep his son and heir away from the fight when other apes had sons the same age out there as well.

Though Lydia expected that they'd have to call in the younger apes too at some point – including Orion.

It was a thought she dreaded, and it was one of the many that kept her awake at night.

Just then, the sound of rustling leaves near her caught Lydia's attention and she felt how every muscle tensed in anticipation – it couldn't be the human trio, the adults would still not be done with their tasks, and she knew for a fact Alex was down by the river with Orion. Besides, they would have made way more of a racket coming through the woods.

It couldn't be Tinker or any of the other females either – they were out foraging.

She didn't get to narrow it down further before the individual came forth from within the bushes to reveal themselves and Lydia's stare immediately grew hard once she saw who it was.

There, only about ten feet away from her, stood a huge, brooding male gorilla, covered in signature dark-red fur.

It was Red – one of Koba's followers.

Lydia was on edge the moment she laid eyes on him, not anywhere near having forgotten – or forgiven – what he had supported during Koba's short reign. She would never understand why Caesar had let any of them stay to begin with – an opinion she shared with many of the colony's apes, many thinking it something akin to a mockery of their fallen friends and family members.

But the Ape King was all about second chances…

Red kept his distance for now though, which was a relief to Lydia. She knew that if he actually decided to attack her, there was little she could do to stop him. Even the small females like Ivy were physically several times stronger than her, and Red was a large male _and_ a gorilla to boot. The best she could hope to accomplish in the face of his wrath, especially at this proximity, was to grab for the hunting knife strapped to her thigh, and hope she'd be able to hit something vital – like his face, for example – before he'd manage to do anything worse to her.

Like ripping her apart, limb by scrawny limb.

"Red" She spoke formally, inclining her head towards the large ape while maintaining a calm, collected façade.

This felt so wrong… two-and-a-half months past, she wouldn't have had to fear _any_ of the apes – she just didn't speak with those who didn't get along with her, and they had avoided her just the same.

Never before had she had to consider the possibility that any one of these apes might mean her harm. She had never had to even _think_ about what they were capable of…

But Koba had taken that luxury away from her now, just as his hatred had taken away her lover and her best friend….

She would never forgive that the bonobo for that…

"Lydia." Red nodded his enormous head back at her, his voice deep and hoarse as he stared at her, an ill-favoured look in his eyes.

It sent a barely-suppressed shiver of anxiety down Lydia's spine, the way his green orbs seemed to drill right through her, scrutinising her like a piece of choice-cut venison. He had always stared at her like that, for as long as she could remember knowing him, though it hadn't been as obvious in the past.

Before Koba's betrayal, they had never spoken all that much together, though he had accompanied Lydia on several of her hunts. Red had usually avoided her gaze entirely and seemed content with just carrying out the task of transporting the kills she made back to the colony, though she had been able to feel his eyes on her ever so often when her gaze was turned away.

It wasn't something she had given much thought back then, and certainly never to the point that she had been searching his face for indications of a possible attack – or other… ill-intentions towards her person.

Now, however, she was on edge by the mere exhale of his breath, thinking each one might be made in preparation – for what, she could not tell.

"Did you… want something?" She ventured when he didn't say anything else.

It seemed to break him out of some sort of brooding reverie, and Lydia immediately regretted speaking up as he suddenly came forward, his steps heavy on the soft earth until he stood right in front of her.

Towering over her.

It was all Lydia could do not to lean back once he was less than a foot away from where she sat – but she was nothing if not stubborn, and so, the slighter human woman stood her ground and didn't move an inch. She would not submit to him!

"Why?" He asked darkly, his eyes staring almost accusingly at her as he spoke.

It was a simple question, though without meaning to Lydia. It lacked context as well as an elaboration.

Showing him that she had no idea what he was getting at, Lydia raised a challenging eyebrow up at the enormous gorilla.

"Why what, Red?" Lydia countered.

He inhaled sharply when she uttered his name, his gaze intensifying, if that was even possible.

"Why are you still here? Why do you… remain with the apes?"

Her dark brows knitted together in confusion at his inquiry. Why wouldn't she be? The ape colony was where she had her life. Her friends and her son were all here – where else did he think she was supposed to go?

"I'm afraid I don't follow… What exactly did you _expect_ me to do?" Lydia questioned uncertainly, a slight frown on her face.

Red seemed almost annoyed with her as he replied.

"You could be… down there. With _them_." He spoke gruffly, his nostrils flaring ever so slightly with every word he uttered. "You could be. On the winning side. With the humans and their weapons… They would welcome you. Treat you as equal. Because of what you are."

There was a brief silence after Red had finished his sentence in which Lydia just stared up at him in utter disbelief.

It didn't take long for it to turn into indignation and then anger – a white-hot, seething fury that quickly bubbled up from within her gut and surged forth like a viper to hiss and spit at the ape in front of her.

"So that's it? You're here because you want to know why I haven't betrayed the apes yet? Like _you_ did?"

The feral growl that rent from deep within his throat at her accusation should have sent Lydia running for the hills, it really should have. And it _would_ have, if she hadn't been so incredibly angry at the mere suggestion that she betray the life she had known and loved for the last five to six years.

"I did _not_ betray. The apes!" He argued aggressively, though his voice was still low and dark. "I did what needed. To be done… I did what Caesar. Never would… Never _could_ …"

"Like hunt down and kill innocent humans? People who had done nothing to hurt you? People like _me_?" She challenged him further, an equally hard look in her eyes.

Lydia had never imagined she'd defend humans and their supposed innocence against an ape, let alone put herself in the same figurative group as them – she had felt completely removed from humanity for so long that the concept seemed ridiculous to her, even now…

But what she said was true all the same. The humans back in the city had been innocent of the crime Koba had accused them of. Heck, there had been children in there who had never even _seen_ an ape, and Red damn well knew that! Were they to be judged for a crime they hadn't committed? Based on the sole fact that they were of a certain species?

The attack on Caesar's leadership didn't go unnoticed by Lydia either and only served to fuel her rage further.

"And all Caesar ever did was trying to avoid the situation you, Koba and the rest of those _misguided_ apes put us in, and now, he's left to clean up the mess _you've_ made, all because you couldn't look past your hatred." She spoke evenly as she stared directly into the red gorilla's eyes, not backing down.

At that, Red let out another loud, threatening growl and leaned down over Lydia, solidly planting a hand onto the mossy log on each side of her, trapping her and forcing her to lean back finally. His face was so close to her own that she could feel his hot breath against her face. See every fine, little wrinkle on his dark face.

But aside from moving her torso slightly backwards, Lydia didn't even flinch – she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of knowing how tense he made her. How he made her want to bolt.

She hated that feeling.

"You think much of him." Red commented gruffly, every syllable another hot breath across her face. He couldn't have been more than two inches away from her.

"Do you…" He stopped mid-sentence, a calculating look in his eyes as he took in her features. "Do you… _want_ him? Is that why you. Defend him so much?" His voice was laced with something Lydia couldn't quite pin-point at that moment. A dangerous edge.

She couldn't focus on it, however, as the question sent Lydia's mind into a state of disarray and she stared up at the red-furred ape in a mixture of horror and indignation.

"W-what?!"

"What else could be. The reason? Other than you. Wanting to be his pet? Like with Roy…" The name of her dead lover curled around the gorilla's tongue in a vicious snarl – as if the mere mention of Roy was an insult.

She drew in a sharp breath and Red's eyes briefly ventured down to her chest as it expanded before he redirected his green gaze back to her face.

Then, the lid she had kept on her anger came off. Completely.

"He gave me a _home_!" Lydia countered once she had regained her composure, the fire in her eyes seemingly surprising Red as he recoiled a fraction at her sharp tone. "He let me stay with my family! Let me be part of the colony, even when he knew it was an unpopular decision! Should I repay him with betrayal and indifference now?! Like _you're_ doing after all these years of peace?!"

He didn't move further away from her, though the hardening of his gaze told Lydia he was about to argue again at her accusation – she didn't give him the chance to defend himself a second time.

"And don't you _ever_ talk about Roy like that! I loved him, dammit! He was my _equal_ and my _mate_! And I will not let you degrade our bond to that of a pet and its master, you hear me, Red?! Don't you fucking dare!"

She was yelling now, right into his face. She was sure her eyes were wild and her expression livid, but she couldn't help herself anymore. He had crossed the line long ago, but to say something like that about Roy and her… To defile his memory and have the gall to insinuate that he had seen her as nothing more than a pet – a thing he kept close for his own amusement when nothing could be further from the truth.

It didn't matter what Red had implied about _her_ , Lydia didn't give a damn about that.

But she would hear no one speak ill of Roy – especially not a traitor like Red.

He didn't seem too fazed by the fact that she was basically an inch from his face, yelling and hissing and cursing.

If anything, Lydia guessed it was what she had said that managed to get to him, his eyes widening a fraction as soon as the words 'love', 'equal' and 'mate' left her lips. She could literally feel how the softened wood underneath her gave way under the pressure of his clutching hands beside her.

"So, it is true." He spoke lowly, seemingly processing her words. Dissecting them. "You were _his_. Truly… A human and ape… _Mated_."

Lydia nodded defiantly.

She had expected such a revelation to disgust Red to his very core. Had thought that it would perhaps make him draw back from her in revulsion. He hated humans, after all.

Instead he sounded… intrigued.

Out of her peripheral vision, Lydia saw how Red slowly lifted his large, calloused hand up towards her face, and felt how every single muscle in her body was pulled taut in preparation to defend herself. She honestly didn't know what she had expected from him at that point – an attack? A chokehold? A slap across her face?

But whatever she had imagined, it was certainly not… _this_.

His fingers barely even touched the side of her face, only grazing the tiny hairs on her skin ever so slightly as he traced her cheek – all the while staring into her eyes with an intense, scrutinising gaze, as if he was looking for something. Searching for a trace of a certain reaction from her that he seemingly expected… or craved.

Lydia was beginning to get an idea of what this was about… at least partially.

Whatever it was he had hoped to see in her eyes, be it fear, anxiety, submission… or lust, she knew he would not find it.

She held none of these feelings for this ape and contented herself to return his stare with cold indifference.

Red seemed to realise this after a while, his gaze hardening as he huffed and straightened his posture in front of her, removing his hand from her face as if burned. The breath he had released as he stood had been so harsh it blew Lydia's dark bangs and loose strands of hair completely out of her face, and she resisted the urge to wipe her features clean of any possible traces of saliva that might have sprayed with the action.

"Was there anything else?" She spoke in a clipped voice. She'd about had enough of this conversation.

For a long while, he didn't say anything. Didn't give any indication that he had even heard her.

Did nothing except eyeing her with that unnerving stare, hungry and disdainful all at once.

Then he drew a heavy, deep sigh, seemingly all the way from the bottom of his gut and once again, Lydia expected him to… do something. Lurch forward once again, perhaps.

Only he didn't.

"This war… It will kill every ape here… you too, if you stay… The forest cannot protect you." Red informed her, his heavy brow lowered, and his mouth set in a deep frown.

"I'll deal with it when that time comes. That's what happens when you make a choice, Red. You deal with the consequences – whatever they might be." Lydia answered pointedly.

They both knew that she was hinting at the choices _he_ had made as well. It was no secret that the apes who had followed Koba were now treated with suspicion and mistrust by the rest of the colony and it was clear many of them were not exactly thriving in that sort of environment – being ostracised.

It couldn't be helped, though. What they had done to the colony and what it had brought upon everyone now – it had been unnecessary, unjustified and unforgivable, and now, they were left to deal with the consequences of their actions. Of their betrayal.

The thing was though, it was clear many of them, like Red, still held on to these ideals and thought they had done nothing wrong.

They were still willing to turn their backs on Caesar's ten years of good leadership.

They would betray again, given the chance – of that, Lydia was certain.

Red let his piercing eyes rove over her form a final time, sending tiny pinpricks of unease up and down Lydia's spine. Then he huffed harshly at her words and finally turned away, stalking back towards the bushes from which he had first appeared.

Before he disappeared among the branches and leaves, he turned his head slightly back towards Lydia and spoke, his voice low, dark and foreboding.

"You will see. That I am right… You have chosen the losing side… and your consequence. Will be death."

And with that, Red was gone, slipping through the bushes as quietly as a prowling predator, leaving Lydia with a still-racing heart and clammy palms. She released a stuttering breath she hadn't known she was even holding but didn't dare close her eyes to try and focus on calming her breathing and heartbeat. Just because she couldn't _see_ Red anymore didn't mean he wasn't still here somewhere, watching her. Observing her. Wanting to know just how much he had affected her.

She would not give in to him, even if it turned out he _had_ actually left.

 _What exactly was this all about_? She wondered as she got up, not feeling much like staying in the eerily quiet glade anymore.

It was about to get dark anyway…

* * *

"Gone? Where?" Caesar's voice sounded gruffly, a deep crease appearing between his brow and a suspicious frown on his lips. Lydia stood at the side lines, beside Maurice, as the Ape King interrogated the chimp in front of him.

Stone, Koba's former follower and close friend, bowed his head submissively before signing.

" _They left in the night. I don't know where to._ " The grey chimpanzee replied. " _Grey wanted to leave. Said Caesar is leading apes to their deaths. That he will lose against the humans and their guns._ "

Caesar's nostrils flared, and his eyes gained a hard edge as he looked down his nose at Stone. It was yesterday that Red had approached Lydia in the glade where she usually trained the human trio and today, nobody had been able to find him… or the majority of the apes who had followed Koba for that matter.

Only a small handful were still to be found in the colony, and one of them was Stone – Grey's constant companion. Lydia was surprised he hadn't left together with the others, honestly – he and Grey had always seemed damn near inseparable.

She still hadn't told Caesar – or anyone else – that Red had approached her yesterday. She had been too shaken by the encounter and honestly, she had thought it was a matter between her and the gorilla. A private albeit very uncomfortable conversation and nothing more.

Now, she was thinking that perhaps it had been a mistake not to tell anyone.

"Why?" Caesar inquired, a stern expression etched onto his face.

Stone kept his posture small and unthreatening as he explained it.

" _They felt unwelcome. Unwanted. Mistrusted._ "

"Because you all _are_." Lydia interjected, a frown marring her features as she fixed Stone with a hard stare. "You guys following Koba is the sole reason we're all in this mess now – did they expect everyone to pretend as if nothing happened? Forgive and forget? As if nobody has died at their hands?"

Stone avoided Lydia's hard stare, seemingly uncomfortable with the woman's accusations. Unlike Red, though, he didn't deny them.

" _They think we did nothing wrong. That we were right to do it._ "

"And you don't think so?" She challenged further, arms crossed tightly over her chest.

At that, he looked up at her, eyes tired, but sincere-looking nonetheless.

" _No. I want to stay with apes. I will not run away like them._ " Then, his gaze turned back to Caesar, chest puffed out but still keeping himself submissive and smaller in the face of the large chimpanzee. " _I know what I have done. I will not hide from it._ "

Stone then bowed his head and reached his hand forward, palm facing upwards. The supplicating gesture was one Lydia knew well, having seen it plenty of times throughout her life with the apes. Koba had used it too, so how much did it even mean anymore?

The Ape King stared long and hard at the grey chimp, studying his features – Lydia imagined that he was trying to decide if the sincerity he found there was genuine or just a ploy to regain his favour.

Personally, she still had her doubts. While it _did_ have an impact on Lydia that Stone hadn't followed Grey, his oldest and closest friend, in leaving behind the colony and Caesar's rule, she couldn't let go of the fact that he had gone against the Ape King in the first place.

Then again, maybe she was just biased… After all, Stone had lost everything after Caesar regained power over the Ape Colony, mainly his position on the Ape Council, not to mention the trust of the everyone here. The only thing he had left would be his friendship with Grey, and even then, he had turned his back on that in favour of staying with his people – apes who had ostracised him for what he had done.

Perhaps he wanted to redeem himself? Truly?

In the end, though, it was never Lydia's decision to begin with.

Caesar seemed inclined to believe Stone, sighing deeply after what felt like several minutes of intense scrutiny. He then pursed his rough lips and nodded in acceptance at Stone's words, swiping his fingers across the other chimp's palm.

And very much _unlike_ his former leader, Stone did not draw away the moment Caesar's hand met his own.

After a few minutes of further interrogation, Stone was dismissed by the Ape King, who then turned to Maurice, Lydia and Rocket with a tired expression on his face.

"Caesar, not that I am questioning your judgement or anything, but you do realise that he might just be feeding you a lie while Red and the others are in the nearby forest, waiting for us to put our guard down because we think they're gone?" Lydia spoke in a worried tone, arms still tightly crossed over her chest.

The way Red had snuck up on her the day before had, seemingly, made an impression on her, making her expect he might do something similar on a larger scale. It would be easy to make such an ambush if the entire colony thought them to be gone for good – out of sight, out of mind, as they say.

Beside her, Rocket nodded his head in agreement, his chin protruding into a serious pout.

" _I agree with Lydia. We should not give them the opportunity to attack. They might not be gone after all. Stone could simply be a spy. A way to distract us._ " The balding ape signed, casting a lingering, suspicious glance towards the towering forest around them.

There was no shortage of hiding places out there.

Caesar nodded seriously and looked to Maurice for his opinion, noting that the orangutan had kept quiet so far. The soothing rumble that left him was accompanied by a slow nod of agreement.

" _I think Stone is telling the truth. However, it will not hurt to be cautious. We have been lied to before._ " The aging ape signed with heavy movements.

It was nice for Lydia to know that others had the same thoughts as her – she had wondered more than once since Koba's betrayal, as the days went by and still no one had made a move to cause unrest within the colony, if it had perhaps been all in her head. Perhaps she had just been conditioned to expect such things since her days in the human colony back in Minneapolis, and her paranoia now was but a remnant of that?

 _What would they gain from it anyway?_ Lydia had asked herself more than once. If Grey, Red, or someone else decided to make a move to dethrone Caesar once more, all they would get was a tribe in the middle of a bloody war with humans and besides, it was highly unlikely that the colony would take kindly to such a scheme.

Still, it didn't hurt to be cautious, as Maurice had put it.

Caesar nodded with a deep, thoughtful frown on his face.

"Maurice, you must. Stay here today… Help Lydia keep. An eye on everything… Rocket will go into the forest. With Blue Eyes and I." The Ape King spoke. "If anything happens. Send Orion to the northern post. We will be there today."

Lydia and Maurice both nodded in agreement before the orangutan went off to teach the children for the day. Better to spread some knowledge around now that he wouldn't be out in the field, advising Caesar. The human woman suspected that the elderly ape was secretly glad to get a short reprieve from the fight with the humans, getting to spend time with the precious ape children instead. She knew for a fact the little rascals missed his classes.

 _Children who miss going to school. Who'd have thought?_ Lydia pondered to herself, a small, amused smile on her face as the old orangutan trailed off to find his pupils.

Just then, Rocket hooted at Caesar, who nodded and began following the balding ape as they made their way out of the colony's inner sanctum and towards the outer ridges of the forest.

A sudden impulse gripped Lydia as she saw the Ape King's retreating form. She still hadn't told him about her encounter with Red yesterday and somehow, she felt he needed to know.

She didn't know what good the information would do, as it had been a very… personal conversation, touching upon subjects she'd rather keep to herself – but something inside her told Lydia that Caesar ought to know anyway.

That it would be important to him to know this.

"Caesar!" Lydia called after the Ape King, her voice uncertain.

It was probably that which had made him stop dead in his tracks and turn around to face her as soon as his name had left her lips. Uncertainty was not something he was used to hear from Lydia, and his brow immediately knitted together in concern as his eyes met hers.

"Yes?" He spoke gravelly. A few feet in front of him, Rocket had also stopped to stare back at her questioningly.

"Can we… erhm… Can we talk? There's something I'd like to discuss with you." She managed to say, looking at him pointedly to indicate that she'd like to keep this private.

He was smart enough to get the hint, thank goodness, and signed for Rocket to go ahead without him. He'd catch up to his second-in-command once he was done here.

Caesar then inclined his head for Lydia to follow him, and they went to a secluded area at the very edge of the forest, a bit away from the main road into the colony itself. Once there, he turned to face her, still with that look of concern across his rugged face.

"Is something wrong?" He immediately asked, his voice deep and gruff.

"I don't know… I mean…" Lydia struggled to find her words, not exactly knowing how she should broach the subject. It's not like it was an urgent matter – at least she didn't think it was – but it had bothered her since yesterday and, more importantly, she felt it would somehow be going behind Caesar's back if she didn't inform him about it.

It was a ridiculous thought, really, and she argued with herself that he probably had better things to do than listen to a recount of her uncomfortable conversation with the very invasive gorilla. What use was it to him anyway now that Red was gone with the rest of Koba's followers?

Lydia sighed, gathering her thoughts. Her mind wouldn't rest until she had told him and besides, she knew Caesar would gladly listen to her, if only for the sake of making her feel better about the whole thing. That was the kind of ape he was, after all.

"I spoke with Red yesterday." Lydia said in a resigned manner, deciding to just say it like it was.

Caesar's brow curled in confusion.

"With Red? About what?" He spoke inquisitively, though Lydia could sense an underlying urgency in his voice.

"He… I was sitting in the glade where I usually train Malcolm and the others. You know? The one a few hundred yards south-east of here?"

The Ape King nodded, indicating for her to continue.

"Then he came out from the bushes all of a sudden. Began asking all sorts of… questions. Like why I was still here with the apes and not with the humans down in the city. Said I could be on the 'winning side' instead of here."

Caesar's breathing was heavier as he reverted his gaze to the ground, gold-speckled eyes turning harder as Lydia continued to speak.

"It came to a point where he got… very close… I thought he was going to attack me the entire time, but… then he just up and left, saying that me staying here would be my death…"

The sharp inhale Caesar did at those words had Lydia almost recoil, though she knew the anger he was clearly suppressing was not directed at her.

"And you were alone. With him? No one else around?" The Ape King inquired, his voice dark and borderline menacing. "No one to protect you?"

Under normal circumstances, Lydia would have huffed and rolled her eyes in exasperation, telling Caesar that she could handle herself and that she wasn't a child in need of a guardian.

But this had been different. His concern was well-placed, and she knew she wasn't fooling anyone. Red had frightened her, no matter how reluctant she was to admit it, and she hadn't even had Blaze and Storm with her, for crying out loud! She had basically been a sitting duck and had Red intended to harm her, he would have done so without much effort.

"Yeah… He caught me alone…" Lydia answered in a small voice, fighting to hold back a shiver at the thought.

She knew Caesar noticed it anyway.

"Did he do something. To you?" The Ape King asked, a hint of anger simmering right below the surface as he spoke. Lydia didn't even want to think about what he was hinting at.

She shook her head in reply.

"No. No, we only talked. It turned into quite an argument… I actually ended up yelling at him… Right into his face…"

Caesar seemed briefly taken aback by this revelation, the anger almost completely disappearing from his face as he eyed the human woman in front of him with an impressed look. Then, concern once again took over his features.

"Why?" He asked. "What else did he say. To make you so angry?"

Now, _this_ was the part Lydia would rather Caesar had not asked about. She didn't want to lie to him, but she also didn't want to reveal how very… intrusive and insulting Red had been. How he had managed to get under her skin and how he had reached for her like… like _that_. Like he had wanted something… intimate from her. The memory still sent a chill through her.

Also, she didn't want to tell how he had so easily managed to guess at her attraction towards Caesar. She imagined he had meant it as an insult towards Lydia rather than actually believing it to be true, but it had startled her all the same.

There was only one truth in all of this that she _could_ tell, really – so she did.

"He… insulted Roy. Very much so… I-I couldn't stand for it, Caesar, I just couldn't!" Lydia's voice cracked towards the end of her sentence, and once it was uttered, she gritted her teeth harshly in an effort not to let her emotions get the best of her.

To her surprise, Caesar reached forward and wrapped her in a gentle, comforting embrace, hushing her quietly as he wrapped his long arms around her.

Lydia released a soft, quivering sigh into the Ape King's shoulder and felt how her tense muscles began to loosen up as he held her. She hadn't expected the embrace at all, especially not here, out in the open like this – but it was welcomed by her nonetheless.

"I-I'm sorry, Caesar. I know you don't have time to deal with stuff like this. I just… I just had to tell you. It kept bothering me…" Lydia spoke into his fur once she was sure her voice was steady again.

Caesar leaned back from the embrace, though he kept his hands firmly planted on her shoulders as he fixed her with a soft, but no less reprimanding stare.

"I am glad you told me…But what you did… Yelling at Red like that… Being alone. With no one to help… It was very dangerous, Lydia."

"I know…" She replied, hating the implications behind his words.

Lydia was a very self-sufficient and independent woman – at least that's how she wanted it to be, anyway – and she absolutely _hated_ the thought of having to depend on others to feel safe. This was her home, dammit! It shouldn't have to be like that!

Still, she knew Caesar was right – She was a human, frail and vulnerable compared to the apes, and she had been made very aware of that yesterday.

"Promise me. That you will keep someone near." Caesar implored, the large, calloused hands on her shoulders shaking her ever so slightly as he spoke. "Those apes… They might be gone… But I still want you safe… The forest is still dangerous… More than ever."

She nodded, releasing a heavy sigh as she did so. She didn't feel like arguing with him about this – it would be a losing battle on her part anyway.

"Alright, Caesar. I promise."

He seemed satisfied with that, nodding at her words before he let go of her shoulders.

"Thank you…" The Ape King said, sounding quite relieved that she hadn't argued with him on the topic.

Honestly, she might be stubborn, and she might be reckless at times, but after the scare she had yesterday, even Lydia could see reason behind his words.

"Is there… anything more?" He asked then, his intense eyes searching Lydia's.

Of course there was more but she would not divulge into that now. _Couldn't_ do that now.

"No… No, not really" Lydia spoke as sincerely as she could, flashing the ape in front of her a weak smile.

She knew he didn't buy it. It was clear by the way he raised his brow at her, but he seemed to decide against prying. Perhaps he thought she'd had enough for one day? Maybe he just didn't have the time?

Whatever the reason, she was glad he didn't question her further, even if the look in his eyes told her that he would do so at another time. She could probably come up with a plausible excuse until then.

"Right… I will go, then… Remember, if anything happens. Send Orion to the northern outpost."

"Will do." Lydia replied with a single nod, watching as Caesar turned to head towards the forest, on his way to catch up with Rocket.

"Oh, and Caesar?" Lydia called, making the Ape King turn around to face her for the second time that drearily grey morning, an inquisitive look in his green-and-gold eyes. "Thank you for listening…"

He cracked a small smile back at her at that, soft and genuine like she hadn't seen on him in… well, it seemed like forever by now, really. She returned it with a soft tilt of her head, which only seemed to make him huff out a short laugh before he turned towards the forest again and disappeared between the huge redwood trees.

And with that, Lydia began walking back towards her home, hands buried deep in the pockets of her deerskin pants as she pondered on what to do today. Hunting was out of the question – it was way too late to begin a hunt now – perhaps she could do some training with Malcolm and the others? It'd be a nice distraction, after all and she would be able to keep her promise to Caesar about not going around alone that way.

She sighed at that.

 _I seem to be doing a lot of promising lately…_ , Lydia thought as she passed underneath the arch that marked the entrance to the colony's inner sanctum, the waterfall roaring as she approached the main cave.

 _I hope I can keep them all…_


	38. Plucking Up Courage

**_Orion_**

"Why don't you just tell her?" Alex asked, an inquisitive look in his eyes as he regarded Orion. "It's getting really obvious, you know?"

The young ape in question whipped his head around so fast it might as well have snapped right off his neck, a mixture of surprise and anxiety on his face.

"W-what?!" He stammered.

"Ivy. You've been staring at her for the last five minutes." Alex elaborated, looking up from his sketchbook. He had been drawing Maurice as he taught the ape children a few yards away while they were waiting for Ellie and Malcolm to return from a foraging expedition, and Orion had been talking with the teenaged human all the while. Or… at least he had tried to…

It was just that Ivy was sitting all by herself at the other end of the main cave, completely engrossed in the task of weaving yet another of her intricately patterned baskets.

Orion shook his head and avoided Alex' stare by focusing on the drawing in the human teen's hands. It was a good drawing, honestly. It captured Maurice's posture and expression perfectly, and everything was well proportioned. Alex had even written down the apes' laws on his depiction of the cave wall Maurice used to teach the young apes letters and numbers.

The teen closed his sketchbook when he noticed that his friend was avoiding the question, and Orion almost groaned when Alex nudged him to draw his attention back to the human's face.

He really didn't feel like discussing this… again.

"It's not like she's going to bite your head off, you know? Ivy seems cool." Alex spoke with an easy shrug of his shoulders.

Orion knew he was right about that… It was just that…

"It is not that simple. Alex…" Orion spoke as he absent-mindedly scratched his arm in discomfort. "I do not know. How I should approach. An ape female about this… Mother could never. Teach me that."

"Is there _really_ that much of a difference?" Alex questioned as he packed away his sketchbook and drawing utensils. "I mean, your dad got together with Lydia, didn't he? I suppose he had even less experience with human women than you have with ape females, huh?"

Well… That _was_ true…

Orion sighed in defeat. Alex was right – Father had managed to get with Mother despite not knowing a single thing about how to approach a human woman. Granted, Orion was quite convinced Mother wasn't like most human women, but that didn't change the fact that Father had still managed to land a mate from an entirely different species.

And here Orion was, fretting because he didn't have a clue how to approach one of his own kind.

"I suppose. You are right, Alex." Orion spoke in a defeated manner, discreetly eyeing Ivy once more as he spoke his next words. "It is just difficult. You know? I never felt like this. With anyone."

He was glad that it was only him and Alex speaking together right now. He didn't like the thought of Blue Eyes being out there fighting somewhere in the forest, but right now, perhaps it was a good thing the Ape Prince was not here. He would have teased Orion relentlessly for not plucking up the courage to do something about Ivy – he had done so before, after all, and though Orion knew it was only meant as friendly banter, he really didn't appreciate it all that much.

It was different with Alex, however. While he did have it in him to be playful and teasing, the human adolescent seemed to have a better understanding of Orion's predicament and was much better at offering advice.

Alex laid a comforting hand on Orion's furred shoulder, an encouraging look on his face.

"I don't know, man. I haven't really liked any of the girls back at the colony in the city, so I don't exactly know what you're going through, but… I'd say just be yourself, go up to her and start telling her. Worst that can happen is she doesn't feel the same. That's hard too, I know, but at least then you'll have your answer, right?"

Orion nodded, though he could already feel how his heartrate was going up by the mere thought of just casually walking over to her and speak the words.

Just then, Malcolm's voice was heard calling for his son from the entrance of the main cave, and both Orion and Alex' heads turned in the direction of the adult human male's voice. It would seem like he and Ellie were back from their foraging expedition.

"Coming, Dad!" Alex called back at his father. It was time for them to go train with the bows until Mother came back from her hunt to instruct them – they could do that much on their own nowadays.

Orion looked on as his human friend got up from his cross-legged position on the cave floor and picked up his satchel.

Before he left the young ape male, however, Alex turned around and, very obviously, cast his eyes across the room at Ivy before his gaze returned to Orion with an encouraging smile on his face.

"Just do it, Orion. Trust me."

And with that, Alex turned and made his way out of the main cave of the colony, leaving Orion to ponder on what he had said.

There had been truth to Alex's words, no matter how much Orion wanted to deny it. The thought of finally coming clean and telling Ivy about his feelings was a mind-numbingly scary prospect, but when he really thought about it, it would be a temporary discomfort no matter what her answer would be. The worst he could get was a rejection and with that, a possible awkwardness tainting their friendship from then on. But when Orion truly looked through his heart for answers, it quickly became clear that he was way more frightened of the possibility that she actually returned his feelings, but would end up with another male because Orion never had the guts to tell her how he felt.

He honestly couldn't bear the thought.

In the end, it was that which finally motivated him to get off his rump and slowly walk over to the beautiful female ape. His steps were heavy and calculated, and his lips felt dry, but he'd be damned if he gave up even before he had begun! Neither of his parents would have approved of such an attitude – it was not how they had brought him up.

When he had finally reached her, Ivy immediately lifted her gaze from the exquisite piece of craftmanship between her hands and smiled brightly up at him.

Goodness, she was pretty…

"Can… Can I sit. With you?" He asked, fighting the lump that was already forming in his throat.

" _Of course, Orion!_ " She signed excitedly in reply, her emerald eyes bright as she patted the ground beside her. " _Sit, sit! Is it okay if I still work on this?_ " Ivy gestured to the half-woven basket in front of her, the primitively dyed reeds creating an intricate pattern as a result of her deft hands twisting them together seamlessly.

He nodded and quickly moved to sit down by her side, though he didn't immediately say anything.

It wasn't as if that was uncommon, though. Orion often shared comfortable silences with both Ivy, Lake, Blue Eyes and Alex, not to mention most of the other young adult apes in the colony. Many only ever used sign language to communicate, so if they were gathered and one or more had to do a task which required the use of one's hands, silence often prevailed. It was still good to be in each other's company all the same.

Only this silence was not at all comfortable to Orion, who's palms felt clammy and who's heartrate had skyrocketed since he decided to go over to sit by Ivy.

Had Father felt like this when he had confessed to Mother all those years ago? Had he even done this sort of thing at all or had it just… happened? Like Mother had indicated?

Goodness knows he felt like a fish out of water right now.

 _But then again_ , Orion thought, _if an ape like Father could get together with a human like Mother, then this shouldn't be that much harder._

And with that thought in mind, Orion swallowed the lump that had appeared in his throat and turned his head towards the slighter female ape by his side. She was still contently weaving her basket, fingers working the material between them like it was the simplest thing in the world.

Admittedly, to Ivy, it probably was.

"Ivy… I-I have… S-something to tell." Orion stammered, sucking in his bottom lip once he finished his sentence.

He felt like an utter idiot already – it's not like he hadn't spoken with Ivy a hundred times before, for crying out loud! He knew pretty much everything about her by now. Her hobbies, her preferences of foods and flowers, her humour, her wishes for the future…

And throughout these talks, he hadn't stammered or stumbled even once, even after he had begun to feel that insistent tug at his heart and the fluttering of butterflies' wings in his stomach – so why was he suddenly so nervous?

Probably because he knew that what he was about to do would change everything.

Ivy only turned her head from the task in front of her, a slightly concerned look on her delicate features as she bestowed her undivided attention on him.

" _Yes?_ " She signed with a soft, confused pout.

Orion thought it was the sweetest look in the world.

"I am… I mean, I… ugh…" This wasn't working out very well at all and she was already looking at him like he had eaten some bad fish and was starting to turn green.

How in the world did Father, or _anyone_ for that matter, ever manage to do this?

Before Orion could utter another word, Ivy lifted her hand and placed the back of it gently on his cheek, immediately shutting him up completely and making his heart skip several beats.

" _Are you unwell, Orion?_ " Ivy signed at him once she had withdrawn her hand from his face.

She looked so genuinely concerned for him that Orion almost felt sorry for making her worry unnecessarily.

"I am fine… Truly." He cracked a small smile at her and waved his hand dismissively in the air – a habit he had picked up from his mother quite unknowingly.

Many of the apes in the colony often commented that he took a great deal after Lydia, referring to his mannerisms and the fact that he spoke out loud as much as he did. Those comments were more often than not followed by a subdued huff of laughter and the acknowledgement that such things seemingly transcended bonds of blood and species.

Honestly, speaking was something he had begun doing in earnest once he had met Alex, though Maurice had always said Orion had a great advantage when it came to speaking because of his mother.

Orion supposed that was true. Mother had always spoken while using sign, so he had been exposed to it from an early age. Even though Caesar could speak exceptionally well for an ape, he hadn't done it all that much up until the humans arrived and so, Blue Eyes had never done it either.

It made it all the more ironic that words should fail him _now_ , of all times.

" _Nobody is hurt either?_ " Ivy continued to inquire, now completely setting her unfinished basket aside to turn fully towards him.

The young male ape shook his head in the negative – she looked relieved by that, at least. He then took a calming breath and released it as a heavy sigh, making Ivy's brow crease further in concern, though she waited patiently for him now.

"I just wanted… I only wanted to say. That I think you are…" He trailed off at that as he lifted his hand to her face, his large fingers gently grabbing at the lone, silvery braid beside her ear. She only ever wore it at one side of her head, preferably the right side, and it always had a single, small feather of a hawk tied to the end of it.

He knew it was a rather strange thing to do, grabbing onto her hair like this, but he needed the brief distraction before he could finally lift his own eyes to meet her piercing gaze.

"I think you are. The most beautiful ape." He spoke sincerely, finding his voice at long last.

"You are spirited. You are stubborn. You are kind and fun. You are talented and beautiful and. Always a good friend." With each word of praise Ivy's emerald eyes widened a fraction and a look of surprise found its way to her face. It was almost as if she couldn't believe what he was saying.

Yet Orion knew every word to be true.

She didn't draw back from his touch, and Orion realised that his fingers were still curled softly around her thin, slivery braid. Once he became aware of that, he immediately let go, embarrassed. And when she still didn't say anything after several intense, agonizingly awkward seconds, Orion became painfully aware of all the insecurities he had nurtured every time he had thought of confessing to her.

"Sorry… I-I know. That it is. probably not... I mean. Coming from me. That is… I know. That I am not…" Orion couldn't finish a single sentence once again and grit his teeth in frustration at himself.

He knew he was not one of the oldest, most dominant males – at least not yet, anyway – and he knew that he came from a family that wasn't exactly as most apes are. He had no idea how to approach ape females in this way in the first place! She probably thought it was weird of him to come up to her and confess something like this.

What hope did he have anyway, of a female such as Ivy to like him in return?

He was so distracted by his own thoughts that he didn't notice Ivy's insistent hand movements as she attempted to regain his attention.

At least not until he heard something… unusual.

"Orion." Ivy said softly.

 _That_ had gotten his attention. She spoke his name. She actually said it out loud!

The young ape male's eyes widened as they shot up from the ground to study her face.

He had never heard a lovelier sound. Her voice was breathy and faint from disuse, but it was feminine all the same, and soft to his ears like a flower petal is to the skin.

And what was more, the look she was regarding him with was the tenderest he had ever received from her, and Orion found his heart contracting within his own chest as their eyes met.

" _You are the one ape I always hoped to hear this from._ " Ivy smiled as she signed, nothing but pure honesty in her emerald orbs. " _I was just surprised. Never thought anyone would say it. Many say I am… difficult. Too stubborn._ "

Orion cracked a soft smile at her and shook his head. He had said she was stubborn as well just moments ago, but unlike others, he had meant it as a compliment.

"I like that. About you." He spoke with a bright smile on his light face. "You do not. Let others decide for you… What is best and. What is not… And you tell what you think… I like that too… Your honesty."

She reached up with one hand to play with the braid at the side of her head in an almost shy manner. Ivy was clearly not used to be praised or complimented for that particular aspect of her personality. Orion knew some of the other males their age thought Ivy was pretty enough, but that she was too headstrong. Not as complaisant as many of the other females their age.

Orion thought that was utter nonsense. What was wrong with a female who could stand up for herself? Someone who stood by who she was and didn't let others dictate who and how she should be? He personally thought that was pretty attractive.

When he had spoken about this with Blue Eyes and Alex, the human teen had said that it sounded like Orion was looking for someone like his mother, to which the young ape had merely shrugged. What was wrong with wanting someone like Mother? She was as nice a female as any and Father had always loved her dearly for who she was.

Honestly, Orion would argue that his parents had had a better relationship than most because of it.

"Thank. You. Orion." Ivy said out loud, her voice as breathy and quiet as before.

He still adored the sound and swore right then and there that he would make an effort to make her speak more. Compliment her on it every chance he got if he had to. There was no way he was going to be forever content with just her signing after hearing that sweet voice of hers.

They sat in silence for a while, staring at the bustling colony just a short distance away from where they were seated. Maurice teaching the children. Adolescent females playing with those still too young for school yet. A couple of leftover males going about the business of reinforcing the colony's defences – Orion should probably help with that soon.

" _It would seem Lake was right, then._ " Ivy signed after a while, a pondering look on her face as she observed the females playing with the smallest ape children.

"L-Lake?" Orion stammered, eyes wide once again at Ivy's words. What did Lake have to do with this?

" _Yes. She said you had been looking. I didn't believe her._ "

"Sorry…"

" _Don't be._ " She signed back good-naturedly, though after that, she seemed to turn shy again as she elaborated. " _I don't mind it… As long as it is you. I always thought you were a good, kind ape... Handsome too…_ "

Orion smiled brightly at that and dared scooting closer to Ivy. She only smiled at him in return, accepting his advances.

The adolescent male thought his heart would burst out of his chest at that.

" _Speaking of Lake… Do you… Do you think Blue Eyes knows that she likes him? I mean, you are his best friend – surely you would know?_ " Ivy asked then, a questioning expression on her fine features.

Orion huffed exasperatedly at that and rolled his eyes to the skies. It was obvious to everyone that Lake was interested in the elder Ape Prince, sitting close to him at meals and going out of her way to spend time with him every chance she got – granted, she didn't get many of those chances recently, but it was still almost painful to look at. How Lake was doting her attention onto the blue-eyed ape and he was absolutely _oblivious_ to her feelings.

"Blue Eyes has no clue." He spoke, leaning back onto his long arms as he did so.

" _Do you think he could like Lake? Ever?_ " Ivy signed, studying his face.

Now _that_ was a different question altogether. Orion thought that Blue Eyes might be interested in Lake – the way his eyes had begun to search for her when she wasn't within his vicinity was proof enough of that, honestly. Orion imagined that Blue Eyes was either too proud, shy, busy or perhaps downright foolish enough to not do anything.

He was utterly hopeless, really.

Orion nodded nonetheless.

"I think he could. Yes… But I do not think. He would act on it…" The young ape male spoke thoughtfully, pursing his lips. "He is… very busy… and very unaware."

Ivy nodded at his words and rolled her eyes good-naturedly.

" _That is true…And I am happy you are not._ " She signed, scooting closer and leaning her head onto his shoulder.

Orion resisted the urge to tense up in surprise, doing his best to enjoy the moment instead as he felt her smaller frame lean against his flank.

He had done it! He had approached the female he liked and confessed how he felt – and she had accepted his advance! She was even reciprocating his feelings as well! This had started out so horribly awkward for him, but in the end, it had turned out to be the best thing he had ever done.

Orion honestly couldn't remember the last time he felt this content and accomplished.

Perhaps this was how Father felt when he and Mother officially became a couple? Orion couldn't know for sure, but he could imagine it.

After a short while of sitting together like that, Ivy shot Orion a sweet smile before she straightened up and returned to her unfinished basket, continuing from right where she left off.

She made it look easy, and as Orion looked on while she worked, an idea popped into his head. Something Mother had suggested. Something he had rejected at first…

Perhaps it wasn't such a terrible idea to learn something new…

"Ivy? Would you show me. How to weave?"

Ivy turned her head towards him again, seemingly startled by his sudden speech breaking the silence – or perhaps it was the request itself which had surprised her, he really couldn't tell. Nonetheless, she gave that mirthful smile of hers then, her eyes glinting with amusement.

" _Only if you teach me how to fish._ " She answered playfully, though Orion knew she meant it.

A chuckle left the young male ape's throat just then, and he nodded in acceptance at her request – or ultimatum, as it were.

He could teach her that, alright.

And as Ivy began explaining the fine craft of weaving baskets to him, Orion reminded himself that he would definitely have to thank Alex for talking him into doing this.


	39. Uncomfortable Honesty

_**Lydia**_

"Oomph!" Lydia's voice sounded as she slumped down with an undignified thud to sit by Tinker, Ellie and Brook, the latter being in the middle of feeding little Cornelius, holding the small ape child close to her chest as he suckled. Brook's own child, a female by the name of Petal, who was only slightly older than the youngest Ape Prince, was sleeping peacefully in the crook of her mother's other arm.

"Tough hunt, Lydia?" Ellie's voice sounded amusedly, though there was a streak of worry in both her voice and her features. There always seemed to be these days.

"Nah, the hunt was all good, actually. It's the weather I'm having a problem with. Damn near got swept away by a mudslide on the way back home." She replied, regarding her friend with a raised brow before she reached up to continue drying off her tresses with an old towel - something she had managed to bring back from Caesar's childhood home in San Francisco about a two and a half months ago.

Lydia had been drenched by the rain on her hunt, the skies having suddenly decided to open and release a torrent of water as she was looking for deer with Luca and the dogs. It hadn't really made hunting that much more difficult, and they had still returned with a decent catch or two all the same, but the trek home… goodness, that had been awful.

Treacherous mud and slippery slopes, all the while trying to carry a doe and two rabbits, while Luca had been hauling a huge buck along on his back. He had even had to grab Lydia harshly around her midsection at one point to prevent her from getting caught up in a minor mudslide and they'd had to go quite a long way around that particular slope to get past, making their trip that much longer as a result.

They had all been covered in mud and grime, soaking wet and stinky by the time they returned to the colony, but at least they had caught something.

Lydia had immediately gone to clean herself as soon as they got back and had now changed into a clean pair of homemade deerskin trousers and an old tank top – it had been navy blue once upon a time but was now so washed out that it would have been impossible to guess its original colour. It was truly a wonder it wasn't see-through by now, old and ratty as it was.

She wore a thin, grey hoodie over her tank top and a black spare pair of trainers on her feet. The shoelaces had long since been replaced by Lydia with leather chords, and the shoes themselves had been patched up in various places, but they were still comfortable all the same, really.

It wasn't like she used them when she was out hunting, anyway – for that task, Lydia much preferred her light boots, which, despite their age, still served her well, or her homemade boots fashioned from leather and old, scavenged shoe soles.

"But at least the colony won't go hungry tonight." Lydia sighed before ruffling her hair vigorously with the towel, doing her best to rid it of the last bit of moisture still clinging to her dark locks.

"I guess there's always that. Glad you didn't get hurt out there." Ellie spoke with a soft smile on her face, starting to pet Blaze once he came over to rest his head on her lap. The canine seemed to have taken as much to Ellie as he had Alex by now, though he still had yet to completely trust Malcolm. Lydia suspected her dog had had some bad experience with human men before she had found him, though she couldn't be sure – maybe it was just a quirk in him, after all.

Good thing, however, that Lydia had managed to dry off the dogs too before she came over to sit with the others in the corner of the main cave of the colony – otherwise Ellie's pants would be completely covered in dirt, as well as the stench of wet dog.

"All thanks to Luca, really. That gorilla has got a grip like a vice." Lydia answered, rubbing her ribcage absent-mindedly through the sheer fabric of her tank top. She was pretty sure he might have pressed a few of her ribs, but at least she wasn't buried beneath several feet of mud at the bottom of a hillside.

 _Gotta look at the bright side_ , Lydia thought as she finished drying off her hair, now pulling out her trusty hairbrush from within her backpack. It had been with her since she had packed up to go at it on her own all those years ago and, admittedly, it had probably seen better days, but at least it managed to get the job done.

Well, it did in Lydia's opinion.

"Argh…" She exclaimed at the first drag of the brush through her thick, dark hair, immediately hitting tangles caused by her harsh treatment of it with the towel before. She should have known this would happen – she still hadn't gotten used to dealing with it herself, even now.

Back when he had still been alive, Roy was the one to deal with her hair most of the time, at least when it came to brushing it and pulling out tangles and bird nests, while Lydia did the thick braid herself. On their journey to Caesar's colony, Roy had noticed her tendency to treat her hair… less than gently, so to speak, her impatience often getting the better of her as she tried to tend to her uncooperative tresses. It wasn't like she _couldn't_ actually do it… it just took longer and was more painful, really.

He had offered to help her one night back then, and he had been doing it ever since.

Goodness, it seemed like so long ago now.

And she still missed him terribly.

Beside Lydia, Tinker hooted worriedly, drawing the woman's attention.

" _Do you want me to do that? Lake would be very angry if you ruined it._ " Her ape friend signed, a teasing smile on her face as she reached out for Lydia to hand over the brush.

The human woman offered a crooked smirk before she nodded and turned so that Tinker would have better access to her hair. She was right, after all – Lake would be very cross with her if she managed to, say, rip out half of her hair, which she was liable to do if she continued like this.

And so, at a much gentler pace, starting from the very tips and slowly working her way up through the dark locks, Tinker set about disentangling Lydia's hair, one stroke at a time.

Tinker was one of the _very_ few who knew that Roy had been the one to help Lydia with this, having been told years ago when they'd had one of their 'girl talks' as Lydia referred to them.

The human woman suspected that this was the reason why, if Tinker happened to come across her while in the midst of this task, the female ape would always offer to help her with it. She hadn't ever done that before – it had always been Lake who was the most eager to get her hands into Lydia's hair, after all – but after Roy had died…

She never mentioned it, though. It was like a silent agreement between them and they both seemed to know the reason behind it. Lydia appreciated that in Tinker. She could be mischievous and downright aggravating at times with her teasing, but she also had it in her to be mindful and quietly supportive of those she knew needed it the most.

And that was exactly what Lydia needed right now – quiet support.

She had had her talk with Maurice about a month ago, and though it had been a harrowing conversation that had left her with a slight headache from all the crying afterwards, Lydia was actually happy that the elderly orangutan had taken the initiative to try and dig beneath her tough façade. It had even prompted her to be more open about it with Tinker as well and truthfully, Lydia felt like their friendship had been strengthened by it.

She regretted she hadn't done it sooner, really. Seeing as she didn't mean to hold it all back from everyone like that, perhaps with the exception of Orion, who she didn't want to burden with her own sorrow. Parents were supposed to shoulder their children's pain, not the other way around, in her opinion.

And honestly, keeping her emotions in check was something she had done instinctively since childhood. It was just how they dealt with it in her family, really. Especially after her mom, sister and brother had died.

"You talked with Caesar at all today?" Ellie suddenly inquired after a few moments of comfortable silence, the only sound to be heard being the muffled pounding of the thick raindrops hitting the earth outside, and Cornelius' quiet babbling-noises as he finished being fed.

It wouldn't be long now before he'd squirm out of Brook's arms and seek comfort from someone else. Someone he hadn't been forced upon, as Brook had put it. She knew it wasn't personal that the younger Ape Prince preferred others over his wet nurse – no doubt he connected being thrust into her arms with how he had been refused the comfort of his mother's.

 _Cornelia…_

"No, not today, I haven't. Why do you ask?" Lydia inquired with a signature tilt of her head, as always quite unaware that she was even doing it until Tinker tugged in a chastising manner at one of her locks. It prompted Lydia to straighten up her posture immediately, a brief smirk playing on her lips.

Ellie shrugged her shoulders.

"He was looking for you this morning before he left for the forest with the others." She informed her matter-of-factly, though Lydia could tell that there was something still on Ellie's mind.

So, she decided to probe.

"Did he say anything about what it was he needed me for?"

Ellie shook her head, sighing.

"Ellie?" Lydia tried again, more direct this time. "What is it you're not telling me?"

The woman in front of her seemed startled by the question, eyes widening slightly as she looked back at Lydia. Then, she seemed to almost deflate as she released a soft sigh, biting her bottom lip gently before replying.

"He just… It just seems… like he could use someone to talk to." She spoke concernedly, wringing her hands in her lap.

Ah, so she had noticed too.

Lydia nodded at that, her dark brows knitting softly together as she thought it over. Caesar had seemed particularly heavy of heart for the past month – and it was no wonder, really. He had lost his wife, for crying out loud. Such wounds took time to process.

Lydia knew this all too well, her own loss still a sharp sting in her heart.

"I'll have a chat with him when he gets back." She promised, a reassuring expression on her face as she looked over at Ellie, who merely nodded in reply.

Though Lydia had talked to him briefly, she had initially wanted to give him some space. Some time to come to terms with the loss and perhaps the chance to approach someone of his own volition instead of forcing the conversation on him.

Perhaps that was what this was about? She could only hope so. After all, most in the colony knew that Caesar was just as private, not to mention as stubborn, as Lydia herself was. It really wouldn't be much of a surprise to her if he was keeping his feelings in check for everyone else's sake, trying to stay strong not only for his sons, but for everyone in the colony.

He was their leader, and he had always taken that job _very_ seriously.

Maybe, in this instance, a little _too_ seriously.

Lydia decided in the back of her mind to also check up with Maurice on the subject. She had often found the old orangutan's counsel to be most helpful – even when she hadn't asked for it at all – or was reluctant to even receive it.

Just then, Cornelius decided that he'd had about enough of Brook's company, wiggling out of her grasp with urgent huffs and gibbering, drawing everyone's attention to him.

He immediately darted over to Lydia, jumping right into her lap before looking up at her with wide, inquisitive, green eyes. He already had the look of his father about him, in Lydia's opinion, his features less fine and delicate than both his mother and his older brother's.

 _I wonder if this is what Caesar looked like at this age_ , Lydia thought as a gentle smile found its way onto her face, meeting the little ape child's stare with a tender one of her own.

He was absolutely adorable.

Ellie and Brook both smiled at the scene, and Lydia could hear Tinker chuckle softly behind her. The sound was only amplified by how Cornelius crawled up to Lydia's shoulder, forcing her to support him with her arm as he began mimicking Tinker, carding his fingers through a thick lock of hair.

Apart from the odd, harsh tug now and then, he was every bit as gentle as the ape female he was copying.

" _He really does seem to like you, Lydia._ " Brook signed, nothing but a soft look of amusement on her face as she observed the Ape Prince's antics.

Lydia could do nothing but agree – Cornelius had seemed fond of her since she'd first held him, most times approaching Lydia before he'd even spare a glance at the ape females around him, even Tinker, who was one of his primary ape caretakers now.

She really had no idea why that was the case, but as she felt him nuzzle his little face into her tresses, hooting softly at her, Lydia made a silent vow to always protect this precious, little ape.

The child of her late, best friend and the last little light Cornelia had managed to bestow on this world before she had been so cruelly ripped from it.

He fell asleep in her arms a short while later, clutching the fabric of Lydia's tank top as she continued her conversation with the other females around her.

And still, the rain poured.

* * *

 ** _Caesar_**

Later that day, Caesar led the human woman down through the redwood forest with careful steps, mindful of the slippery ground beneath them.

He had approached Lydia the moment he had come back from the forest, where he had been occupied with organizing his apes for the entire day, strategically placing them throughout the forest, sending out scouts and setting up traps and bulwarks of pikes to make it harder for the soldiers to advance. They hadn't gotten _that_ far into the forest yet, and they were certainly nowhere near the colony, though they were steadily making progress and the number of skirmishes kept increasing as the weeks went by.

The first fatalities the apes had suffered as a result had happened a few days after Cornelia's funeral and by now, Caesar had lost about ten apes to the human soldiers – though he estimated they had lost about twice that number.

Each and every one of them, ape as well as human, weighed heavily on the King's heart. He had not wanted this war and yet he felt the responsibility lie with him all the same.

If only he had seen Koba for what he was. If only he had known what the bonobo's hatred would lead to…

He kept trying to tell himself that he couldn't change what had already been done. It was what Maurice had told him and Caesar knew he was right. Only, he couldn't help but ponder on what _could_ have been if he had opened his eyes to the truth _before_ it had been too late to turn back.

"Here…" The Ape King offered Lydia his hand to help her down from a particularly large boulder on their way. It wasn't far from the colony, the place he had in mind being at the very foot of the cliff the apes had made their home, though it was a bit further down the river.

She smiled warmly at him and laid her hand in his larger one, letting him support her as she made her way down the side of the boulder.

They would be able to discuss in private there – a necessity, the Ape King had concluded, since one of the things he needed to discuss with her was not known to the entirety of the colony yet – he had only spoken with Rocket, Maurice and Blue Eyes about it while out in the forest yesterday, and though Caesar knew his own mind was pretty much already set on the decision, he still wanted Lydia's opinion on it as well. She might not be on the Ape Council, but she was a dear friend and someone Caesar trusted with his life.

Besides, she did have an uncanny ability to complement Caesar's ideas with observations of her own, often pointing out flaws and coming up with solutions that the Ape King would never have thought of himself.

True, she was a passionate, hot-blooded woman and could be reckless at times, but Caesar knew in his heart that everything Lydia did, she did for the sake of those she loved – much like the Ape King himself, in fact.

Also… He felt it necessary to pry a bit more into exactly what had been said between her and Red a few days ago. Their little talk the day after he, Grey and the other apes following Koba had disappeared had been brief and, quite frankly, vague at best. He knew she had been angry at what Red had said about Caesar and his leadership, as well as what he had said about Roy – whatever that had been.

But he could sense there had been more to it. Something that had gotten under her skin. Something Lydia wasn't telling him, though it had seemed important.

He hadn't pried then, not wanting to push her too far and risk her closing up again – Lydia actually pulling him aside like that to talk about something that bothered her was a step in the right direction, and the Ape King didn't want to stump this progress. Didn't want her to withdraw and continue the vicious cycle of keeping her feelings bottled up inside in the name of self-sufficiency.

So, he had waited. Given her time.

They passed through the very edge of the forest near the riverbank before Caesar made a sharp turn to the right, rounding the edge of the mossy cliffside until they were almost at the water's edge at the stony shore.

She hadn't approached him again about the subject, so Caesar had decided that, since there were other matters he wished to discuss with her in private, he might as well also take up that topic – worst that could happen was that she would refuse to talk about it. At least then, the Ape King would be able to take comfort in knowing that he had _tried_.

Lydia, though visibly curious, said nothing as he led her towards the side of the rockface, pushing aside a few thick, overhanging roots from the trees on top of the cliff.

Taking her hand again, he pulled her up to stand on top of a large rock, revealing the entrance to a small space underneath the cliff.

"So, this is where you go to think these days, huh?" She commented as she stepped inside with him, taking in the scenery around them as they entered the unilluminated cavern.

It wasn't exactly a _cave_ , per se, but it offered shelter from the rain and was reasonably well-hidden for when Caesar needed his peace. When he needed to organize his thoughts after a long day, or when he could not find rest on those long, cold nights - the latter being the more frequent of the two as of late.

The roof above was but a large outcrop of the cliff which held the caves of the Ape Colony further up-stream, and most of the opening faced out towards the rushing river, leaving only the very edge as an actual entrance for Caesar and his human companion. Furthermore, the view across the river was partially obscured by the roots of trees on top of the cliff, providing privacy as well as an enclosed, intimate atmosphere that the Ape King appreciated.

It felt safe and secluded. Removed from the world and all the problems it held for him.

"It is… peaceful here." He offered as an explanation, his voice deep and gruff as he followed her gaze around the place.

Lydia nodded in understanding.

"Yeah… Not so much peace and privacy up in the colony. Even in the middle of the night." She spoke quietly, seemingly not wanting to disturb the tranquillity found in this small, isolated cavern.

Caesar appreciated her consideration.

"That is very true." He answered just as quietly, the sound more of a low rumble than anything else.

He then inclined his head towards the flattened plateau near the water's edge, indicating for them to take a seat there.

As she had done thus far, Lydia followed without question and sat gracefully down in a cross-legged position beside the Ape King once they had made their way to the spot he had chosen, the river's water lapping at the edge of the stone floor as it gushed past the cave.

None of them said anything for a while, simply enjoying this rare sense of peace in a time of strife and uncertainty. It was something Caesar knew Lydia would appreciate like few others could, which was another reason why he had decided to bring her here for the discussion he wished to have.

Lydia was the first to break the silence, speaking in a calm, pleasant voice.

"So… What did you want to talk about? Ellie said you had been looking for me."

Caesar nodded and folded his hands in his lap

"That is true… But you had already. Left by then." He replied with a soft shrug, showing her that he hadn't been irked by the fact. They were both very busy nowadays, after all. "But I wanted to talk about. A few things with you… Hear your opinion."

She nodded for him to go on, her signature head-tilt in place as she regarded him with curious, deep blue eyes. She had left her hair down since Tinker – and Cornelius, he was surprised to discover – had brushed it out previously today. Now, it fell gracefully around her face, down her back and over her shoulders, a dark frame around her pale features.

Coupled with her relaxed pose as she sat in front of him, it was the most at ease Caesar had seen his human friend in weeks and he silently reprimanded himself in the back of his mind for not taking her down here sooner – she, of all people, could use a quiet retreat from time to time – a break from the responsibilities weighing down on her, now that her hunting for the colony had become more important than ever.

Caesar cleared his throat before he spoke.

"First, I wanted to ask… Could you train the apes? To use bows. Like you do with. Malcolm and the others?"

Lydia looked surprised at first at the Ape King's question – or rather his request, as it were.

"The soldiers… Their guns can kill. From far away… We cannot match that. With spears alone…"

"So, you're asking me to help you gain access to a more… long-distance based weapon, correct?" Lydia asked, her brows knitting together in thought. She didn't seem to be rejecting the idea – merely to be curious as to how Caesar wished to employ her skills.

The large ape nodded at that.

"More silent too. And precise… It will not draw attention. As easily." He elaborated further.

It was not because he had a specific wish to kill – he merely wanted his people to have the proper means to defend themselves and their home. Besides, it would be a useful skill in the future as well, once this war was over, as the apes would have a new hunting-method at their disposal – something Caesar already wondered why he hadn't seen the opportunities in until now, really.

Lydia seemed to understand all the same.

"I suppose I _could_ teach those willing to learn… but where are we going to get the extra bows from? I got mine by scavenging while still alone on the road all those years ago…"

"We must make them." Was Caesar's simple answer.

They couldn't very well go down to the city and look for any bows and arrows that the human colony might have left behind and besides, even if they _did_ manage to find one or two, it still wouldn't be nearly enough to supply even half of Caesar's fighting force. Pathetically far from it, in fact. The only option left was to make them by hand – a task Caesar knew would take much precious time and effort – but what other choice did they have? They needed a wider variety of weapons, preferably something for distanced fighting, and Lydia was practically an expert in that field by now.

Not to use that to their advantage would be foolish.

"That sounds like a lot of trial and error… I mean, I don't know how to _make_ them, Caesar." Lydia commented, a tired look already appearing on her features at the mere thought.

The Ape King hated the thought of overworking his dear friend by pushing more and more tasks and responsibilities onto her like this, but he also knew she was no stranger to going by trial and error – she had told him so herself – and he also knew that she wouldn't refuse him in this. She wanted the colony safe as much as anyone else did.

"We will select a few. To make some and test them… With Koba's followers gone. Less time can be spent patrolling." Caesar reasoned.

At the mention of the apes who had followed the misguided bonobo, Lydia's demeanour seemed to change. She became slightly tenser, and her gaze redirected from Caesar's face and onto the stone floor beneath the two of them, almost as if she was… ashamed? Rueful? Contrite?

He honestly couldn't tell… maybe it was all three of these things at once, really.

And even though these changes were so minor that someone who did not know her might have completely missed them, Caesar could easily see it for what it was …. He had known her for a long time now.

"That sounds like a good plan. Fine, I'll train whoever needs to learn, and I'll also help testing out the bows being made, alright?" She seemed to become aware of her outward appearance and tried to school her features as she spoke, but it was too late.

Caesar had _seen_ , and now, he wanted to _know_. She wouldn't have reacted like this if it didn't still affect her.

"Yes." He nodded, discreetly studying Lydia as she forced her body to relax again.

The Ape King waited for a few minutes before asking the question he knew she would dread to hear. He hadn't questioned her further when she had pulled him aside the other day to tell him, partly because he had already been delayed by the discovery of Grey and the others having left, and partly because he had been able to see on her face that it had been a more… sensitive matter. Something she hadn't wished to discuss out in the open, if at all.

He just had to try now.

"Lydia…" He started out tentatively, watching for every miniscule muscle movement in her as he spoke his next words. "What did Red. Say that day? Precisely."

She sighed at his question, seemingly having expected it, and shook her head at him.

"Listen Caesar, can we not talk about that? He's gone and so is that conversation. Good riddance."

"It is still bothering you." Caesar persisted, his eyes continuously darting across her features, looking for any signs that he was right – of which he found _plenty_. "I only wish to help."

Lydia bit her lip at that, refusing to look the Ape King in the eyes and choosing instead to study her own fingers as they twisted uncomfortably in her lap.

In the end, though, after a long while of him just staring imploringly at her, it seemed that she decided to talk, and though the words that came from her then were spoken so softly that they might not have been uttered at all, hearing them was like getting a pail of ice-cold water splashed into his face.

"He asked me if I wanted you…" She said, almost as if the words were something not meant to be spoken. Something shameful.

Caesar himself almost did a double take at them.

"He… He _what_?" The Ape King asked, bewildered.

"Red asked me if I _wanted_ you… Like I did Roy…" Lydia's fists clenched in her lap as she said those words, so harshly that her knuckles turned white, and her voice took on a shaky, vulnerable quality Caesar rarely heard from her.

Honestly, the Ape King didn't know what exactly he had expected, but it certainly hadn't been _this_. No wonder Lydia had been reluctant to talk about it, especially with Caesar himself, of all people.

The sheer nerve of that gorilla…

And yet, even as he sat there, baffled and already indignant on Lydia's behalf, nothing could prepare him for her next words.

"He said it must be the reason for my loyalty to you… that I wanted to be your… your _pet._ " She said the word as if it was the most disgusting thing ever to have spilled from her lips, with vehemence in her voice and hurt in her beautiful, blue eyes.

Then she finally turned her gaze back to the Ape King, her mouth set in a grim frown.

"A pet like I was to Roy… _That's_ what he said, Caesar…" She looked at the Ape King like he had physically hurt her by making her repeat those words. "You see? You see now why I had to yell at him? Why this makes me uncomfortable? He had the gall to insult my dead mate! To demean our relationship to something like _that_ … And on top of that he made me feel afraid to be alone within the colony! In my _home!_ "

She wasn't yelling, but her tone was harsh, even if Caesar sensed that her distress wasn't exactly directed at him – though he knew that she hated having to tell him about it.

Caesar reached a large hand over and placed it carefully on top of her own, covering it with his palm as he sighed heavily, trying to make sense of the information she had just provided.

He could see why it upset her. What Red had said had been presumptuous, invasive and downright insulting. Had anyone spoken to Caesar like that about Cornelia, he would probably have done way worse than just yelling into their face… Especially such a short time after her death.

Then again, unlike Lydia, Caesar had the physical strength to retaliate with violence, letting out his rage and actually having a chance of emerging from the fight as the victor.

Lydia had probably had to worry about even surviving the encounter in the first place...

The Ape King squeezed her hand reassuringly.

"We both know it is not true. What he said." He spoke resolutely, his tone soft but with a confidence in his own words that left no room for argument. "What you and Roy had. Was equal to any mated couple. Among the apes… Red had no right. To question it."

It was true. After all these years of knowing them, it had been obvious to anyone who cared to look that Lydia and Roy had been deeply in love – or perhaps it was the fact that Caesar himself knew exactly what it was like that made him able to see it so clearly in them. Either way, he stood by his words.

Their love had been true and pure and could not, _should_ not be mistaken for anything else.

Lydia nodded, and Caesar figured she was too upset to say anything in return for now. So, he contented himself with just sitting beside her and do his best to be a comforting presence to her. For Lydia to be scared – and to admit that she had been scared – would be enough to tell Caesar how seriously Red's words had affected her, no matter how untrue.

At that thought, Caesar's mind returned to the first thing the human woman had said, and he found himself torn between letting his blood boil with anger on Lydia's behalf over the impertinence Red had displayed, and the need to satisfy his own curiosity regarding that very question the gorilla had asked…

He managed to keep the urge to inquire at bay for quite some time, though Caesar attributed it to the fact that he was actually nervous about asking rather than to the strength of his own restraint.

In the end, however, he simply had to. He _needed_ to know.

"Was he right about… you and me?" The Ape King ventured, finally daring to ask what he knew she had so far consciously avoided answering. "Do you… want me?"

For a brief moment she looked startled. Uncertain even, as she stared up into his green-and-golden eyes. The Ape King kept his face carefully neutral as he met her gaze, giving nothing away – he just wanted a straight answer.

After a while of them sitting like that, Lydia sighed ever so softly and reverted her gaze back down to the large hand covering her own, turning her limb so that she could run her thumb gently across the back of his large, calloused fingers.

It felt nice.

"You know I do…" She spoke so quietly he almost didn't hear her over the sound of the river gushing past them. "But… I can't right now… It- It's too soon."

Caesar nodded solemnly at the human woman in front of him, his lips pressed into a thin line as he too looked down at their joined hands. Her pale, hairless limb seemed so dainty and fragile as it laid there, encased within his large, dark one. And yet he knew she was anything but those things.

Lydia was a strong, independent and selfless female. One he could easily picture himself with. If he was honest with himself, he had done so on more than one occasion, no matter how many times he had tried to prevent his mind from straying into that direction. He had been with his wife and in no position to act on what he had then perceived as a persistent impulse triggered by base desire.

It was so much more than just that, he knew. It always had been.

And now, he was free to act on it.

Only…

"It is for me as well…" He spoke heavily, releasing a laboured exhale through his nostrils as he did so. Then he raised his gaze to stare intently into her eyes, doing his best to convey exactly how serious he was as he spoke his next words. "But I feel the same… Know this, Lydia… I want you as well."

She smiled then, a soft, knowing and barely-there smile that Caesar couldn't help but return once he saw it.

"Perhaps one day…" She trailed off, tightening her grip on his hand ever so slightly, as if sealing a promise.

He nodded once in firm confirmation before he turned to stare at the river once again.

Quiet fell over the two of them again after that – a comfortable, easy silence that Caesar could only find with few others.

He would look forward to that day, when the wound caused by Cornelia's passing was no longer as tender, tugging at his abused heart by the mere mention of her. When it no longer felt like an insult to her memory to let himself love again.

When he was ready to completely give himself to another once more, he would do so to the human woman sitting beside him now – of that, the Ape King was certain.

Suddenly, Lydia spoke up again, her voice taking on a thoughtful tone.

"You know… I'm not entirely sure what his intentions were but… remember how I told you about Red getting… close at one point? After I yelled at him for insulting Roy?"

Caesar turned his face ever so slightly towards Lydia to indicate he was still listening. He wasn't sure where she was going with this, but he had a feeling that it was something significant – and something he wouldn't like.

"Well… I basically told him the truth… about Roy and me, I mean, and after that he seemed almost… I don't know…" She struggled to find the right word, Caesar could tell by the way her brows knitted together and the slight frown that appeared on her lips.

He waited patiently for her to find it.

"It seemed like he was… eyeing an opportunity. Like he wanted… _something_." She finally chose to say. Then she turned her face fully towards the Ape King again. "He scented me too. I could tell that he did."

All the muscles in Caesar's body immediately tensed and he struggled very hard at that moment to not growl out loud at this particular piece of information. How dare he?! To approach a female like that, be she human or ape, and insult her so grossly, only to make such a bold advance only moments later when he learned the truth? And so soon after her mate's death to boot!

It wasn't only because Caesar thought it highly inappropriate that he got this riled up about it, however. What he had said earlier had been true – he _wanted_ this woman, and at the mention of another male approaching her like that stirred something primal and possessive inside the Ape King.

Red was lucky Caesar hadn't been there to witness it…

"Anyway, nothing else happened. He left rather quickly after that." She waved her hand, the one that wasn't currently being held by his own, in a dismissive manner – probably sensing his simmering anger and trying to calm him down again. Then she looked over that the Ape King from the corner of her eye, a careful smile on her lips. "I just thought I'd tell you everything… Since you wouldn't take no for an answer."

At that Caesar had to smile as well, despite the possessiveness still boiling in his gut. He knew he was as stubborn as they come and that it wasn't always a pleasant thing to be subjected to this particular trait of his. Though he knew that in this instance, it had been beneficial – he was just glad Lydia didn't seem as upset about it anymore.

It was good to talk about things like that. To get it off one's chest and he would gladly shoulder her troubles, no matter his own problems.

Deciding to leave the uncomfortable subject of Red in the past, Caesar moved on to one of the main reasons he had brought Lydia down here in the first place. The thing he had spoken with Rocket, Maurice and Blue Eyes about yesterday.

"There was something else too. That I wanted to discuss with you."

She nodded for him to go on, seemingly relieved to be done with the previous topic if the softening of her features was anything to go by.

The Ape King drew in a deep, calculated breath before he spoke.

"The apes… Cannot stay here. We need a new home. Away from this war… Somewhere they will not. Think to follow." His voice seemed to resonate against the cavern's walls.

Unexpectedly, Lydia nodded at his words, a thoughtful look on her face once again.

"I agree… The soldiers will find us eventually – we can't stay here forever."

Caesar's eyes widened at that. He had expected her to see reason in what he said, but only after arguing to stay. She loved this forest as much as the apes did, he knew that.

"I thought you would disagree. This forest… it is our home."

"My home is wherever the apes are… wherever Orion is." She answered truthfully, a quick, fond look crossing her features at the mention of her son – her pride and joy – and the last family she had left now.

And that was exactly the reason why he was feeling so apprehensive about this conversation.

And why he had wished to discuss it in private, as well.

"Yes… About Orion…" A look of uncertainty overtook Caesar's features then, the chimp being very much aware that what he said next might not sit well with Lydia. "Blue Eyes will be. The one to go. And he told me that. He will ask Orion. To join him on the journey. To find our new home. Together with him and Rocket."

A pregnant pause followed the Ape King's words as Lydia sat completely still, clearly processing what he had said, as well as the implications behind it.

Caesar knew he was asking a lot of her. Her hunting was already one of the colony's main sources of food right now, she was training Malcolm and his family to fend for themselves on the road and she had been charged with helping to protect the colony in Caesar's daily absence.

And now, he was also asking her to accept being separated from her son for goodness knows how long as he went on a perilous journey to secure the apes' future.

Honestly, he had expected Lydia to protest. To tear her hand from Caesar's grip and curse at him for the continued strain he put on her – heck, he might even have expected her to just get up and leave right then and there.

None of that happened, though.

She was still sitting beside him.

Still silently contemplating his words.

And still with her hand softly grasping his own.

Caesar studied the woman carefully, growing steadily more concerned as she neglected to react to his words. After a long while, he almost wished she had begun arguing – any reaction would be better than this eerie silence which kept him very much on edge.

Then, at last, a heavy sigh left her, and she seemed to deflate as she spoke.

"I suppose he can't be my little boy forever…"

For what seemed like the umpteenth time that evening, Caesar was taken aback by Lydia's words, and his mouth fell slightly agape as he regarded her.

"You accept this? Just like that?" He asked her in a tone that conveyed his surprise.

She rolled her eyes at him, almost as if to tell him he was being silly for asking.

"He's almost a grown ape by now, Caesar. I can't very well keep making decisions on his behalf, now can I?" Lydia spoke as she raised a slender eyebrow at the Ape King. Then she seemed to grow more sombre again, lowering her gaze to the ground once more.

"He needs to get out and try things on his own, eventually – I'm just glad that Blue Eyes and Rocket will be with him… Although… It _is_ going to be very quiet without him here…"

Caesar nodded solemnly at that – he knew it was going to be a lonely time for her, and there would be no way of telling when or even if they would be back. It didn't sit well with him to let his own son venture out on such a dangerous journey any more than it did Lydia, especially not so soon after Cornelia's passing.

But he had reached the same conclusion as Lydia, in the end. Blue Eyes was nearly a fully-fledged adult ape now, and either way, it would at least keep him away from the increasingly more violent skirmishes with the soldiers this way.

"I know I ask. Much of you… I apologise for this." The Ape King spoke sincerely, doing his best to convey just how sorry he truly was for making life even harder for her – he remembered all too well how she described her loneliness back when she had just left her human colony and he was loath to subject her to something like that now – even if he knew she had the whole colony to rely on this time, he was very much aware that it wouldn't be the same thing as having her son with her.

Lydia only shrugged at his words.

"I assume it's because you trust me, Caesar." She spoke easily, a tender look in her deep, blue eyes as she regarded him. "And as long as that's the case, I really don't mind."

 _How could I do anything but trust this woman?_ The Ape King thought as he looked at her in much the same manner she did him, tenderness all too clear in his green-and-gold speckled orbs.

Not much else was said after that – didn't _need_ to be said after that. He had heard all he needed to hear and told all that he needed to tell and now, all that was left was the comfortable, easy silence which usually prevailed on those nights when they had sat together in the past.

It was the most relaxed Caesar had felt in months.

He still hadn't let go of her hand.


	40. Confessions and Decisions

_**Lake**_

Lake had just dismissed the rambunctious ape children she had been taking care of all day, teaching them letters and numbers before letting them play their made-up games under her watchful eyes. They couldn't run as freely around as they had done in the old ape village, back when the threat of the forest's predators had been the apes' only concern, and where the surrounding walls had created a natural barrier between them and the wilderness that surrounded them.

Now the colony's border was less clear, with the network of caves here creating a dizzying labyrinth that made it easy for any child to get lost – be it intentional or not.

So, Lake kept vigilant watch over the little ones while their mothers and fathers were out performing their duties to the colony, fighting and foraging to keep the apes alive and well-fed. She much enjoyed spending time with the little rascals, unruly as they could be, though she did wish she could spend more time learning the art of healing from Sparrow, as she had done in the past.

Or spend more time with Blue Eyes, as she had wanted to for so long now.

Lake let out a tired sigh as the last of the little ones found his mother, waving happily back at Lake before he went with his parent – probably to receive an afternoon-grooming.

Ivy had told her that the Ape Prince had no clue of Lake's feelings towards him – Orion had told her so after they had begun becoming an item about a week or so ago. The development between the two younger apes came as no surprise to Lake, who had noticed Orion's lingering stares as well as Ivy's subtle mentions of the young male whenever the two females spoke together. She had told the slighter female that Orion was obviously attracted to her, but Ivy had refused to believe such claims.

Lake suspected it had something to do with other apes telling her that she was too stubborn for her own good – Lake had been confident at least one male would find this trait endearing and had continuously told her younger friend not to try and change for the sake of others. It would only make her miserable in the long run.

In the end, Lake had been right, and she couldn't help feeling just a tiny bit smug about it either. Of course, Orion would be the one who'd come to appreciate Ivy for who she was – given his… heritage, he was probably the most open-minded and accepting young male in all the colony.

Exactly what Ivy needed. It was a perfect match, really.

Now, if only Lake could achieve something similar with Blue Eyes.

After what Orion had told Ivy, Lake had realised the chances that the Ape Prince would make the first move were slim at best. He was busier than ever, he was as clueless as he had always been and adding to all of that, he was leaving for goodness knows how long in just a few weeks!

The young female ape huffed dejectedly at that – no matter how much she disliked the idea of Blue Eyes going out on such a dangerous quest, even she had to admit that it was probably their only hope of regaining peace. The injuries some of the males came home with from time to time now were unlike anything Lake or even Sparrow had had to treat in the past, and the young female could only imagine how horrible it would get once these wounds became a commonplace occurrence.

The apes needed to leave, and who better for Caesar to send than his son and heir?

That didn't mean Lake had to like it, though.

She went to sit down near the roaring waterfall at the edge of the main cave, trying her best to let the sound of the rushing water drown out the concerned thoughts bouncing around in her head. It didn't work too well, in all honesty.

She wrung her hands nervously in her lap as she stared out at the darkening sky through the cave entrance, waiting anxiously for Blue Eyes to return from his duties out in the forest.

Lake had made up her mind to finally come clean to him about her feelings, his fast-approaching departure and Ivy's continued nagging finally having pushed her to do so. She would pull him aside as soon as he came back – at least that was her plan – and she would make him finally see her feelings for what they were. The prospect had her heart flutter in anticipation and her stomach churn with anxiety, but Lake knew she couldn't delay any longer. If he didn't return from his journey with Rocket…

No, she wouldn't think like that. Blue Eyes _would_ return – she had to believe in that. He was _Caesar's_ son, for crying out loud! There was no way he was not coming back.

Cornelius' excited gibbering as he struggled out of Brook's arms a bit off from where Lake sat alerted the young female to the arrival of the elder Ape Prince and his brooding father. Her heart completely melted at the sight of Blue Eyes picking up his baby brother and pressing his forehead to the little ape's before he handed him over to their father for him to do the same.

He would make a good father someday, of that Lake had little doubt.

A faint blush coloured her cheeks as that thought crossed her mind, and she quickly raised herself from the cave floor to approach the young, blue-eyed chimp. The inside of her gut felt like it was being tickled with a thousand little feathers and her heart pounded against her ribs as she made her way over to him, catching his sky-coloured eyes when she was close enough for the sound of her feminine hoots to be heard over the thundering waterfall just beside him.

He smiled softly at her as she came over, and Lake's heart did a somersault inside her chest as his gaze brightened at seeing her.

" _Hello, Lake!_ " He signed casually, like he always did to everyone. Then, he got a mischievous glint in his pale eyes. " _Come to welcome me back like Cornelius?_ "

She rolled her eyes at his joke, huffing out a pant-laugh as he spread his arms out towards her like he had done to the ape child as he had sprung into his grasp.

If only he knew how much she actually wanted to do that, silly as the sentiment might have been. She would never jump into his arms like an over-excited child, and certainly not in a brotherly fashion – but she _did_ want to feel those strong arms of his around her all the same.

Maybe, after she had confessed, that would actually happen?

 _Right_ , she thought, _get back to the task at hand, Lake_.

" _Very funny,_ _Blue Eyes… Listen, can we talk?_ " She signed gracefully, doing her very best to convey that she wanted their conversation to be a private one, jerking her head towards the exit of the cave and casting her eyes in that direction in a very pointed manner.

" _Of course. Is something wrong?_ " He signed back, not moving an inch from where he stood – how could the son of Caesar be _this_ dense?

Lake didn't answer, choosing instead to grab him gently by the wrist and pull him along. She noticed Ivy out of the corner of her eye, winking knowingly at her before they had made their way out of the main cave of the colony. It made Lake's ears feel hot as she pulled the poor prince along, the young ape male in question grunting confusedly at his friend's odd behaviour.

A few of the returning males shot odd looks at them as Lake dragged Blue Eyes along, searching for a more private setting to have this conversation – courtship was a tricky thing, even among apes, and Lake was certain Blue Eyes wouldn't appreciate any witnesses when it was _him_ being courted by a female – the teasing would never cease for either of them if that were the case.

But if he was too preoccupied and clueless to make a move, then Lake had no other choice at this point – it would only be a couple of weeks until he would leave with Rocket.

He huffed in annoyance the further away she dragged him but didn't move to pull his arm out of her grasp. She took that as a good sign.

Lake had pulled Blue Eyes down to the river by the time she decided to stop and finally explain herself and she halted her steps abruptly to turn around and face the frowning Ape Prince.

" _Lake, what is this about? Why are we here?_ " He signed in a perplexed manner, a hint of irritation on his face.

Lake understood that this might be inconvenient for him. He had been out in the forest, seeing to his duties since before the sun had properly risen and the morning dew had still coated the green forest with heavy droplets of moist. Now it was nearly twilight and he probably wanted nothing more than to be back in the warm caves, wolfing down a well-deserved meal together with his father and brother before settling down in his nest for a good night's sleep.

Thinking about it now, Lake actually felt sorry for dragging him all the way out here to talk.

It couldn't be helped though – if she didn't do this now, she might not be able to gather her courage again before he left.

It was now or never.

" _Blue Eyes…_ " She signed his name hesitantly, shuffling her feet and disturbing the surface of the stony riverbank. How to word this? How to explain it so her intentions were clear?

Something about the way she stood there in front of him must have triggered the Ape Prince's concern, because he reached forward after a short while of silence, a soft line between his brow ridges and a gentle frown on his face. His hand was large and comforting on her arm, and quite unexpectedly, it provided Lake with that little extra courage she needed to finally just get on with it.

" _I have feelings for you, Blue Eyes._ " She signed at last, staring straight into his sky-blue orbs with all the intensity she could muster.

His nose wrinkled and his eyes were clouded with uncertainty at her words – almost as if he didn't quite understand.

Which he didn't, as it turned out.

" _I have feelings for you too, Lake. You are a good friend. For a long time, now._ "

Goodness help her!

" _No, no… You do not understand…_ " She sighed before biting her bottom lip with her blunt teeth and lowering her gaze to the rocky ground beneath their feet.

" _I mean_ _ **strong**_ _feelings, Blue Eyes… Like… Like Tinker has for Rocket, or Lydia had for Roy… Like your mother had for your father._ "

That seemed to do the trick as Blue Eyes' expression instantly changed once she finished signing, though Lake desperately hoped she hadn't overstepped some invisible line with the mention of his mother – she knew it was still a tender subject for him, even when talking with dear friends.

A brief look of sorrow overtook his features, which almost had Lake's heart fill with dread and make her sign a jagged apology with her shaky, delicate hands.

Then, as quickly as it had appeared, it melted away from his features as Blue Eyes processed her words and the meaning behind them, and his eyes widened in surprise as his posture straightened once more.

" _You… Lake, you mean as a…?_ " He seemed truly startled at what he was beginning to piece together – not that there was much of a puzzle to it, really, but at least he wasn't outright rejecting her now that he was beginning to understand her meaning…

Well, not yet, that is…

Even if Ivy had told her about what Orion had said – how he believed Blue Eyes could return her feelings if only he was made aware of them, Lake still had her doubts. She saw less and less of him these days, and though she knew he was busy helping his father and making sure the colony was safe, she couldn't help but feel that he was slipping away from her.

She nodded all the same, reaching up to close her arms around herself in a protective, shy manner.

" _As more than a friend… As a… mate._ " He finished his signed words, still a look of bafflement present on his smooth face.

They both stood completely still for a while, the sound of the rushing river nearby the only thing truly confirming to both of them that time hadn't in fact completely stopped.

" _This is… sudden._ " He finally responded, his features softening as he saw her lips press into a thin line. Lake expected this to be the beginning of a gentle rejection and did her best to hold back her tears, already thinking to herself that she should never have done this in the first place.

Until Blue Eyes' hand came up to rest against the side of her face, tenderly urging her to look up at him once more.

He wore a smile across his features which tightened the scar on his right cheek, and his eyes were brighter than Lake had ever seen them before.

He hadn't looked this happy in months.

" _But not unwelcome… I… I return those feelings, Lake…_ " His fingers went up to wipe a stray tear from her cheek, guilt suddenly present in his gaze. " _I am sorry. I didn't want to make you cry._ "

Lake's heart was so flooded with emotions that she couldn't reply at first, merely staring at the Ape Prince in teary-eyed surprise and relief as he wiped her tears away.

Then she shook her head at him, a soft smile finally finding its way to her lips.

" _I thought you saw me as only a friend. I thought you were not interested in anyone at all._ " She told him, finally dropping her arms from their protective position around herself to sign again.

He huffed a soft laugh as a sheepish look appeared on his face.

" _I have not had much time to think of that… But you are always there. Always being a good friend and always calming me._ " He replied sincerely, scratching his chest absent-mindedly. " _I know that I have not… shown it much, and I am sorry for that. I should have… But I_ _ **have**_ _noticed you, Lake… How you are always kind and helpful. How you smile at me… You have a beautiful smile._ "

He seemed embarrassed as he said this, shifting his weight from one foot to the other ever so often and retracting his hand from her now dry face.

Lake could feel how her heart soared at his confession. He _had_ noticed! And he returned her feelings!

The young female chimp was so happy she thought her chest would burst and just like that, she could not bring herself to regret having approached the Ape Prince as she had only moments ago.

When he didn't say anything further, just stood there awkwardly and with a growing blush dusting his pale cheeks, Lake decided to take another chance and reach forward to gently grasp his hand with her own, smaller one. It was a tentative, experimental move meant to break him out of his shy reverie – and it worked flawlessly.

His gaze lifted once again as he stared at her in surprise before looking down at their connected hands, a soft smile spreading across his face as he returned the hold with a firm squeeze of his own.

Lake felt a sweet tingle within her chest and not even the waning light on the sky above them could darken the brightness of the smile she flashed at the Ape Prince.

She honestly didn't think she could get any happier.

That is, until a sudden surge of confidence and affection seemed to wash over Blue Eyes' features and the young male leaned forward, softly placing his forehead against Lake's own.

She drew in a sharp breath, pleasantly surprised at the intimate, and quite significant gesture. It was something only reserved for family members and dear, dear friends, and while Lake knew she and Blue Eyes had been the latter for almost their entire lives, he had never done this with her before.

It made her giddy with excitement and her heart swell with immeasurable love for the Ape Prince

"Thank. You. Lake…" Came his raspy voice, and Lake almost, _almost_ did a double take at the sound – it was extremely rare that he spoke, and she had only ever heard it a couple of times when they had practised it in Maurice's classes as older children.

The fact that he bothered to do it now, in this moment and with such obvious affection colouring his words only made it all the clearer to Lake that he really meant what he had said. All of it.

They both closed their eyes and took a short while to just enjoy the moment. The peace, the relief, the sense of belonging…

She could have stayed like that with him forever – it was more than she had ever dared hope for when she had first dragged him down here so unceremoniously. But they both needed to get back to the colony before the pitch-black night would take them by surprise and have them stumbling their way back through the forest. There were no torches out here to lead them back, after all.

Blue Eyes was the one to draw back, albeit reluctantly, but still with that wonderfully broad and sincere smile on his face as he signed to her.

" _We should get home._ "

And so they did – hand in hand through the darkening forest, ever so often casting a shy glance towards each other as they made their way back to the colony.

* * *

 ** _Orion_**

Later that evening, as everyone was preparing for sleep in their warm nest, surrounded by their loved ones, Orion sat alone in the main cave, watching as Caesar, Blue Eyes and little Cornelius prepared for sleep a little way off. He knew he should probably get going and find his own part of the cave, where Mother would most likely be preparing their nest by now. But he was so deeply engrossed in his own thoughts that even though he _saw_ how everyone dispersed to their own little hovels, his mind did not truly register it.

Not until a familiar, gentle voice brought him back to the present.

"You coming to bed too, Sweetheart?" Mother asked him with a tender smile on her face, her brows arched upwards in an inquisitive manner.

She was standing a few feet to his right, her arms wrapped tightly around herself as she was clad only in the thin, faded-blue top she sometimes wore and one of her pairs of deerskin pants. She didn't even have her boots on her feet!

Just looking at her like that made Orion feel cold himself, and he immediately nodded as he got up and went over to lay a long arm around his mother's slighter form.

He didn't notice Caesar's lingering stare at the two of them, or Cornelius' excited gibbering as he spotted Mother's retreating form – but he could _feel_ Blue Eyes looking at the back of his head. Feel how those sky-blue orbs drilled worriedly, _hopefully_ through his skull.

Orion was only all too aware of why that was.

The Ape Prince had asked the younger male to come with him on the journey to find a new, safe home for the apes a few days ago, just after the evening meal, when Alex and his parents had gone to bed and it had only been the two of them sitting in a corner, talking.

At first Orion hadn't known what to say or even what expression to make as the Ape Prince signed his words, telling Orion how he wanted him to come along and guard his way as his right-hand warrior. A brother-in-arms as they made their way through the land, so to speak.

The younger male had been thoroughly surprised at his friend's request, his eyes wide and mouth gaping at his childhood friend once the words had been uttered – or signed, as it were. Blue Eyes had taken it in stride, waiting patiently, albeit amusedly for an answer as Orion had gone over it in his head.

"Sweetie…? Orion? Hey! Where are you off to, Son?" Mother's voice sounded, thoroughly baffled as she stood with her head tilted by the entrance to their own little part of the cave, the entrance covered by two large deerskins for added privacy.

Seems like he had been so lost in his own thoughts that he hadn't realised that they were already there, walking on even after she had stopped… Dammit, she was probably worried now…

"Oh! Yes, sorry, Mother…" He was quick to say, hurrying back towards her as she pulled the deerskin away to reveal their little hovel, the dogs already sleeping soundly beside the nest Mother had prepared.

They both entered and sat down in the nest, Mother in a graceful manner, while Orion simply plumped down amongst the furs with a soft sigh. The moment his eyes strayed back to his mother, however, he shivered, seeing that she had still not covered herself to get warm.

"Here, Mother. Take this." He spoke gently as he reached over and grabbed one of the thicker skins they had, wrapping it around her shoulders firmly before he reached for another one and laid it over her legs, which were now in a cross-legged position as she sat. That ought to keep her feet warm,

"Thanks, Sweetie… Tell me, where's your head at this evening, huh? You seem… distracted." Mother spoke curiously, her nose scrunching up at the last word – it would seem she lacked something better to describe it with. Then, she got a mischievous gleam in her eyes and she smiled teasingly at the young ape male.

"It isn't Ivy that's got you so far off again now, is it? No trouble in paradise, I hope?"

Despite his current state of mind, Orion panted out a short laugh at his mother's words, a fond smile briefly gracing his features. The news of the two young apes finally getting together had been the latest, juicy gossiping-topic throughout the colony this past week and of course, Mother was thrilled – especially when she had found out that he had taken her up on the advice on learning how to weave from Ivy. That had made her quite smug, in fact.

Orion shook his head and the smile soon disappeared from his features as he returned to the topic at hand.

"No… No, all is fine with Ivy." The adolescent ape spoke, looking down and twiddling his thumbs in his lap as he thought about what to say. It had weighed heavily on his mind ever since the Ape Prince had made the request and Orion had told him that he would have to think a bit on it. That he had to discuss it with his mother first… Which he still hadn't done.

In the end, though, he knew he would have to. Blue Eyes' lingering stares were like a buzzing fly around one's ears – distracting and persistent – and besides, what better time to tell Mother than now, when she had inquired anyway?

So, he told her, in the simplest way he could.

"It is about Blue Eyes… He asked me. To come with him. On his journey with Rocket."

Orion thought Mother would be shocked by this – he certainly had been.

However, she only pursed her lips gently and nodded, almost as if it was inevitable that Blue Eyes would do this, and pulled the furs tighter around her shoulders as she answered.

"About time he did. They're supposed to leave in two weeks from now, after all."

Orion's eyes widened at that.

"You _knew_?" He couldn't help the slight indignation in his voice. How was it she already knew?

She was quick to answer, a soft look on her face as she regarded the young ape.

"Well, of course I did. Caesar and I talked about it the day they came up with the idea. He thought Blue Eyes might ask you. I honestly expected him to do it on the same day."

 _Ah, that makes sense_ , Orion thought, feeling sheepish at his initial reaction. The Ape King had always valued Mother's council highly, always asking her discreetly for advice if he thought her expertise might benefit the colony – even if she wasn't on the Ape Council herself.

It should come as no surprise to Orion that they would also have discussed this matter – though the young ape was still slightly disgruntled by the fact that Mother had not mentioned that Blue Eyes might approach him about it.

Then again, perhaps it was because she didn't want to meddle? That would be very much like her indeed.

The worry that Orion nurtured still hadn't been quelled by this knowledge, however, and he gently chewed on the inside of his cheek before speaking again.

"… And? What do you think?" He asked slowly, studying Mother's features very carefully for any signs of sadness, anger or regret.

He found only puzzlement.

"What do _I_ think? Sweetie, it's hardly a matter of what _I_ think. If you want to go, then go. If you don't, then don't. It's rather simple." Mother shrugged, lifting a slender brow at Orion in what almost seemed like amusement. He honestly couldn't see what could be funny about this.

"But what of _you_ , Mother?" He asked in a frustrated manner, brows knitted together in apprehension.

"What do you mean 'what of me'?" Mother tilted her head in that particular way of hers, her loose hair falling down from her fur-clad shoulder. "I have to stay here and help Caesar and the colony."

The young male ape shook his head at her. She didn't understand.

"What I mean is… Will you not be… Lonely?" Orion ventured carefully, eyeing her with gentle, green eyes. "No one to be near. To talk to or to hold."

He knew his mother to be a strong woman with a sharp mind and an even sharper tongue, plus the physical capability to take care of herself – but he wasn't worried about that.

No… Orion worried for her mental well-being. How she would cope with his absence, being all alone at night with no one there to soothe her and keep her warm.

He remembered their talk right after Father's funeral all too vividly.

She had described how lonely and miserable she had been when she was alone on the road, in those five long months before she had found him and Father at that awful place where his birthmother had been killed.

Alone with her thoughts. Crying every night before sleep, and every morning before getting up…

He didn't want her to feel like that ever again. Nobody he loved would _ever_ feel like that if he could help it.

Mother sighed deeply.

"And how different would it be once you're old enough to make your own home with Ivy? Or do you expect to bring me into the nest too? Because I might as well tell you now, I'm not really up for that."

Well, she _did_ have a point there. Once Orion would be old enough to take a mate, preferably Ivy, he would no longer be sharing a nest with his mother, but with his mate. From then on, Mother would be all alone in a nest of her own, just as she would be if Orion decided to go with Blue Eyes in two weeks' time – it was only a matter of _when_ , really.

The little attempt at a joke wasn't lost on Orion, however, and he breathed a mixture between a sigh and a low, huffing laugh at Mother's words.

He didn't get to answer before she began talking again, a more serious, though still fond tone in her voice.

"In all honesty, Sweetie, I appreciate your consideration, I really do… But you're almost a grown-up by now and I don't want to limit you in such a way."

The adolescent chimp shook his head yet again.

"I just want you. To be okay, Mother." Orion spoke as he laid a hand over her own, a torn look on his face. "Had Father still been here. I would not hesitate… But he is not… And he told me. To take care of you."

He had taken that very seriously ever since his father had spoken those words to him and knew that he could not keep his promise if he was miles away from her. What if something happened? What if Mother would get sad again, as she had been back when she was all alone? What if she stopped eating? What if she overworked herself and got sick, with no one to stop her from doing so?

It was such worries that had kept Orion from giving a definitive answer to Blue Eyes' request, even though he had been honoured that his friend wanted him to come along and guard his way.

He wanted to go. He wanted to be with his friend and see the world with him and Rocket. Go on this adventure and experience what was out there – the prospect had been tantalizing and yet, he couldn't make himself promise anything to his childhood friend.

His mother came first. Always.

Though it would seem Mother was having none of that.

"And I'm telling you now that you don't have to, Sweetie. It's not just you and me here. I've got Caesar, Maurice, Tinker, Brook and everyone else here to rely on. It's not all on you, Orion."

The young ape male's lips stretched into a thin line on his face as he stared down at his Mother's slender, pale hands, so perfectly encased within his own – shielded by the cold of the cave as Orion himself wished to shield her from loneliness.

She snuck one such hand out of his gentle hold and placed it on his cheek, forcing him to raise his head and look into her deep, blue gaze. The eyes he had found refuge and reassurance in ever since he was old enough to remember feeling scared or uncertain of anything. They stared into his own, verdant orbs now, as tenderly as when he had been a toddler, and her calm, gentle voice sounded.

"Orion, there will be times in life when you will have to make your own way. Find your own path and travel down that, wherever it may take you, and I won't always be able follow you, no matter how much I wish I could." She quirked a soft smile which Orion knew was meant to lighten the mood.

"But I will always be waiting for you when our paths connect again, Sweetheart, however long it may take. I _promise_ you that…"

Orion nodded, eyes glossy with unshed tears at his mother's promise. She brushed his cheek with her thumb.

"I'm needed here now, and it seems like Blue Eyes thinks he will need you on this journey of his… Now, tell me, do you _truly_ want to go with him?"

Orion searched his heart, as he had done so many times since the Ape Prince had asked him to come along on this mission of his. It had been a wasted effort every time Orion had done it, but now, when he had heard his mother's words… Her promise…

Orion nodded his head.

"Yes. I want to go. With Blue Eyes and Rocket."

Mother smiled proudly at him, a warm, soft look spreading across her face, enhanced by the light from the torches fixed to the cave wall.

"Well, then that's what you have to do, Son."

She pulled his head towards her own then, letting their foreheads touch in the familiar gesture the apes used with those who were closest to them, and they both sighed softly as they closed their eyes.

Orion's heart was calm now, his mind set and his eyes dry of the tears he hadn't gotten the time to shed before Mother had managed to soothe him. He knew what to do now, and he knew that though his mother might not be there to guide him, he didn't have to worry. She would be alright with everyone here taking care of her in his place.

And she would be there when their paths met again – she had promised so herself.

And it was this promise that Orion held close to his heart as he fell asleep that night, his hand closed around Mother's as always.


	41. The Precious Goodbye

**Author's note:** The song featured in this chapter is "Love, me" by Collin Raye (C) - if you don't know it, I highly recommend checking it out.

* * *

 _ **Rocket**_

The meal that night had been bordering on extravagant, at least by the Ape Colony's standards now that they were in the middle of a war and their hunters were busy with more pressing matters.

The females had picked the finest roots, mushrooms and berries they could possibly find, the youngsters had gathered enough fish from the river for every single ape (and human) to get a piece if they so desired, and the hunters had done their best to bring home as much meat as they could in the form of deer, birds and rabbits. All around were lavish decorations of leaves and flowers of varying colours and origin, as well as painted pelts and feathers decorating the walls and cave floors, and many wore elaborate patterns of war paint upon their fur and skin alike.

All of this was, of course, to celebrate Blue Eyes, Orion and Rocket, honouring their courage and letting them have one last meal together with the entirety of the colony before they would set out on their quest to find the apes a new home the following day.

Honestly, Rocket felt it was all a tad too much for his taste – not that he didn't enjoy a festive meal, mind you, but the balding ape would have preferred it to be less…grand.

But the feast also served as a goodbye-party for the human trio who had stayed with the Ape Colony for the last three months, Malcolm, Ellie and Alex, who were all sitting around the Ape King's fire – an honour that did not go unnoticed by any of the three humans. Malcolm and Ellie had both thanked Caesar profusely for having them for so long, giving them a chance and letting them near that which he treasured the most – his family and friends. His apes. His home.

Caesar just listened throughout their many words of thanks, and when they had finished, his only reply was a single, one syllable word, uttered in his usual, gravelly voice – though with a hint of amusement, Rocket noted.

"Trust."

The balding ape had nodded at that, agreeing with his old friend and king. These humans had deserved their trust as well as their teachings.

Well, now that he thought about it, it was mostly _Lydia's_ teachings, but seeing as she was part of the colony, the Caesar's second-in-command figured that it still counted either way.

Speaking of the dark-haired human woman, she was also sitting at the Ape King's fire, with her son at her right and Tinker on her left, and therefore two seats away from Rocket himself. She was laughing and conversing with everyone around the fire, Tinker and Ellie in particular, and looked to be enjoying herself as much as everyone else this evening.

It was a good thing to see. Her behaviour just a month or so prior to this, following Roy's untimely death had most of those close to her seriously worried. She had thrown herself headfirst into her duties to the colony, working harder than ever in what Rocket had perceived as a desperate attempt to put Roy's absence in the back of her mind.

The balding ape could easily understand why. Roy had been a good ape and a dear friend to Rocket. He had been a proper, honourable male with a kind heart and an honest nature, and his death had been wholly unnecessary.

Also, Ash's death had affected him in a very similar way to how Roy's death had Lydia. The difference was, however, that he and Tinker had each other to help shoulder this burden, while Lydia had been busy trying to be strong for Orion and neglecting her own need to talk things through in the process.

That is, until her adoptive son had had enough of this and called upon Maurice, who had, in his gentle but firm fashion, forced Lydia to finally deal with her sorrow in a healthy way and realise that she could share it with others.

It had seemed to be a turning point for her – so much so that Tinker had spoken to Rocket about how she felt like she had finally gotten her friend back again – which both females had needed after the death of Cornelia.

She looked alright this evening, though. Better than Rocket had expected her to, honestly, what with the prospect of her only still-living family leaving her all alone for goodness knows how long in less than a day's time. It was a prospect he knew didn't sit well with Tinker, and Caesar himself wasn't too keen on sending his eldest son out on this potentially dangerous quest either.

Perhaps it would dawn on her after they left? Maybe after a week or so, or even a month, when the reality of Orion's absence would set in?

In any event, Rocket knew Tinker would stick close to Lydia in this time, the two of them having grown closer than ever since Cornelia's death – which is why the balding ape actually didn't worry all that much for the two of them. As long as Caesar managed to keep this conflict away from the apes' home until Rocket returned with the two adolescents and the promise of a safe place to go, he figured his wife and human friend would be just fine.

No, it was mostly the Ape King Rocket worried about.

Caesar was working himself extremely hard, his responsibilities and the obstacles he faced nowadays almost seeming to overwhelm him at times. Cornelia's death had hit hard as well and this conflict with the soldiers had left the Ape King preciously little time to deal with it emotionally.

And now, he was sending his son out into unknown territory, putting a responsibility on the young prince's shoulders that Rocket knew Caesar would rather have avoided.

But he was the heir and would have to take over the King's mantle eventually. Besides, it was most likely safer for him to be away from the battles in the forest in any event.

And Rocket would protect the young apes with his life. They were the future of the Ape Colony.

 _And Ash would have been too, if it hadn't been for Koba…_

Rocket shook his head discreetly to rid himself of the thought. It would do him no good to think about it now. He was supposed to enjoy himself this evening – the journey that lie ahead would be long and trying – better to treasure this moment while it lasted, being together with friends and family and eating a meal prepared with much care.

And so, he did, joining in with everyone else when a particularly entertaining story made the gathering erupt into laughter, and tearing into his piece of deer liver with much enthusiasm. It was a fine meal Caesar had had the colony put together and Rocket honestly couldn't remember ever having been as full as he was when it was over.

The quiet murmur of huffing, hooting and playful gibbering followed as everyone around the fires began to converse and Rocket looked appreciatively out across the large gathering of apes from his elevated position at Caesar's fire. It would probably be a long time before he would see such a thing again.

"Oh, by the way, guys, I dug up something you might find useful." Lydia suddenly spoke up amidst the quiet, catching Rocket's attention, as well as everyone else's, who turned to the human woman with eyes full of curiosity.

"Dug up?" Malcolm piped with a sceptical look on his face.

Lydia rolled her eyes as she searched through a pocket in her thin, grey hoodie.

"Not _literally_ , Malcolm… geez…" She countered as she pulled out a worn, folded piece of paper. "Although I did have to go very thoroughly through my backpack to find it. It had made its way into a compartment on the inside I'd honestly forgotten existed."

Rocket noticed how both Maurice and Caesar eyed the parchment with eyes that told the balding ape that the two had a pretty good idea of what the human woman wanted to show them, a tentatively hopeful look appearing on the Ape King's face.

It soon became clear to Rocket as well, as Lydia began to unfold the parchment, its surface full of creases and mouldy patches, but still quite discernible once the entirety of it was revealed.

It was a map.

Maurice, who sat between Caesar and Malcolm, rumbled deeply from within his throat at the sight and leaned forward to get a better look past the dying cookfire in front of him. It was little more than embers now, the torches all around the group providing plenty of light for everyone to see what the human woman had uncovered from within the confines of her worn backpack.

"I know it's not much, but at least it'll give you an idea of where things are – or used to be, as it were – and where you might still have a chance of finding some people." Lydia spoke, sounding slightly apologetic as she pointed out a few larger cities on the map.

Seeing the name San Francisco on the map and knowing that to be the city they had fled from, Rocket hooted to get Lydia's attention.

" _Where did you come from? All those years back?_ " He asked curiously in sign.

She had mentioned it once upon a time but had been quite brief about it. He only knew that it had taken her over a year to get to their colony but beyond that, Rocket really didn't have a clear concept of how long the journey had been for her – and he doubted most of the other apes did either.

Lydia tilted her head in that strange manner she always did, a soft smile appearing on her face as Orion leaned in beside her to scan the map as she spoke – seemed like he was just as curious, which told Rocket that she really hadn't been talking about it much, even with her own son.

"Minneapolis. That's the city where the human colony I lived at was. It's all the way up here, in the state of Minnesota. Before that I lived higher up in the state though, not too far from Lake Superior."

The names meant nothing to Rocket, honestly, but when she pointed it out on the map and he saw _exactly_ how far it was, his mouth made an o-shape of surprise and his green eyes darted across the worn parchment in astonishment.

He could see how small the city of San Francisco was on the map, as well as how large the bay separating it from the forest where they lived was in comparison. He knew the distance between the forest and the city well enough, and finally seeing it compared to Lydia's trip made him finally realise how very, very far she and her ape companions had had to trek to get here. No wonder it had taken them so long!

" _You walked all the way from there to here?_ " Blue Eyes signed from beside Rocket, his sky-coloured orbs wide as they, too, traced the spots Lydia had pointed out. Seems like the young ape had gained a new level of respect for her after having learned this.

"Yep. On my own two, trusty legs." She spoke easily, slapping her own thigh appreciatively and making Malcolm release a subdued laugh.

"I am glad we will have horses…" Orion spoke in a small voice beside his mother, looking bewilderedly at the map.

Lydia smirked teasingly at the young adolescent.

"Going to catch a ride again like you did the first time? You always sat on top of my backpack or on your father's shoulders when we were on our way here. Sometimes you'd even sit on Blaze. Poor mutt nearly had all the fur on his back pulled out because of you."

Rocket couldn't help but laugh at the image as it appeared in his mind, and seemingly, neither could anyone else as Orion's face turned sheepish and he looked apologetically at the male canine resting behind him and his human mother.

"Why did you let me. Sit on him, then?" The young ape asked perplexedly once the laughter had died down again.

It was a legitimate question, in truth. Lydia was very good to her dogs and Rocket couldn't possibly imagine her letting an ape child abuse them by pulling out their fur to the point that they had almost gone as bald as he was by now.

"Well, he didn't buck you off or anything. Besides, you learned pretty quickly what his whining meant when you pulled too hard." Came Lydia's easy reply, accompanied by a soft shrug of her shoulders.

Then, Caesar spoke up, changing the subject as his eyes shifted between the city Lydia had come from and their current location on the map.

"What route did you take?"

There were multiple roads with various numbers and symbols drawn on the map – larger roads, Rocket figured – but none stood out as an obvious route to take. Still, the balding ape had expected that Lydia and Roy had taken the most direct one.

"It's funny you should ask, Caesar. I've actually been trying to piece that together myself ever since I found this – I never did manage to write it down as we went. Got something I can write with, Alex?" She replied before turning to the human teen, who immediately began searching the satchel he always brought along for a writing utensil Lydia could use.

"Here." The young human spoke as he handed her a pencil.

The woman thanked him before returning her attention to the map, beginning to draw a line from her old home and continuing in a west to south-western direction. Rocket noticed how the line she drew pointedly avoided most major cities and how it wasn't the straight path he had thought it would be. As she went on with her task, the line never strayed into the areas marked as Denver or Utah and stayed for a long time in the one called Idaho until it finally cut into the upper left corner of Nevada, just before it hit California – the area the city of San Francisco was located in.

Good thing Caesar had insisted that all apes, even the elders, learn their letters – otherwise Rocket wouldn't have been able to make any sense of this map.

As Lydia meticulously drew, she sometimes lifted the pencil from the map while staring down at it with a crease between her eyebrows – presumably trying to remember where _exactly_ their trek had taken them all those years ago. Rocket could hardly blame her for losing track of such a thing – it was a long time ago, after all.

"This should be more or less it…" She spoke when she finally drew the last line that traced just south of Sacramento and around the bay before it finally trailed into the forest they lived in now.

" _Why not travel straight? You stayed in the north very long._ " Rocket signed, to which Maurice and Caesar both nodded.

"The state of Nevada is very dry and has many deserts, so Roy and I decided that we wouldn't cut right through it – it probably made the trip longer than it needed to be, but I wasn't willing to risk being exposed on miles and miles of desert road with no idea of where the next water source would be. We had to at least pass through at some point if we wanted to ever get anywhere, though."

Rocket understood that sentiment. Even if there hadn't been any humans in those deserts to be exposed to anymore at the time, they had still had the responsibility of a small ape child. Staying on a longer, but safer path had been the best option, in his opinion.

It was a shame, really, that Lydia wasn't coming as well, Rocket thought as she explained the journey in more detail. She seemed to have a good, basic knowledge of the land – heck, she had travelled though it on her way here – and was practiced in the art of surviving on the go.

But she was needed here, Rocket knew. Her hunting had become vital to the colony and she had now begun to oversee the making of bows and arrows, as well as training the apes in the use of the weapon. Besides, he felt better knowing that Tinker would have a good friend like Lydia to rely on in his absence.

So, Rocket made sure to receive the next best thing – Lydia's knowledge.

It had been decided that they would try their luck by going north and looking at the map Lydia had pulled out now, Rocket thought that would indeed be their best bet – maybe they would also try to go more inland, towards the east? It would be easier to disappear again in whichever direction they chose, should the soldiers decide to go look for them again.

"Where do you think we'll find some people? Like, humans?" Alex asked carefully, keeping his eyes on Lydia as he spoke. His father and step-mother followed his example and paid close attention to the dark-haired woman who had trained them in the art of survival for the better part of three months now.

Lydia pursed her lips in thought.

"I'd say Sacramento would be a good place to start. It's relatively close and it's a large city. Good place for people to gather in large groups."

"We drove back and forth to trade with them when we still had plenty of fuel for our cars… Lost contact with them after a couple of years, though, when we began to run out of… well, everything." Malcolm replied, and Rocket sensed a small trace of hopelessness in his tone.

"Well," Lydia answered, biting her lip as she thought. "There's Reno once you get past the mountains, but it's way smaller. I don't know if anyone would be left there after so long. You could go to Los Angeles, but that's in the opposite direction of where Rocket and the boys are going and quite a long way. Still, it's by the coast, so chances are, if there is a colony in that direction, it'll be there. Access to the sea and all."

Then, she tilted her head as she lifted her eyes to regard Malcolm and Ellie.

"There's nothing in San Jose?"

Ellie shook her head.

"Malcolm and Dreyfus were among the first to establish a colony around here and most survivors began coming from San Jose once the rumour reached them. They never started anything once that happened."

Lydia nodded along at Ellies words, seemingly turning over and examining the information in her mind.

"In any event, you know there used to be a place in Sacramento, so I'd say you should start there no matter what. If nothing comes of it, try Los Angeles. Portland could work too, but it's an even longer trip. You'll have to decide that yourselves if needed."

The human trio agreed on all points Lydia made, and Rocket found himself thinking that she would make quite a good leader. She was good at coming up with solutions, she was decisive and took her responsibilities very seriously, but still managed to be kind and thoughtful of those around her.

In truth, she wasn't all that different from Caesar, now that Rocket thought about it.

They all spoke at length about which roads would be safest to travel and where they would have the best chance of finding a suitable place for the apes, Caesar, Maurice and Rocket especially paying close attention to Lydia's recounts of the land she had seen on her way there. It might have been a long time ago, but it could still prove to be very useful soon enough.

In the end, the talk of their journey was wrapped up in favour of a more light-hearted topic – and a much more entertaining one to boot.

Lydia had brought the guitar out again, as she had done on a few evenings since she brought it with her to the colony a few months back and took turns with Malcolm in playing melodies and popular songs from human culture on the instrument, much to the surrounding apes' enjoyment.

"You know Collin Raye, Malcolm?" Lydia asked after a few performances, most of which were accompanied by her singing, though Malcolm and Ellie would sometimes join in if it was a song they knew.

It was quite a nice thing to witness, and Rocket wondered if someday, apes would be able to do the same. Maybe even in his own lifetime?

"You're kidding, right? Of course, I do!" The human male answered with a broad smile on his face, his blue eyes seeming to be twinkling in the light of the torches around the gathering. "Any specific song of his you had in mind?"

If truth be told, Rocket had little to no idea what they were on about – he gathered that they were talking about a man who had made several songs but seeing as he didn't know much about human culture, at least not to this extent, he contented himself with just observing the exchange amusedly.

Lydia grinned back in turn at the human male, the smile only broadening when Ellie also piped up.

"I used to listen to his songs all the time! You know how to play them?"

"Just one." Lydia replied, hoisting the guitar further onto her thigh as she sat cross-legged on the cave floor, her fingers going over the strings of the instrument in what Rocket now recognized as the introduction to a song. "My sister taught this one to me after I begged her to do it for weeks."

Both Malcolm and Ellie bore looks of fond nostalgia on their faces once they heard the melody Lydia was making out on the strings under her practiced digits – a light, sweet tune that Rocket found extremely pleasing to his ears.

"Gonna join me on this one?" She asked with a raised brow and a smile on her face as she looked to the two adult humans while still playing. They both nodded their heads in the affirmative.

And then, Lydia made a brief pause in her playing before picking it up right from the beginning – and all three adult humans began to sing while those around them listened intently.

~I read a note my grandma wrote back in 1923  
Grandpa kept it in his coat, and he showed it once to me  
He said, "Boy, you might not understand  
But a long, long time ago  
Grandma's daddy didn't like me none  
But I loved your grandma so"

We had this crazy plan to meet and run away together  
Get married in the first town we came to, and live forever  
But nailed to the tree where we were supposed to meet instead  
I found this letter, and this is what it said

If you get there before I do, don't give up on me  
I'll meet you when my chores are through  
I don't know how long I'll be  
But I'm not gonna let you down, darling wait and see  
And between now and then, 'til I see you again  
I'll be loving you  
Love, me~

Rocket found himself deeply moved by the story of the song and the pure message within the lyrics themselves. Beside him, his wife leant her head on his shoulder as she observed the humans' little performance, seeming thoroughly at peace as she listened.

~I read those words just hours before  
My grandma passed away  
In the doorway of a church  
Where me and grandpa stopped to pray  
I know I'd never seen him cry in all my fifteen years  
But as he said these words to her  
His eyes filled up with tears~

The balding ape observed the other listeners present and noted how everyone seemed utterly engrossed in what they were hearing. Blue Eyes and Orion were both shifting their gazes between the adult humans, hanging on to each word uttered, while Alex merely smiled at his father from time to time. Maurice was transfixed at what was going on before him, most likely trying to preserve the moment within his vast and wise mind, if Rocket knew him well, while Caesar observed the scene before him with a calmness to him that Rocket rarely saw nowadays. The Ape King rocked his youngest son gently in his large arms and the balding ape could have sworn that he saw his leader's bottom lip quiver ever so slightly as the chorus was reached once again.

~If you get there before I do, don't give up on me  
I'll meet you when my chores are through  
I don't know how long I'll be  
But I'm not gonna let you down, darling wait and see  
And between now and then, 'til I see you again  
I'll be loving you  
Love, me  
Between now and then, 'til I see you again  
I'll be loving you  
Love, me~

Rocket snuck a long arm around his wife's shoulders as the song came to an end, many apes around them hooting approvingly and nodding to each other at the performance they had witnessed. It wasn't too often that they got to hear singing like this, especially not accompanied by the sound of an instrument. Lydia would often hum gently as she went about her business or even murmur a little tune to herself, but she had never outright sung in all the time Rocket had known her.

 _A shame, really_ , he thought as he rubbed Tinker's shoulder absent-mindedly, simply enjoying the cosy atmosphere as the other individuals around the dying cookfire went back to talking. Little yellow and orange embers would ever so often be shooting up from it like so many dancing fireflies and as Tinker snuggled closer to him, Rocket thought to himself that he would do everything in his might to protect _this_.

This place.

These people.

This _feeling_.

The feeling of peace, safety and love…. Yes, he would fight for that till the end.

* * *

 _ **Lydia**_

The next day, only a few hours after the sun had risen to cast its golden rays across the forest, Lydia stood just outside the entrance to the Ape Colony, watching as her adoptive son readied his horse together with Rocket, Blue Eyes, and the human trio that was to travel with them – at least part of the way, in any case.

It was surreal in a way, seeing him prepare to leave and knowing that she was not going to travel with him. When she had left him with Roy only to be brought back three days later, and about three months ago, when she had been hiding with Caesar and the humans while Orion and Roy had been imprisoned by Koba, had been the only times that she had been separated from her son for more than a day.

Back then she hadn't known if she would ever see him again either, and yet, those times had felt entirely different. She had known where he was – well, most of the time, anyway – and she had been able to take comfort in the knowledge that Roy was with him when she had been gone.

She had no such reassurance now, even if she knew that Rocket would be with him the entire time. It wasn't that she didn't trust Rocket – she knew the balding chimpanzee would guard her treasured son with his very life if it came down to it – but he wasn't _Roy_ …

Then again, Lydia was certain that, had their roles been reversed, Rocket would not have hesitated to let Lydia protect Ash in such a situation. Perhaps she was just being overly protective? Like a mother bird not wanting her young to leave the nest just yet?

Standing here now, though, she knew there was no way back and that she had to finally let him test his wings to see if they would keep him up.

And all the while, the conversation they'd had two weeks prior kept going through her head. She had been able to see on him that he actually wanted to go. To have this adventure with his childhood friend and face the world together with him.

Lydia hated how it seemed to be his concern for her wellbeing that had held him back, even if she was deeply touched by the sentiment. His relationship with Ivy was still new and exciting, and he had an ever-growing responsibility to live up to within the colony as he entered the ranks of the adult males. He should be worried about leaving _that_ behind, not about Lydia being lonely in his absence, for crying out loud!

She could see where he was coming from with this, of course, seeing as he was the one who had felt it necessary to call upon Maurice to make her finally open up about her grief. He had truly acted as a sensible adult in this situation – something Lydia was ashamed to admit she had failed at, no matter how hard Maurice had tried to convince her otherwise.

Suddenly, Caesar's gruff voice sounded beside her, deep and with a hint of concern as he laid a heavy hand on her shoulder – he, too, was looking on as his eldest child prepared to leave, carrying little Cornelius close to his chest with his other arm.

"Are you well?" He asked, searching her face for tells that would reveal her current mood.

Lydia waved him off with a gentle smile.

"I'm fine, Caesar. Just lost in thought, that's all." She replied easily, though her gaze became tender and perhaps even nostalgic as she turned her head to observe her adoptive son once more. "I have a hard time fathoming how he grew up so fast… Sometimes it feels like it happened from one day to the next…"

The Ape King nodded in understanding and squeezed her shoulder reassuringly.

"I feel the same. About Blue Eyes." He spoke as his eyes sought out the eldest Ape Prince, who had now secured the primitively-made saddle onto his dark stallion. "I miss the days. When he was still so small. That I could carry him…"

Caesar wore a look of longing on his rugged face as he said this, and Lydia remembered that he had said much the same on one of the sleepless nights they had shared talking.

Reminiscing… Lydia expected they'd do a lot of that from this point on, probably more so than ever.

That, and worrying about the fate of their sons and old friend – and of course the humans they had come to care so much about.

Speaking of the trio, they had finished preparing their horses together with their ape-escort and the group now made their way to stand in front of the Ape King, Lydia, Maurice and the rest of the Ape Colony who had come to see them off.

"We're about ready I think…" Malcolm spoke as he stood before Caesar, his voice sounding more like a full-sentence sigh as he patted his hands a couple of times against the sides of his thighs.

He didn't seem to know what to do with himself, quite honestly, and Lydia could easily understand why. Here he was, standing before Caesar and all his apes, no longer as a potential enemy, but as a dear friend and honoured guest at the Ape Colony. They had shared the last three months with these apes and come to care deeply for them, forming bonds and creating memories – no wonder it'd seem strange to the trio to just leave that behind in search for greener pastures, really.

But it was how it needed to be – everyone knew that. Caesar didn't want the humans to become entangled in the apes' war with the soldiers, no matter how much Malcolm argued that he could at least go and talk to this 'Colonel', who they had learned was the title of the man leading the army they were fighting.

It didn't stop Malcolm from trying, though.

"You know, Caesar, I could still go? See if I can talk some sense into the man, I-I mean, I'm a human, perhaps he'll listen to me?"

Caesar shook his head, as he had done so many times before when Malcolm had suggested this.

"You have done much. For apes… I would not ask you. Of anything more."

"Come on, you guys have sheltered us for so long, the least I can do is try and make this right-"

"Malcolm." Lydia spoke calmly beside Caesar, her expression gentle but firm as she regarded the man in front of her. "We're not going to let you risk your life and limb for us. We've had this talk before, remember?"

Ellie and Alex stood by him, the woman looking on with a hopeless, though entirely sympathetic stare as her husband talked, while the teen only shared concerned looks with Orion and Blue Eyes as they came up beside him.

It was easy to see that the boy agreed with his father on some level, the subtle nods he gave as the man continued to speak told Lydia as much – but she could also easily tell that he was scared.

"And we can't just leave you guys out here to die! He should at least know the real story! He doesn't even know that it was a _rogue_ ape who caused all this – besides, how do you know he won't even listen, huh?" The human male challenged, a desperate edge to his voice.

Lydia was deeply touched by his determination to help, as was Caesar and all the other apes of the colony, but it was an offer they just could not accept.

And Lydia took it upon herself to explain to him exactly why.

"You're right, we don't know, but ask yourself this, Malcolm: What if he _doesn't_ listen? What if he sees you as just another 'hippie ape-sympathiser'? Like Carver did? Remember, these people came here to _kill_ apes who they _know_ targeted humans and I'll bet you anything that they'll do the same to anyone who harbours any sympathies for such apes – no matter how human or sincere they are."

"Malcolm, come on, she's right. Maybe you should just let it go…" Ellie tried to interject, though the man only repeated his argument from before.

Caesar said nothing in all of this, contenting himself with looking on as Lydia made the exact same points he had done several times before – only she articulated it much more fluently. In a direct and eloquent manner that the Ape King still had yet to master.

She had no doubt it would come with time, though. He already spoke far better and with fewer pauses for breath than he had done just a few months ago and he took fewer and fewer shortcuts when he spoke as well. He would be fluent in no time, Lydia was sure of that.

When she could tell Malcolm was drawing in breath to make another argument, the dark-haired woman didn't give him the chance utter it.

"You have a family to think of. A family who loves you and _needs_ you." She knew her eyes were piercing as they stared into his own, twinkling ones, and she also knew that it always made him extremely uncomfortable when she did that.

But she needed him to understand – even if it meant making him feel uncomfortable.

And even if her next words seemed like a low blow.

"Take it from someone who knows what it's like to get that ripped away… Don't put your loved ones through that if you can help it, Malcolm." Lydia spoke in a much gentler tone, refusing to acknowledge the sympathetic stares from the bystanders all around them, lest she lose her resolve to make him see reason.

Beside the man, Ellie took her partner's hand gently into her own as his shoulders slumped at Lydia's words. That's when she knew she'd gotten through to him – and not a moment too soon.

He sighed heavily in defeat.

"You make a fair point… It's really annoying sometimes, you know that?" Malcolm spoke, adding a small smirk at the end of his sentence as he regarded the woman in front of him.

It diffused the tension rather well, Lydia had to admit – even Maurice, who stood on Caesar's other side, gave a deep chuckle.

"Yeah, I get that a lot." Lydia replied with a shrug and a smile on her face. "Besides, it's not _my_ fault you've got no sense of self-preservation."

A snicker behind a hand from Ellie had Malcolm roll his eyes good-naturedly and with that, the subject was dropped.

"Anyway, I suppose this is goodbye…" The human male spoke in a much more sombre tone, turning to the Ape King with a saddened, but no less fond look on his face, which his family matched as they, too, looked to Caesar.

The large chimp nodded, hoisting Cornelius further up on his arm.

"Yes… It is." He spoke solemnly, looking for all the world like saying goodbye to any of the individuals standing in front of him was the last thing he wanted to do – which it probably was if Lydia knew him well.

Then, Malcolm reached out his hand for Caesar to shake while offering the ape a subtle, reassuring smile.

"Trust." He said as the king took his hand, giving it a firm shake as he did so.

"Trust." Caesar agreed with a barely-there smile of his own before he let go of Malcolm's hand and moved on to Ellie, who he gave a quick hug.

It went on like that for a while, a criss-cross of greetings, handshakes and hugs going all around until the human trio reached Lydia. Malcolm stuck out his hand to her, much like he had to Caesar, only for the dark-haired woman to look down at the offered limb with a raised brow.

"Uh… Something wrong, Lydia?" He asked uncertainly, looking to Caesar for a possible explanation to what he might have done wrong.

The Ape King looked just as puzzled for a brief moment, until Lydia spoke up and a gruff chuckle left him.

"We've spent the last three months together, training, eating and becoming friends after I was dead-certain you guys were out to kill us all and now, all I get is a _handshake?_ That doesn't seem like a fair trade, now does it?" Lydia answered with a raised brow, barely containing the broad grin fighting its way across her features at Malcolm's perplexed stare.

"Man up and give me a hug, you big oaf! I'll probably never get to see your sorry ass again – it's the least you could do!" She laughed, not waiting for the startled human male to initiate the hug himself but stepping forward and wrapping her arms around him instead.

It wasn't a particularly long hug, but it was tight and friendly, Lydia ending it with a pat on Malcolm's back before he even had the chance to reciprocate properly. She immediately moved on to Ellie, who was better prepared and returned the hug fiercely. Lydia was going to miss having another human woman to chat with, really. Someone who knew the struggles of maintaining that pesky human modesty all the way out here in the wilderness.

Then, she reached Alex, who she also embraced tightly, a kind smile on her face once she stepped back, still with a hand on his shoulder as she spoke.

"You're a good kid, Alex, don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise." Lydia told him truthfully, squeezing his shoulder as she added playfully. "And keep an eye on your dad – the guy could use someone with a good portion of common sense with him, I'd say."

"I heard that!" The man in question spoke loudly, though there was nothing but light-hearted exasperation in his voice.

Alex released a subtle snicker and nodded his head at Lydia.

"Thanks… I'll do my best." He said, offering the dark-haired woman a slightly awkward, but sincere smile.

She was going to miss this kid too. She may have been about 10 years his senior, but she had really begun to view him as something akin to a little brother during the trio's stay with the apes. He kind of reminded her of Matthew just before he died, actually. Quiet and with that peculiar teenage-awkwardness, but still with a kind heart to him as well as that special ability to get close to people without really trying all that hard.

Lydia grinned all the same, putting up her fist for him to bump, which he did immediately.

She turned to Orion next as the humans went on to talk with Maurice, only to find that her son was busy saying goodbye to Ivy. The sight of the two with their heads intimately pressed against each other made a lump appear in Lydia's throat as her heart was flooded with parental pride. He truly was growing up fast…

And when she saw how Orion pulled back from the gesture, only to stare shyly into Ivy's emerald eyes as he reached up to twiddle her braid adoringly between his large fingers, Lydia couldn't help letting a fond smile grace her features, waiting just a few more seconds before she approached the pair, so she could also bid her son goodbye.

She shot Ivy a soft, knowing look which seemed to make the young ape female's ears go slightly red before Lydia turned to her adoptive son, who immediately pulled her into a tight embrace that almost squeezed the air right out of the human woman. She didn't mind it too much, though.

She gasped softly for breath when they let go of each other, and then lifted her finger in a warning gesture at him.

"Now, don't you dare come back missing a limb or something, you hear me? I want _all_ ten fingers and _all_ ten toes to be exactly where they belong when I see you again, are we clear?" Lydia spoke in mock-sternness, adding a soft smile at the end to tell Orion that it was partly meant as a joke. _Partly_.

"Clear as the sky, Mother." Orion replied with a fond smile.

Honestly, what had become of that tiny fur ball she used to coddle and hum lullabies to?

She nodded firmly all the same, satisfied with his answer.

"That goes for you too, Blue." She spoke then, turning her head towards the scarred, young Ape Prince, who was currently saying goodbye to his father and younger brother. "Come back in one piece, alright?"

The adolescent ape huffed out an overbearing laugh along with the Ape King. They had become close again after Koba's downfall, Blue Eyes finally opening up to Caesar and listening to him once more. Adding to that, he had also completely dropped the suspicion and prejudice against Lydia that Koba had clouded his mind with for so long now. It was as if it that period had never occurred, even if she knew that Blue Eyes still felt awful about the way he had acted towards her.  
Lydia had reassured him several times, though. She was just glad they were back to talking again – he was, after all, as dear to her as Ash had been.

The Ape Prince promised her that he would return whole as well, and Lydia was satisfied with his response.

She turned back to Orion once again as the group began to move towards their horses, the string of heartfelt goodbyes coming to an end at last. She hugged him fiercely one last time before he would leave her, doing her best to commit everything about this moment to memory. His scent, the feel of his fur against her cheek and his long arms around her… His clear, verdant eyes as he stared back at her once the hug was over and their foreheads gently meeting one last time.

"Please be safe, Sweetie…" Lydia whispered, to which Orion nodded.

"You as well, Mother." Came his solemn reply, and Lydia felt tears prickling at the back of her eyes at his words.

They were the last ones Lydia would hear from her son in a long time, she knew, and she bit her bottom lip at the thought as he reluctantly let go of her, cast a longing look over at Ivy one last time and then slowly turned around to go to his horse together with the rest of the group.

They all mounted their horses, some more gracefully than others, Lydia noted, and began checking that everyone had all they needed to bring.

"Take good care of the boys, okay Rocket?" Lydia called after the balding chimp who was to watch over her precious child on this quest, Caesar's second-in-command and old friend.

 _And my friend too_ , Lydia added fondly as she caught his eye.

" _Like they are my own._ " He promised with a firm nod as he settled into his crudely-made saddle, his horse scraping ever more impatiently at the dirt beneath its hoofs the longer they delayed.

Rocket cast one last, tender look at his teary-eyed wife, signing a gentle goodbye to her before he redirected his gaze to Caesar, the two chimps nodding firmly at each other. Then Rocket hooted once, turned his horse and began leading the group away.

At that moment, as Lydia watched her son's retreating form disappear into the forest, she felt a gentle hand slip around her own and looked down to see that it was Tinker who had taken hold of her limb as she, too, stared longingly after the group.

And when the two females shared a brief look and blue eyes met green, both pairs filled to the brink with tears as they, hand in hand, watched the last of their loved ones disappear into the forest.


	42. A Nightly Excursion

**_Caesar_**

It was about three weeks after Caesar had sent Rocket, Blue Eyes, Orion and the human trio off on their quest to find a new home, both for the apes and for Malcolm and his family.

The Ape King was currently sleeping in his nest, the even sound of the rushing waterfall not far from his sleeping area and fatigue from a day filled with a leader's duties having lulled him into his restful state. And the best part was that this time, he hadn't had to spend several long hours simply staring at the cave ceiling above him as he waited for his mind to go blank.

It had been hard to fall asleep for him ever since Cornelia died but now, when Blue Eyes was gone as well, it was damn near impossible for the Ape King to find rest unless he had made sure to thoroughly tire himself throughout the day, both in body and in mind. If he managed to do that, Caesar knew he would simply be too exhausted to ponder and worry well into the wee hours of early morning and, as a result, be much better equipped to deal with whatever needed to be done the next day.

Tonight was such a night.

Tonight, he had managed to fall asleep in almost the same instant he had laid down onto the soft animal furs in his nest, his mind fading into that blissful, dark void of sleep as Cornelius had snuggled up against his broad chest.

He had wrapped his long arm around the small ape child, finding comfort in the fact that he, at least, was still there for Caesar to hold. It was one of the very few solaces the king had nowadays.

Which only made it that much more disturbing for Caesar to wake up a few hours later, in the middle of the night, to discover that Cornelius was nowhere to be found.

The thing that had first alerted him to the fact that something was wrong had been the coldness slowly creeping across his chest as he slept. It had pulled him into a groggy, half-awake state, though it had been the lack of a small, warm body within his arms which had finally managed to clear the fog of sleep from his mind and have him bolt upright in in the nest, his eyes darting across the torch-lit cave in search for his offspring.

He gibbered and hooted lowly in his throat, calling for his son as his keen eyes went over every rocky crevice around his nest and panic slowly began to rise within his chest. It felt like an icy palm creeping across his heart until it held it in a suffocating, iron-clad grip, almost having the king hyperventilate as anxiety overtook him. After several minutes of Caesar's increasingly desperate calls for his son going unanswered, the Ape King's mouth pressed into a thin, trembling line as realisation finally dawned on him. Cornelius wasn't answering… He wasn't in the cave…

He was gone.

The Ape King rose from the nest and hurried towards one of the usual posts of his Gorilla Guard to alert them of their young Prince's disappearance. They usually took rounds patrolling the caves and the surrounding areas while others had stationary posts in strategically important places around the colony, one of the latter being right outside the large main cave, just beyond the rushing waterfall that hid it.

Tonight, it was Timber, a silverback almost as large as Luca, who was at this post, a stoic expression on his face as he stared out into the night. When he saw the Ape King approaching him with hurried steps and barely-contained panic in his otherwise severe stare, the gorilla male immediately straightened, and a concerned frown appeared on his face as he noticed his king's state of worry.

"Call the other guards." Caesar ordered, his voice tainted with urgency. "Cornelius is missing."

Timber's green eyes widened at this, and he immediately nodded and went off to find Luca, the commander of the Gorilla Guard, so that they could gather and search for the young ape child. Any ape, even if they didn't have offspring of their own, knew how serious it was when someone as young as Cornelius was nowhere to be found – especially in the middle of the cold, dark night.

And seeing as this was _Caesar's_ son, it didn't take long for every single member of the Gorilla Guard they had to spare to start searching the colony for the missing prince.

Caesar just hoped he was still in the colony itself and hadn't ventured out into the forest…

* * *

 ** _Lydia_**

Lydia had briefly considered breaking protocol and let the dogs sleep in the nest with her that night. It felt incredibly empty and cold without Orion since he had left, and tonight had been no exception, making her long for at least having _someone_ to be by her side, if for nothing else than to ease her lonely mind and help her to a restful sleep.

At this point she almost believed _anyone_ would do, even the dogs.

She had managed to hold firm on her principles, however, and they had stayed outside the nest while the human woman herself did her best to ignore her own, rambling thoughts as she had pulled the animal skin-blanket further up to cover her body.

And sleep _had_ found her, in the end, though it had only been after much tossing and turning, and what felt like hours staring at the flickering flame of the torch still burning in its fixture on the wall. Lydia had found that it was easier for her to fall asleep now that she was by herself if she kept it lit, and besides, the flame provided the barest of warmth as it burned – something she needed now that Orion was no longer there to give off body heat as he slept.

She had had to adapt to his absence and while that hadn't been easy, Lydia herself thought she was doing rather well thus far. At least she had stopped getting all teary-eyed at the sight of the empty nest before bedtime – that had to count for something.

She groaned lowly, however, as she was pulled from sleep a few hours later by something tugging at her arm and pushing against her chest, her brows furrowing as she groggily began to awake.

At first, she had thought it might be Blaze who had tried to nudge her arm so that he could crawl underneath it and snuggle up to her while she slept. He had done so before in the past three weeks, and Lydia figured it must be his attempt to comfort her when her sleep was restless. She had been quick to send him back out of the nest as soon as she had wakened to discover it, though, reasoning with herself that she would have to get used to sleeping by herself sooner or later.

A frown marred her features and her bleary eyes began to open once she realised that, whatever it was currently snuggling up to her in her nest, it was most definitely _not_ Blaze. Or Storm, for that matter.

No, this creature, for it _was_ a living being, Lydia's sleep-addled mind was able to decipher, was much too small for it to be any of her canine companions. It was covered in fur, she could feel it tickle against the skin of her arms and sternum, and it felt rather sinewy underneath its pelt – though not to the point that it felt uncomfortable to have the creature near.

Rather… it felt quite familiar…

For a brief moment, before Lydia had completely come to her senses, she thought she had somehow gone back in time and that it was little Orion who was snuggled up in her arms. It felt exactly like it had all those years ago… only… the creature in her arms felt way smaller than Orion had ever been whilst in Lydia's care…

The fog of sleep soon cleared from her mind, however, and Lydia's deep, blue eyes opened completely, if blearily against to the light of the still-lit torch.

When they had finally adjusted somewhat to the flickering light, she was able to look down at the small bundle snuggled to her chest and was surprised to discover that it was indeed an ape child whose little body was pressed against her chest – not Orion, as her half-awake mind had originally concluded – but the tiny Ape Prince.

"Cornelius…?" She spoke out loud, her voice thick with sleep but still gentle as she reached up to stroke his back with her hand.

The only indication the ape child gave that he had heard her was to press his little face further against Lydia's sternum and reach up to grab hold of the low-riding collar of her tank top, clenching it firmly within his little hand.

The human woman gave a low sigh of mild exasperation. It was cute, alright, no doubt about that, but if Cornelius was here, it meant that Caesar would most likely wake up and go nuts once he realised his son was missing – Lydia would have done the same, had their roles been reversed, after all.

 _So, it would seem that I have to get my ass out of bed… great_ , Lydia thought tiredly, moving gently into a sitting position with one arm still wrapped around little Cornelius. It was difficult getting up with him like this, and he made sure to give a whine of protest once he was completely awake again, looking up at Lydia with big green-and-golden eyes, strikingly similar to his father's.

"We have to get you back to your father before he throws a fit, little guy." Lydia tried to reason with the child, knowing full well that he wasn't old enough to understand exactly what she was saying.

All Cornelius did was babble sweetly in reply and affectionately press his cheek to her collarbone, making Lydia's heart ache with tender emotions for the little ape in her arms.

She got up from the nest and clumsily pulled on some deerskin pants with one hand, the other still holding Cornelius to her chest as she struggled with her clothes. Then, she walked out into the network of caves that made up the colony, and soon realised that Caesar was probably already _very much_ aware that Cornelius was gone – if the cacophony of concerned hoots and frantic pants echoing through the caves were anything to go by.

The fact that the sounds grew steadily louder and louder as they echoed through the entire cave system of the colony only served to confirm her suspicions further and sure enough, as she entered the main cave of the apes' home, several members of the Gorilla Guard were walking about, calling for the little prince.

And in the middle of all of this was Caesar, standing anxiously by his nest together with Luca, his kingly demeanour completely disrupted by worry and impatience.

"Ahem," Lydia cleared her throat, drawing everyone's attention to her as she stood at the mouth of the cave network leading to her little hovel, gesturing with one hand to the ape child clinging to her chest. "I believe this is who you're all looking for."

* * *

 _ **Caesar**_

At the sound of Lydia's voice, Caesar's head whipped around so fast that he could swear he felt a resounding crack in his neck, but the relief that flooded him as he spotted the woman, and the furry creature in her arms, soon made him forget any pain that might have accompanied the sudden, harsh movement.

And there stood Lydia, her beautiful, blue eyes bleary and her loose hair all dishevelled, clad only in a sheer tank top and an untied pair of her deerskin pants – the latter probably put on hastily to appear somewhat decent, Caesar suspected.

And there, held to her chest, sat Cornelius, his little hands gripping her shirt tightly and his eyes darting curiously around the cave and all its occupants.

"Cornelius…!" Caesar breathed, hurrying over to the human woman, Luca trailing after him and signing his order to spread the word that the prince had been found.

Caesar reached the unexpected duo in no time and began cooing at his son and stroking his back comfortingly, even though the child didn't show any signs of distress whatsoever as a result of the separation – clearly, it had affected the Ape King more than it had the little prince.

Before he could even begin to ask where he had been and how Lydia had found him, the dark-haired woman began to speak, her voice husky from sleep.

"I woke up to discover that this little rascal had snuck into my part of the caves." She explained while gently rocking the child in her arms. "He had crawled under my arm to snuggle and hasn't let go since then."

Caesar listened intently, his eyes shifting between Lydia's face and his son, who seemed perfectly happy being held by the human woman.

So, he had simply snuck off to find Lydia?

Well, when Caesar really thought about it, it did make a lot of sense. Lydia was one of his primary caretakers, looking after the prince whenever she wasn't out hunting or overseeing the newly-started project of producing bows and arrows for the fighting apes. Brook, though she was Cornelius' wet nurse, also had her own child to care for and Tinker had taken over Cornelia's job when it came to the females' foraging expeditions.

These three females were the closest thing Cornelius had to a mother nowadays, and therefore, it made perfect sense that he would seek one of them out for some maternal love - really, Caesar should have thought of this before nearly jumping out of his skin with worry.

"I apologise, Lydia." The King spoke sincerely, still stroking his son's back gently. "I should have realised… I did not mean. For you to be woken. Like this."

He knew she had trouble sleeping, just like he did. They had talked about it recently, and looking at her now, Caesar felt very guilty for his son's misadventure having robbed her of precious rest. Her eyelids looked barely able to keep themselves open, and she sported dark rings around her blue orbs. Adding to that, Caesar could tell by the dishevelled state of her hair that she had been tossing and turning, and her posture was slouched ever so slightly as she stood before him.

But, being Lydia, she would never let herself be irritated by something like this, no matter how tired it made her.

"Don't worry about it, Caesar. I mean, it was kind of sweet – I just hope he doesn't make it a habit, going on nightly excursions like this." Lydia replied easily, a soft smirk stretching across her full lips.

The Ape King nodded severely at that. He really didn't hope that would be the case either – it was one thing sneaking off into other parts of the colony, but should Cornelius ever get lost and, say, venture beyond the boundaries of the caves, it could get very dangerous indeed.

Then, to Caesar's surprise – and slight embarrassment – Cornelius began to pull at the low collar of Lydia's top, revealing quite a bit of the bare, pale breast underneath before she managed to reach up and gently take hold of his wrist to stop the little prince.

"Now there, mister, if you're hungry, it's Brook you want to talk to." Lydia chided as she eased Cornelius' hand free of her shirt's collar.

Caesar heard a surprised grunt behind him and, remembering Luca was still standing with them as well, shot a quick look back at the silverback, only to discover that he had politely averted his stare.

The king quickly dismissed the Gorilla Guard commander, seeing as there was really no reason for him to stay now that Cornelius had been found, and the huge ape signed a quick 'goodnight' at the two of them as he hurried back to his post.

"Sorry about that. As well." Caesar was quick to say once he turned back to Lydia, reaching out to receive his son as she untangled herself from the child completely and handed him to the Ape King.

The woman shrugged with indifference.

"Meh, Orion did the same thing when he was little, so it's not like I haven't dealt with it before. He stopped once he learned there was nothing to gain from it, though." Lydia replied, the corner of her lips quirking up into the barest hint of a smirk towards the end of her sentence.

"You might want to wake Brook and get him some food, though. I don't suppose he's going to settle down otherwise." She added, eyeing the ape child fondly as she did so.

"I will." Caesar agreed – she was right, after all.

"I think I'll go back and try to catch up on some sleep, then." She spoke with a sense of finality in her tone. "It has been quite an eventful night."

"It has… and sorr-"

"Enough with the apologies, Caesar." Lydia waved him off with a soft chuckle. "Save it for when you've actually done something that warrants an apology."

He had to smile at that. It was one of the things he appreciated very much in Lydia – her easy-going nature and straightforward attitude in situations such as this. He knew she didn't think it was a big deal and she was even able to see the funny aspect in all of this.

Perhaps Caesar would too, in the morning, when his mind wasn't addled by worry and lack of sleep. Right now, he was just glad that his son was safe and back in his arms.

"Right." He nodded at the human woman, a soft smile on his face. "Goodnight, Lydia. And thank you."

"Don't mention it. And goodnight to you too." She replied, moving her eyes down to rest on Cornelius immediately afterwards. "And you, you little rascal, stay with you father, alright?"

She reached forward and gently stroked the little prince's cheek and Cornelius gibbered happily at the attention and leaned playfully into the woman's touch before she slowly retracted her hand. Then, she raised her eyes again to meet with Caesar's, an underlying warmth present in her dark sapphire gaze as she spoke again.

"I'll see you two in the morning."

And with that, Lydia turned and went back the way she had come, down the cave corridor towards her little, private hovel.

Caesar stared after her until her silhouette completely melded into the darkness. Only when she had been swallowed up by the shadows did he notice Cornelius' impatient huffs as he, too, looked for the human woman.

It wouldn't be the last night that the Ape Prince would sneak off to snuggle up to Lydia. Sometimes he could be found with Tinker instead, but Caesar noted that he seemed to favour the human woman most nights when he was in need of maternal comfort. In the end, Caesar stopped worrying too much about it, only going to check exactly _where_ his son had gone before returning to his own nest.

On those nights, if Lydia happened to wake up and discover that Cornelius was there, she would always get up and bring him back to his father, no matter the hour. But if the Ape Prince managed to not wake the human woman as he snuggled up to her, Caesar would simply let him stay and trust Lydia to bring him back in the morning instead.

He had a feeling she appreciated the closeness with the ape child, no matter how adamant she was on him learning to stay in his own nest. Caesar found it amusing all the same, not to mention it did give a slight, pleasant tug on his heartstrings whenever he saw how fond the two were of each other.

 _She makes for a good mother_ , the Ape King would often find himself thinking, just as often followed by the thought that she would make a good mate as well, though he quickly shoved _that_ into the back of his mind with a slight pang of guilt stabbing at his heart.

It was still too soon for him.

But every time he went to check on them on those nights and saw Cornelius, safe and sound in Lydia's embrace, he became ever surer that it would happen, eventually.

It might not even be the next hundreds of nights to come, but it _would_ happen.

Caesar knew that in his heart.


	43. A Past Not Forgotten

**Author's note:**

This one might need a bit of info. As of now, I haven't read the books, though I do know that there is a scene in one of them around this time where they visit San Bruno - while I think it's a profound and important thing to show, it didn't make any sense to me (for the reasons touched upon in this chapter), so I did something slightly different.

Now, I should point out that I have never been to Sacramento Zoo and so, I only have reference pictures online of what the zoo and the enclosure described actually looks like (not including the stables where they keep their animals, which I had to come up with myself). I have no doubt that the caretakers at the zoo actually treat their animals very well and want the best for them, so this is in no way supposed to be seen as a critique of the facility itself - only a take on how it must look from an evolved ape's POV years later.  
I tried to be as true to the geographical layout and locations as possible by using online maps and reference pictures, so I hope it came out alright.

Seeing as this is mainly Lydia's story, I was originally not going to write about Blue Eyes, Rocket and Orion's journey, but realised some time ago that there were some things they would face that I wanted to include - so, expect there to be a few chapters containing their trials and tribulations as well.

* * *

 _ **Orion**_

Orion translated quickly as Rocket signed to the rest of their small group, his expression severe in the orange light of their campfire as he described the horrid place he had once been held captive.

Blue Eyes had wanted to see it with his own eyes, since they were on this long journey now anyway, and the only time he had truly been outside the forest had been when Koba had taken over the city. Orion had to admit he had been curious too.

But Rocket had dismissed the idea, reasoning that they would have to go through the now soldier-infested city of San Francisco if they wanted to pass by the San Bruno Primate Shelter south of the city, which would have put them in the very middle of enemy territory. Besides, the prison, as Rocket referred to it as, was in the opposite direction of where they had planned to go – which was north, towards the city of Sacramento.

Once they reached the it, which would only be a few days at most from now, the apes would bid the human trio goodbye, leaving them to find the Sacramento Colony on their own.

So, they wouldn't be passing the Ape Prison where Caesar's rebellion had begun but would have to content with Rocket's vivid descriptions of what it had been like there.

And even if Orion was indeed curious to actually _see_ the place with his own eyes, there was a part of him that was glad they hadn't gone.

Father had spoken once or twice about the time he was imprisoned in a similar place together with Orion's birthmother and several other apes, far from Caesar's ape colony. It seemed to be a memory he was reluctant to revisit and listening to Rocket's story of the prison he had been in with Caesar and many of the other apes, Orion could understand why.

It sounded truly horrific.

It wasn't that he hadn't heard talk of the place in the past if truth be told. It was just that he had never heard it described in such detail as Rocket did now.

The younger ape found it quite hard to translate for the human trio, who were listening intently as well, while Orion himself felt shaken by the cruelty being recounted by the balding chimp in front of him.

"We were kept. In separate cages… Small ones. With hard stone floors... Only a bit of hay. To sleep on for warmth." Orion spoke in time with Rocket's signing, the shadows his hands cast across his chest and face dancing eerily in the light of the crackling fire.

"The walls were grey. The floors were grey. The metal cages were grey… All grey. All cold." He spoke carefully while Blue Eyes and the three humans just sat there around the fire with them, their gazes shifting between the young chimp and Caesar's balding second-in-command. "We were only let out. Into a big space with one tree. For a short time, each day… and fed through holes. In our cages… Did not even know. What it was made of… We just ate. What we were given."

"That's… awful." Malcolm spoke, stunned, once Rocket seemed to take a break, sighing heavily as he stared into the flames in front of him.

He nodded gravely, his heavy brow lowered and casting shadows across his eyes as he remembered his horrible past.

"But it was supposed to be a shelter – didn't anyone take care of you there?" Alex spoke with a hint of incredulousness to his voice. Orion had never really seen his young human friend angry, but right now, the frown on his lips and his creased brows looked to be the humble beginnings of an angry expression on the young man's face.

Not directed at the apes, of course, Orion, Rocket and Blue Eyes all knew that. No, it was directed at the humans who kept the apes in this prison.

Rocket shrugged at his question.

"Only when old friends of apes. Came to visit… If they had any… Then, they would pretend." Orion continued to translate as the elder chimp signed his reply. "They did not care. Some only did as they were told… And some did worse than that."

Alex's frown deepened at that – as did his father's and step-mother's, seemingly having a pretty good idea of what could be worse than the neglect already described.

"One of the humans. A young male. Would poke anyone who. Did not obey immediately. Or even just showed their fangs. With a… a stick making… Sparks…?" Orion spoke, keeping an eye on Rocket's hands to make sure he got it all right.

He hesitated in his translation and wrinkled his nose at the idea – a stick making sparks? Really?

Blue Eyes seemed just as confused by the term, his nose scrunching up and his lips set into a soft frown as he tried to comprehend what exactly his honorary uncle meant.

Evidently, the humans had a better shot at figuring this one out and seemed to understand a lot sooner than either of the young chimps did.

"A stick making… Wait, you're not telling me they used a stun baton on you guys, did they?!" Ellie exclaimed, one of her delicate hands flying up to cover her mouth in horror at the prospect.

Rocket nodded sombrely.

"That's awful! And very much against the law, I might add!" Ellie continued at the balding ape's confirmation to her question.

"What is it?" Orion was quick to ask, not even remotely aware that his head had tilted in the same way that Mother's normally would.

Malcolm was quick to explain, and Orion could sense the repressed revulsion in his voice as he went about describing the object used to torture Rocket and the other apes from the first generation.

"It's a device that you poke… animals with – sorry – and it gives an electric shock. It was used to make them behave – a punishment of sorts, for bad behaviour… It hurts really badly and the higher the voltage, the more pain it causes."

Blue Eyes, who had been observing Rocket's signed tale intently, hooted uncomfortably at the prospect though he, much like Orion, still had little concept of what an electric shock actually was.

Rocket nodded at Malcolm's words, not taking any offence in the use of the term 'animals'. Orion understood, too. It was how humans used to see apes, back when they were not as smart as they are now. Back when they did not have a voice. He also knew that this wasn't how Malcolm, Ellie and Alex saw them now, as they sat here together, as equals, around the small campfire.

" _He used this object on Father too? And… Mother?_ " Blue Eyes signed at Rocket and Orion chose not to translate that. It seemed too private and he eyed the humans with an apologetic look.

They seemed to understand well enough.

" _Yes. On your father, he did. Your mother did not make much trouble back then, though. Avoided the worst of it. I think she only experienced it once or twice while we were there._ " Rocket explained calmly, until a small smirk appeared on his lips as he continued. " _But you know how your father is. Too smart for his own good back then. Got into lots of trouble._ "

It seemed to lighten the mood a little for Blue Eyes, who huffed a small laughter at the description of his father, and Orion was glad that Rocket had the sense to see that the Ape Prince had needed some light-hearted words, though it was still a serious matter.

It was said in a joking manner, but it also served as a reminder of Caesar's tenacity, perhaps also to make Blue Eyes realise what his father had been up against when he decided to set the fight for the apes' freedom in motion.

Caesar hadn't backed down. Not even in the face of captivity, torture and loneliness. No, he had managed to rise above and take matters into his own hands when he saw how other apes suffered and had given them the opportunity to fight back as well.

Orion respected the Ape King deeply for that.

A grunt from beside him drew Orion's attention, and he turned his head from the human trio to find Rocket looking expectantly at him. He then lifted his hands in preparation for signing and Orion realised that he was supposed to resume his role as translator once more.

He did so without further ado, only slightly embarrassed at having been caught so wrapped up in his own thoughts as he cleared his throat to start speaking again.

"I was the Lead Ape. For years before Caesar came." He spoke as oldest chimp went on, now confident that Orion would speak the words he still struggled so much with. "He was a strange ape. To begin with. Clearly different, I remember. We did not get on well at all. In the beginning either. He did not understand the rules. Of the apes."

"I suppose it's because of his upbringing." Ellie spoke quietly as Orion took a short break from speaking. "Could be he never was with other apes."

Rocket nodded once more, sucking in his lips as he thought about what to say in reply. It had been preciously few who had known about Caesar's human upbringing – Orion and even Blue Eyes only got to know about it after the incident with Koba and even now, it still wasn't widely known that Caesar had been brought up by humans. And it certainly wasn't something openly discussed by those who had been freed from Koba's prison and brought to the Ape King's childhood home either.

"I'm surprised that you guys didn't like each other." Malcolm commented with a hint of confusion in his voice. "You seem to be really good friends nowadays."

For the briefest moment, Rocket looked sheepish as he absent-mindedly scratched his mostly-hairless arm before he began signing again and Orion spoke along the words shown.

"He was new. A new male. Big too. I saw him. As challenger." He explained to the humans, who nodded along in understanding.

Now, this part of the story both Orion and Blue Eyes knew well enough. It was common knowledge that Rocket had been the leader in the Ape Prison before Caesar came, and that the two had fought several times – Caesar eventually winning and taking over leadership of the apes. All the apes who had been kept in that place knew that well and retold the events with much vigour to the youngsters in the colony. Rocket had been a tough leader and, in many apes' opinion, quite a bully back in those days, though everyone knew it was due to how apes were then.

It had been before they got smart and conditions had been horrific enough as it was. Rocket had had to act tough to keep his position as leader and nowadays, nobody blamed him for it. It was a different time, a different place and under different rules.

Even Rocket could crack a joke or two about how Caesar had managed to outsmart him back then, and the two would often laugh together as the story was shared among their people, neither carrying any sort of grudge towards the other.

"Seems like you two overcame your differences in the end, huh?" Malcolm spoke with a slight smile before a sigh left him. "We humans really could learn something from you guys. If only we had realised that from the beginning…"

Orion couldn't help but smile at Rocket's answer to Malcolm's words just now. Many were under the impression that the balding chimp, with all his brawn, didn't possess an inkling of wisdom.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

"It is not too late to learn… You can teach that. To your new people – wherever you find them… You can look to the past. But you must always return your eyes. To the road in front of you." Orion spoke the older chimpanzee's signed words before turning to the human male just in time to see a gentle look of gratitude appearing on his face.

"Cheers to that, guys." Malcolm spoke as he raised his dark green, plastic water bottle in salute to the eldest of the chimps.

It wasn't long after that Orion signed to Rocket that he could use a break from speaking. It was true that the young ape had always done it more than others in the colony, and especially so after he and Alex became friends and it had become necessary to communicate with the human teen, but even Orion's vocal chords needed a break from time to time. Because of this, Rocket decided to save the well-known tale of Caesar's rebellion itself for another night – not that the humans didn't already know that particular story to some degree, at least from their own perspective, but that was still quite different from how the apes had experienced it.

For now, however, it was decided among the members of the group that it was time for some much-needed sleep, and Orion happily unfolded the old bear pelt Mother had given him to keep warm. It was technically a cloak – the one made of the bear they had killed on their way to Caesar's colony. Orion couldn't remember the incident itself, but the item was precious to him all the same for what it represented. The time their strange family had first had to work together to save one another.

Mother often used it in the winter for extra warmth, though by now, her scent had almost completely faded from the pelt. Still, Orion inhaled deeply as he snuggled into it. Lying down between Alex and Blue Eyes, he bid his traveling companions goodnight before he turned his verdant gaze towards the dark, clear sky above them.

The half-moon shone brightly down on the young ape male and his group, and millions of stars twinkled merrily all around it, reflecting in Orion's eyes as he stared up at them.

It was a beautiful night, really, and the adolescent ape found himself wondering if Ivy was looking up at the same stars just then. Mother probably was, he figured, her nightly habits well-known to him by now. It brought him a sense of comfort to know that, in some twisted way. He didn't like how Mother was sometimes unable to sleep at night, but he _did_ like the idea that, in this moment, their eyes were tracing the same stars. It made the fact that they were miles apart unimportant to Orion, as long as he could share a moment with her like this.

 _I am very fortunate…_ Orion's mind ventured just then, thinking of what Rocket had told them that night. _To have lived my whole life watching the stars._

The apes in San Bruno hadn't been able to do that. Father, who had lived his entire life in captivity, hadn't been able to do that. Heck, even Caesar hadn't been able to do that, despite having lived with a loving human family. He knew this because Mother had deigned to explain it after Koba's betrayal, seemingly having been told by Caesar himself.

 _Humans did not understand us_ , Orion mused as he quietly tapped his fingers against his stomach, his hands laying folded on top of it. _They thought we are animals to be kept as pets, like Storm and Blaze… Or to be beaten and abused like slaves, kept inside, never to see the sky above us…_

At that, his mind turned to the young human male Rocket had described, who had poked the apes with that… Stun baton, as Malcolm had called it. This human had seemingly done so simply because he could, taking enjoyment in the apes' suffering and thinking himself superior because he had been the one _outside_ the cage.

Orion's chest tightened just thinking about it, and he turned his verdant stare away from the stars then, to look at the human teen already fast asleep to his left. Alex was facing towards Orion, sleeping on his side with his arms wrapped tightly around himself inside his sleeping bag. It wasn't cold tonight, so the trio had forgone setting up their tent.

 _But they are not all like the humans Rocket knew_ , the young ape reminded himself as he looked at his friend, _Alex is not like that. Malcolm and Ellie are not like that… Mother is not like that._

No, far from it. There _were_ humans who were good, and Orion was glad that he got to know so many of them compared to other apes.

He tapped his fingers against his stomach once again as a soft smile reached his lips and he turned his gaze back towards the stars, letting their gentle light and beautiful twinkling finally lull him to sleep.

* * *

It was three days later that their small group reached the city of Sacramento, the rusty, crooked sign above the highway a testament to that fact. The tarmac was littered with cracks from which weeds had fought their way through, dotting the grey road with tall, green grass that swayed in the gentle breeze. Orion's grey mare was quick to bend her head down to munch happily on the sprouting vegetation whenever they passed a patch, and the young ape male patted her neck affectionately. She was a good and sturdy horse, mild-tempered, yet fearless – and very sure-footed in even the most difficult terrain. He figured this was a treat she deserved.

"I wonder if anyone's still here…" Alex spoke quietly, and Orion turned his head to see that his friend was staring towards the city, holding onto the reins of his own steed – a dark brown mare with a streak of white on her forehead, leading down to a pink snout – as she trotted along beside Orion's own horse.

"Only one way to find out…" Malcolm's voice sounded from the front of their group, where he rode beside Rocket and Blue Eyes.

It was a strange sound to Orion, hearing the horses' hooves clicking hollowly against the tarmac as they made their way along the large road. It was so unlike the gentle thumping they'd make against the forest floor or even the earth at the side of the road and yet, the beat was regular and strangely meditative, lulling Orion's mind into a peaceful state as he followed his horse's rhythmic movements.

About an hour later, just as they made their way up the large highway beside the river, Blue Eyes gibbered and pointed towards a sign above the road leading off the highway.

"Sacramento Zoo?" Alex read out loud with a confused frown.

" _Is that not a place where they also kept apes, Rocket?_ " Orion saw the Ape Prince ask as he, Alex and Ellie rode up beside the other half of their group.

Orion quickly caught on to what this was about as Rocket nodded his head, staring up at the sign in slight apprehension. The youngest ape was quick to translate to the humans what the exchange was about before Blue Eyes went on, eyeing the balding ape with sky-coloured orbs full of hesitation.

" _Do you think we could go look?_ " The Ape Prince asked almost timidly, seemingly not wanting to offend his honorary uncle with his request.

Rocket, however, only looked at Blue Eyes from the corner of his eye before a slight smirk found its way to his lips.

" _You are the leader in this, Blue Eyes. I am only here to give advice._ " He answered, raising a brow at the young prince.

Blue Eyes seemed taken slightly aback by this response, and Orion fought to keep back a snigger at that. Meanwhile, the humans looked utterly confused, though it seemed that Alex had at least an idea of what the exchange was about.

" _But Rocket, you are still my elder! Father's second!_ " The prince protested as they made a stop where the roads split in two, the decision still not having been made by the time they reached that point.

" _And you are his son. Caesar's heir. You must learn to lead, Blue Eyes._ " Rocket signed seriously. " _If you decide we go there, we go. But the choice remains yours._ "

Orion could see that this did not sit well with his childhood friend, the concept of ordering others around and making decisions for them quite foreign to him even now. Especially when it came to someone he had always seen as an authority.

In the end, however, the Ape Prince nodded and pressed his heels into his horse's ribs, pulling the reins towards the exit road as everyone else followed him. Orion explained the meaning behind the exchange as they made their way down the road towards the zoo, and the humans nodded in understanding.

Both Blue Eyes and Orion had wanted to see San Bruno Primate Sanctuary, though it hadn't been possible to go there because of the soldiers blocking their way. This, however, was bound to be a similar experience, as the young apes had also been told about the concept of zoos. A place where apes were not only held captive, but where humans had actually come to ogle at them while inside the prison.

It didn't take long for them to reach the zoo and, going around the south-eastern corner and up the road leading north, the group came upon the entrance, which stood wide open to the point that they could all get through while still mounted.

What met them once they rode into the abandoned zoo was overgrown terrain as well as buildings and enclosures in various states of disrepair. Many fences were bent and broken, and Orion could faintly spy the bones of different animals strewn across the ground. They had probably been unable to fight their way out of their cages, too weak from starvation once the humans feeding them had died off, Orion guessed.

"I think what you're looking for is over there…" Malcolm suddenly spoke after several minutes of them slowly riding around the run-down zoo, looking for enclosures that seemed similar to what Rocket had described from San Bruno.

The balding chimp took one look at the building Malcolm was pointing at and nodded curtly, his face contorting into an expression of utter distaste at the sight.

A winding path of intricate stone tiles, now overgrown with moss and weeds, led to the building Malcolm had singled out and Orion tilted his head in curiosity at the sight that met him.

It was an elongated enclosure with a dome-like structure sticking up in the middle, the metal frame encased in netting, which was mostly covered in wildly growing vegetation by now. On the ground level all around the structure was a simple roof held up by wooden beams, and on the inside were huge panels where a few panes of dirty, spotted glass still stood strong in their frames. Most of the panes had been shattered, however, which left gaping holes right into what Orion guessed must have been the large cage where they had kept the apes on display.

" _I will stay here._ " Rocket signed resolutely once it was pointed out to him, keeping well away from the enclosure. " _I have seen enough cages from the inside in my life._ "

Nobody questioned the elder ape after that statement, and Orion only shared a brief look with Blue Eyes before they both nodded and signed for Rocket to keep the horses safe while they dismounted to go and explore further. The humans decided to go with them and Rocket only seemed all too happy to stay behind and watch over their mounts while the rest of the group took a closer look at the large cage.

Orion and Blue Eyes both stepped cautiously into the large enclosure through one of the empty frames surrounding the exhibit, followed closely by the human trio as their eyes darted around the space they now found themselves in. Though largely overgrown with wild vegetation by now, Orion could easily point out the dead trees and metal beams fitted with fake branches to imitate a natural habitat, as well as the different old and dirty, but still very brightly coloured items that the apes who had once lived here had had to entertain themselves with. All around above the group were also thick ropes in various states of decay, some seemingly having rotted to the point of snapping a long time ago from being exposed to the wind and weather slipping through the netting.

Walking further into the space, Orion noticed how the back of the enclosure's walls, opposite the glass panels, were made to look like a rockface. Both he and Blue Eyes soon realised it was fake, however, when they traced their rough palms tentatively against the surface and were met with the feeling of smoothened concrete scraping harshly against the pads of their fingers.

 _At least it is not all grey and sharp_ , Orion thought, thinking about how Rocket had described his own prison. Here, they had painted the concrete and shaped it to look like nature, creases and dents having been added to the surface to make it look like a light brown, mossy rockface.

 _An illusion,_ the young ape observed. _An attempt to recreate nature. To make apes feel at home…_

It was an attempt that hardly had been made at all at San Bruno's according to Rocket and while it told Orion that these humans had at least tried to make it a home for the apes, he still couldn't imagine living out his entire life in a place like this. Much less so if he had just been let out here during daylight hours, only to be tucked away into a much smaller cage for the night.

"I think I found the way to the back!" Ellie suddenly called from outside the enclosure, having left the area to go around the outside of the building.

Blue Eyes, who had gone on to study a large cluster of ropes arranged into the pattern of a spider's web, cast a brief look towards Orion before they both went into the direction of Ellie's voice, Malcolm and Alex following suit only seconds later.

They found the human woman standing in the empty doorframe leading into the area behind the enclosure, the door itself seemingly having been torn off its hinges ages ago. It was nowhere to be found, but Orion could tell from the damage done to the frame itself that someone had forcibly opened it… From the inside.

"Are you sure?" She asked Blue Eyes once he came forth to investigate, looking at the Ape Prince with slight concern in her eyes.

His friend nodded with little hesitation, and when Ellie's gaze went to Orion next, the younger chimp did much the same. He knew it would be uncomfortable, and he would have been lying if he had claimed that the way his throat seemed to close up had nothing to do with the prospect of seeing the remnants of the apes' time as slaves.

But he had to. He knew that in his heart.

He had to _see_ this. Had to _know_.

Ellie stepped aside and they all went into the room together, Orion had to admit it was only just shy of being as depressing as he had imagined it.

True, daylight filtered through several moss-covered windows in the ceiling above, casting various hues of green and gold across the floor as they walked along the cages, and the walls and floor all consisted of bricks and tiles painted in a pale green colour – not the usual, depressing grey concrete that humans seemed so fond of.

The young ape imagined that it would have looked quite bland and sterile when the humans had still been alive to tend to it, even with the added, subtle colour, but now, mouldy spots and dirt from the outside disrupted that orderly image, trading it for one of decay and neglect.

And yet through all the layers of dirt, the broken cage doors and cracked, flaking paint on the brick walls, Orion could easily tell that _this_ … this was a prison.

The individual cages here were slightly bigger than what Rocket had described from San Bruno a few nights prior and all stood gapingly empty with their gates wide open. It was clear the occupants had left of their own accord a long, long time ago, many of the locks and hinges showing clear signs of having been pried open by force. Most of them were red and brown with rust by now, so much so that those closest to the door and windows looked about ready to fall apart if one as much as touched them.

Those better sheltered from the elements still retained some of their original, slate grey colour, and as Orion's eyes swept across the room, he tried to imagine how it must have been when they all had looked like this, coupled with the pale green walls and smooth and unforgiving tile floor.

Though it was not exactly the same image that sprang into mind as when Rocket had told of his own prison, the thought alone still had Orion frown deeply in distaste.

This was no way to live, even if it seemed like the humans here might have cared more for the apes' welfare than they had at San Bruno's…

Malcolm seemed to agree wholeheartedly.

"Tell you what, I wouldn't want to be stuck in here all my life…"

"Yeah…" Alex agreed quietly as he tampered with a mechanism that opened the metal gate leading into the big enclosure on the other side of the wall.

The old metal screeched and whined with the action, and the gate itself got stuck once it was halfway up, refusing to budge even when Alex jerked on the chain experimentally. He didn't tamper with it for long, however, choosing instead to catch up with his father as the man moved around the room.

Orion didn't blame him for his skittishness and wish to stay close to his parent. It _was_ quite creepy in here.

Tearing his eyes away from the humans, Orion turned to find Blue Eyes walking up to each and every one of the cages, his hand gently tracing the mesh within the sturdy metal framework almost as if he was afraid to touch it.

He had been extremely quiet since they had found the building, his expression a mixture between quiet astonishment and realisation.

Orion went over to his childhood friend and laid a heavy hand onto his shoulder, squeezing gently.

"I was in a cage. Like this too, once." He spoke softly, drawing the attention of both the Ape Prince and the humans around them.

Blue Eyes turned to him with a look of deep sympathy in his sky-coloured orbs as he reached up and laid his own hand over Orion's. Both the Ape Prince and the human trio knew the story of how Mother had found and freed him and Father, not being able to save the others, so they knew he must have been kept in a cage like these – it was just quite something else to be confronted with it like this, even for Orion himself.

"But I am lucky." He went on, turning his gaze back towards the dented gate in front of them as he let go of Blue Eyes' shoulder. "Because I do not remember. Unlike Rocket and Maurice and Caesar… and Father… But like them. I do not blame all humans. And I never wished the same. For them…"

The youngest chimp reached up to lay his palm flatly against the meshing of the cage, brushing off the outer layer of rust as he spoke his next words.

"We must not forget. These cages… Never… _But_ we should also remember that. They belong in the past."

Blue Eyes nodded solemnly at that, seemingly deeply affected both by what he had seen here, as well as Orion's sincere words. Then, he cracked a small smile.

"Now. You sound. Like. Maurice." The Ape Prince rasped hoarsely, not nearly as used to speaking as Orion.

It served to relieve some of the tension that had built among the occupants of the room, and each one dared a small smile at the comparison, Alex even going as far as releasing a subtle snigger. They all knew the wise, old ape well by now, after all, and Orion did have to admit that his words could just as well have been uttered by the orangutan back home.

He didn't mind it all too much, however. It was no shame being like Maurice. He was not Caesar's advisor for nothing, after all. The young chimp huffed out a soft laugh at his older friend's words, taking his hand off the rusty cage.

"I think that. I have seen enough… And you?" He offered while looking expectantly at his childhood friend.

It was Blue Eyes who had decided they go there – it was only appropriate that he would decide when they would leave too.

The Ape Prince did a deep inhale of air at that, followed by a heavy sigh as he closed his eyes to think on the matter for a moment. Then, his posture seemed to straighten, and he opened his eyes to take one last look around the room before turning back to Orion and nodding resolutely.

It was time they got back to the task at hand. They had found what they came to see.

"Yes. It is. Enough." He spoke just as hoarsely as before.

Orion wore a gentle smile as he nodded back at his friend and leader.

"Let us go find Rocket, then." He answered and together, the group made their way out into the open once again, putting what they had seen here behind them.

In the past, but not forgotten.


	44. Not Our Way

_**Ivy**_

Ivy had just finished sorting the roots and mushrooms she and the other females had brought home from their foraging that day, storing the fruits of their labour into several, finely weaved baskets – most of them being Ivy's own creations. She did fancy herself to be one of the best weavers in the colony, after all.

Now, being done with her assigned tasks for the day, Ivy had some time on her hands before the evening meal, which was still several hours away, and she honestly didn't quite know what to do with all this spare time.

 _If Orion had been here, I would have spent it with him…_ She thought wistfully, staring up at the giant, looming redwood trees as she exited the inner sanctum of the colony.

It had been three and a half months since he had disappeared among those trees and Ivy missed him terribly already. Their relationship had still been so new and exciting when he had left and the prospect of him being gone for a year… or two… maybe even more…

It hurt. It hurt really badly.

She didn't blame him for going, however. Blue Eyes was his best friend and had specifically asked Orion to go with him. Besides, Ivy knew that he felt a strong sense of duty towards the colony, as well as a wish to just get out there and see the world. Have an adventure and test his skills.

She could never blame him for any of that.

No, the thing that irked Ivy the most in all of this had been the fact that she couldn't go with them as well. There was no way Caesar, or anyone else for that matter, would let a young female ape join such a dangerous quest.

She huffed sourly at the thought as she made her way towards one of the bigger clearings in the forest surrounding the colony. Since she had nothing better to do, she might as well go and watch Lydia instruct the males in how to use a bow and arrow. She did that every afternoon ever since they had perfected the art of making the weapon, which had taken about two months of constant trial and error, several apes painstakingly carving, binding and stringing the wood until they found a method that ensured the bows didn't break. Good thing they had had Lydia's original bow to work from – otherwise it might have taken even longer to figure out.

Ivy sighed as she pushed through the bushes, several leaves breaking off the branches and falling to the ground as she did so. It was autumn now, and the forest was shedding its brown and golden vegetation to prepare for the wintery months to come. Soon, it wouldn't be nearly as safe to move through the forest without the protecting camouflage of the greenery and the females' foraging would be limited to the bare minimum. It was good that the apes were learning a new hunting method.

Ivy had a suspicion that it would come in very handy this winter.

The sound of Lydia's instructing soon caught the young female's ear and she emerged to find the human woman walking behind a row of about sixteen males, most of them around Ivy's age or slightly older, as she explained the best stance when drawing the weapon.

The young female ape pursed her lips and sat on top of an old log at the edge of the clearing, observing the lesson intently.

She was baffled with how few of them were able to follow Lydia's instructions properly. Had they not all been present at one point or another when Lydia had taught Malcolm, Ellie and Alex the same thing?

 _Stand squarely but not tensely, feet parallel to the target and use your back when drawing the bowstring – not your arms_ , Ivy cited in her mind, reaching up to twirl the lonely, silver braid at the side of her head between her nimble fingers. She rested her other arm across her thighs, slouching forward as she observed the lesson taking place in front of her.

 _I bet I could do it_ , she thought dejectedly, looking on as the males continued to struggle.

Really, sometimes, Ivy wished she was a human like Lydia. Nobody questioned the fact that _she_ would go on hunts, even all by herself, or wield weapons or guard the colony like any of the ape males did.

And the young female ape was sure that, had Lydia not been needed here, nobody would have spared it a second thought if she had elected to go with Blue Eyes, Rocket and Orion.

It wasn't like Ivy was completely oblivious to the disadvantages Lydia faced by being human, though. She was well-aware that not everyone had been too fond of the woman when she had first arrived here, and she knew that there were many things Lydia couldn't do simply because she didn't have the same physique as the apes. She couldn't climb trees as well as them, for example, which was why she couldn't take part in the hunts the apes went on. Also, many thought her habits and mannerisms to be strange, though nowadays most had accepted them as being part of how Lydia was and hardly took notice of it.

Still, Ivy envied the freedom that came with falling outside any set category. Being female, but not an ape. Being a hunter, but not a male. Being a wise elder, but also playful and young.

Lydia was all those things, and though Ivy did treasure her life within the colony, she wished she could be as well.

The young ape female tugged thoughtfully at her little braid at that notion.

Why couldn't she be? Orion was used to his mother being that way, stubborn and brash, and he had even said that he appreciated that in Ivy as well. How she was able to stand up for herself.

Maybe she should do that now? Insist she be allowed to at least try? Chances were that Lydia would actually agree to it. She was, after all, the mother of Ivy's… well, _intended_ mate, and Orion _had_ asked Ivy to try and look after his mother while he was gone.

Maybe this could even be something for them to bond over?

And with that encouraging thought in mind, Ivy steeled herself and slid off the old log she had been sitting on before making a beeline across the clearing towards the dark-haired woman.

"No, No, Coal, you're overdrawing again." Lydia instructed one of her students as Ivy approached, the young male with pitch-black fur completely missing the target once he let the arrow fly as a result of his mistake. "Remember, only pull until the string is by your nose or cheek and no further… Oh, hey Ivy! What a nice surprise! Did you all finish gathering in the forest?"

Ivy nodded somewhat shyly in reply. It wasn't like she hadn't spoken to Lydia before or anything. She, like most other ape children in the village, had quite enjoyed crawling all over the woman, seeing as Lydia was slightly more tolerant of this sort of thing than most of the adult apes.

It was just… different now, somehow, after she had become her… what was the term? Mother-in-law? Yeah, Ivy believed that was it.

She eyed the targets painted onto the trees a few yards away, pointedly avoiding the curious gazes that had shifted in her direction when Lydia had spoken to her. They seemed utterly confused as to why she was here, one or two even raising a brow at her.

It only served to strengthen Ivy's resolve – she was going to do this!

"Can I try?" She asked Lydia in a soft voice, inclining her head towards the training field Lydia had set up.

The woman in front of her looked slightly taken aback by the question, her brows raised as she looked down at Ivy in mild surprise. She was just about to answer when someone else spoke up, much to Ivy's annoyance.

"Why? You will. Not fight. Or hunt." One of the males, a gorilla named Ripple, spoke gruffly from a few yards away, several of the other males nodding along at his statement.

" _Not strong enough._ " Signed Hillock, an older ape who had joined the lesson as well. " _Should tend to colony. Not to war._ "

"I still want. To learn." Ivy protested defiantly, a frown marring her delicate features as she regarded the apes opposing the idea. "I can do more. To tend to the colony."

" _It is not the way of apes._ " Hillock argued, though he didn't look annoyed. Only slightly exasperated as he shook his head at Ivy, almost as if to show how naïve he thought she was.

Before Ivy could say anything else to defend her right to learn, Lydia spoke up, her tone even more defiant than Ivy's had been.

"And using a bow and arrow is? Because I don't remember anyone here besides me using them until quite recently and look at you all now." She challenged, arms crossed underneath her breasts as she regarded the ape males with a raised brow.

Ivy didn't want anyone to get into an argument because of her, and she was honestly quite used to fighting her own battles. Her own mother had even voiced her concern about Ivy ever being able to find a mate with such a wilful spirit to her.

"But Ivy. Is female!" Coal pointed out, making Ivy grind her teeth in agitation. It was _always_ because she was a female! It was the only argument they ever used! "Females take care. Of the young… Gather roots… Make baskets… Prepare food."

The dark-haired woman raised a brow at her student, her expression utterly unimpressed.

"I'm female too, remember? Have you seen _me_ do even half of those things? There are many other ways a female can be useful to the colony, Coal. And why should Ivy or Tinker or Rain, or _anyone else_ for that matter, not be allowed to learn just because of that?" Lydia shot back at the young ape, her voice calm and collected, though Ivy could see her blue eyes were burning with barely-contained indignation on her behalf.

" _But you are not_ _ **ape female**_ _, Lydia._ " Hillock signed gently but firmly. " _It is different with you._ "

At that, some of the younger apes hesitated to agree, Ivy was pleased to note. Many of them had grown up with Lydia as an authority figure like any of the adult apes, and besides, the vast majority of them quite liked the human woman. Nobody wanted to get on the wrong foot with her.

There were still a low murmur of agreement following Hillock's statement, however, though when Ivy looked to the human once again, there was no trace of malice to be found in her expression.

"Yes, you're quite right, Hillock," Lydia replied calmly, tapping her index finger lightly against her arm – a sign of slight irritation, Ivy interpreted. "For starters, I am physically much weaker than most, if not _all_ of the ape females in the colony."

Ivy anticipated the backhanded insult before any of the males in front of them did and had to fight hard to hold back a very unfeminine snort of laughter when several of them visibly blanched as Lydia continued to make her point.

"And yet, _I'm_ the one out here, training all of _you_ in how to use a weapon."

The silence and embarrassed huffs that followed the woman's words only seemed to underline what she had said. After a few seconds with no one challenging her arguments further, Lydia smirked in satisfaction, turned around and picked up one of the bows not being used, as well as a quiver full of arrows while she was at it.

Then, she handed the items to Ivy.

"Now, how about we let the young lady try, shall we?" She spoke with a bright smile as she regarded Ivy, eyes full of encouragement.

The young female practically beamed right back at the taller woman and immediately took the weapon offered to her, moving to stand in front of one of the unused targets.

"I assume you've heard enough of my ranting to remember what to do?" Lydia inquired, and Ivy looked back to see her standing a few feet behind her, her arms crossed underneath her breasts and resting most of her weight on one leg as she observed Ivy. She seemed completely relaxed and utterly confident that Ivy was going to prove these males wrong and the silvery female chimp felt a surge of joy and respect rush through her at this realisation.

Here was someone who, like Orion, not only accepted the fact that she was different and wanted to learn things that weren't necessarily stereotypical for her gender, but who actually _encouraged_ it and was willing to fight for her right to do so.

And Ivy was determined not to disappoint. It simply wasn't an option now that someone had put so much stock in her abilities.

She nodded with a serious look on her face and turned back to the task at hand, inhaling deeply as she prepared for what she was about to do. She knew all eyes were on her, the majority of the onlookers more than just a little critical of her even being allowed to do this in the first place.

And it was that fact which made that familiar rush of defiance surge through her, prompting her to finally get into position and lifting the bow the way she had seen Lydia do it.

 _Feet parallel to the target. Square, not tense. Back does the job – not the arms._

The words went repeatedly through her head like a mantra as she began to draw her bow, eyes locked at the target.

 _Don't overdraw – pull only to the nose or cheek_ , she remembered Lydia's words to Coal from before, pulling back until the bowstring was right where Lydia had said it should be.

The woman herself said nothing, as opposed to what she had done with all the other apes. Ivy took as a good sign and looked to the target several yards away from her instead.

 _And try_ _ **not**_ _to try…_

The words Lydia had spoken to Malcolm all those months ago lingered in Ivy's mind as her emerald orbs focused on the painted circles on the tree, and she calmly exhaled as she let go of the sleek arrow between her fingers.

It soared through the air with a prominent 'whoosh' and Ivy's eyes widened in utter surprise when it actually hit the target – and not just one of the outer rings either, but right beside the bullseye, on the part of the bark that was not covered in the apes' white war paint.

It was closer to the centre of the target than most of the other apes present had managed to shoot after several tries.

The silence that followed from the onlookers was nerve-wracking for the young female chimpanzee, right up until the point when Lydia decided to voice her opinion on the matter.

"Excellent, Ivy! I can see a certain someone has been paying close attention!" She exclaimed enthusiastically, uncrossing her hands to place her hands on her hips, head held high and an expression that Ivy could only describe as utter pride across her features.

"Now, how about you give it another go so we can say for sure that it wasn't just beginner's luck, huh?" The human woman continued to speak, followed by several hoots of agreement from the males just beside her.

"I can try." Ivy agreed hastily, moving to do the same thing one more time.

And proving beyond all doubt that it wasn't just beginner's luck, as her next arrow struck just shy of the second-to-outer ring – a worse shot than her previous one, but still extremely good for someone who had never held a bow before, much less knocked and loosened an arrow from it.

And Lydia made sure to tell her that, almost making Ivy's ears turn red at the praising words she received.

And the males… Well, they seemed quite impressed, if a little put out by the fact that they had been outdone by a female.

The only one who really seemed to still have a problem with this after Ivy's display was Ripple, who scoffed and looked to Lydia with an exasperated expression on his face.

"She is still. Not going. To use it, Lydia." He argued once again. "Females. Do not. Hunt. Or fight."

Lydia merely raised a slender, dark brow at the young ape, almost as if to ask him if he was really going to continue to try and argue with her.

"Oh yeah? Let's say this war with the soldiers down in the city draws out and we will have to send all the males to fight, even the young ones like yourself – who is going to feed the colony then, Ripple? Or do you think we'll all be fine living on mushrooms, roots and berries?"

The young gorilla frowned at the question, clearly not having though as far as that. He didn't give up immediately, though.

"There are. Also fish." He countered meekly and, surprisingly, Hillock spoke up in support of Lydia's argument now.

" _It is mostly males' task too, Ripple._ " The older chimp signed, his movements slow and deliberate. Then, he turned back to Lydia once more, an expectant look in his hazel eyes. " _I assume you will discuss this with Maurice? And Caesar too?_ "

At that, Lydia smiled knowingly at the oldest chimp, casting a quick, appreciative glance at Ivy before returning her gaze to Hillock and answering with a obvious hint of pride in her voice.

"Seeing how quick of a study this one is, you can bet I'm going to discuss this with them! Besides, I think we can all agree that it's a good idea that the females are able to defend the colony in the males' absence, right?"

Ivy was surprised to see that every single ape present, even Ripple, nodded at that and she turned towards the human woman with an expression of open admiration. All she had wanted when she had come here was to try out the weapon, really – she had never, in her wildest dreams, imagined that Lydia would manage to not only have her be part of the lesson, but want to make it an opportunity for the other females in the colony as well!

Of course, it would only happen if Caesar approved of it. Then again, the Ape King seemed to take Lydia's counsel very seriously and besides, even if he ended up not approving of the idea, Ivy was certain Lydia would still be willing to at least teach _her_.

"So… Shall we continue the lesson, everyone?" Lydia spoke with a hint of mirth in her voice and everyone immediately went back to what they had been doing, seemingly more motivated than ever after having witnessed Ivy's display.

And the young female chimp couldn't help the subtle smile that appeared on her face as she joined the lesson in earnest.

 _Oh, if only Orion could see me now!_ Ivy thought excitedly as she knocked another arrow and let it fly towards the target just like the other ones had, hitting the top of the second-to-middle ring on the tree.

It ended up being the greatest afternoon she had had in three and a half months.

* * *

 _ **Maurice**_

"I do not think it wise, Lydia." Caesar spoke with a soft frown on his face as he regarded the woman, his hands grasping each other loosely in his lap.

Him, Maurice and Lydia were sitting together in a quiet corner of the main cave of the colony, as requested by the woman herself. She was not a member of the Royal Ape Council and as such, this was by no means an official council meeting.

 _She ought to be a member, though_ , Maurice thought. Lydia had much to contribute with and besides, the old orangutan knew that Caesar often took her opinion into account either way. It really was a wonder that she had not been made an official council member yet, even if she _was_ a human – especially seeing as with Koba's betrayal and the departure of Rocket and Blue Eyes, the council had shrunk considerably. The scarred bonobo was dead, and Stone and Grey had lost their positions due to their involvement in the betrayal, the latter leaving the colony with what was left of Koba's followers.

Add Blue Eyes and Rocket's absence to that, and the Royal Ape Council, as of right now, only really consisted of Maurice, Luca, Tinker, who had taken Cornelia's place when it came to organising the females' tasks, and then the Ape King himself.

And quite honestly, Maurice thought it might be prudent to have someone on the council who was franker with Caesar than even the orangutan himself was. Someone who was forward, even brash when the situation called for it, but still loyal and able to come up with new ideas that could help the colony to survive this difficult time.

 _Lydia fits that description perfectly_ , the wise orangutan mused quietly, observing the conversation as it unfolded before his keen eyes.

"Come on, it can't be _that_ much of a problem, Caesar." Lydia spoke, rolling her eyes at the chimp.

Returning to the topic at hand, Maurice's gaze shifted between the two, quietly examining Lydia's proposition in his own mind. It certainly was an interesting, if unorthodox idea that she had presented to the Ape King and his trusted orangutan advisor.

But, Maurice had to admit, not exactly one he hadn't entertained himself prior to this conversation.

"All I'm saying is that it would be probably be best if everyone, or at least the majority of the colony, learned how to fend for themselves, _including_ the females. Is that so wrong?" Lydia explained, a frown beginning to make its appearance on her pale features.

She seemed genuinely confused by the Ape King's reaction to what she was suggesting, and Maurice couldn't help but notice the barely-visible hint of hurt within her deep blue orbs as she stared at their leader. As if Caesar was being unreasonable for having reservations about training the females in combat and the use of weaponry.

The Ape King sighed deeply, his lips set in a thin line as his green-and-golden gaze studied the woman in front of him.

"Not wrong." He replied while shaking his head. "Just not our way."

"That's _exactly_ what Hillock said earlier today and even _he_ had to agree after he saw how well Ivy took to it."

 _Ah yes, it could only have been Ivy_ , Maurice thought amusedly. Of course the young female chimp would have been the one to ask Lydia to teach her this. It had come as no surprise to the orangutan, really, when Lydia had recounted the incident from earlier today.

And it should also have come as no surprise that Lydia had indulged Ivy when she had come asking. The two were very like-minded, after all, and Maurice had a sneaking suspicion that it was part of the reason Orion had set his sights on the silver-furred female in the first place, be it a conscious decision or not.

"Females take care of the children. And the children are apes' future, Lydia." Caesar shot back patiently. "It is not their task to fight."

His speech had gotten steadily better during these past few months, and he now spoke almost without any breaks for breath.

"And with almost all the male apes out fighting, who's going to protect that future? Who, besides me, is going to hunt for meat to feed everyone? Who's going to defend us if we're ambushed?" The human woman persisted, her back straightened and her expression turning imploring as she sat in front of the Ape King.

"There are still many males here." Came his reply, a crease appearing between his brows. "Many to protect everyone still."

Lydia rolled her eyes yet again and it struck Maurice that she must believe Caesar to be quite naïve.

The elder orangutan decided to remain silent for now, though he would have to agree with the human woman on this matter. Caesar did tend to think the best of others and their intentions, and he had underestimated humans' determination to reach their goals before. This naivete had very nearly been at the cost of the entire colony in the past, and the main reason why Caesar had decided to set up the Royal Ape Council in the first place.

And yet it would seem that the Ape King still had yet to rid himself completely of this notion, even now.

As it turned out, Maurice didn't even have to voice his opinion on the matter anyway, as Lydia's next words articulated his thoughts perfectly.

" _Now_ there are, but what about six months from now? A year? Or two? Can you say for sure that there's still going to be as many males staying back to protect the colony by then? Because I find that highly unlikely."

At this, Caesar's gaze turned stern and his customary frown deepened. It was rare for him to look at Lydia like that – to be honest, Maurice had only ever witnessed it a handful of times himself, and it usually only happened when neither was willing to back down or agree on a compromise. Like when she had insisted on witnessing the king's fight with the traitorous bonobo at the human tower.

 _They are both very passionate_ , the orangutan noted.

"We do not know if it will be that long." Caesar retorted, his posture straightening in the same way Lydia's had done only moments ago as he instinctively attempted to reassert his authority. "Your task is to help us learn. How to fight against the soldiers… If you must teach _everyone_ , it will take longer still. And take more time for making more weapons. Time that should be used teaching those who _will_ need it."

Maurice sighed at that, seeing that this argument was going nowhere. _And they are both very stubborn too,_ he added to his previous statement inside his mind.

Before he could intervene and give his opinion on the matter, Lydia did an audible, slow intake of breath and closed her eyes for a brief second, almost as if to gather courage before performing a trying task. It drew the orangutan's attention immediately and had a sense or worry for the woman rise inside his chest.

It was rarely good when Lydia grew eerily silent like this.

Then she released her breath in a heavy exhale through her nose and reopened her eyes to regard the Ape King with a calculated stare.

"I've agreed not to take part in the actual fighting with the soldiers because you told me I was needed more here. Because you said I could be of more use back at the colony itself." She spoke calmly, her face a carefully-constructed mask of neutrality. "Later you asked me to teach the apes how to use bows and arrows so that we may defend ourselves and I agreed to do that too, without question… But…"

She paused for a while, seemingly choosing her next words extremely carefully, her expression stern and her eyes staring directly into Caesar's own, deep blue clashing with green and gold as she finished her sentence.

Or her ultimatum, as it were.

"I won't continue to do it if you won't give _everyone_ the opportunity learn, Caesar."

A tense silence followed in which Maurice didn't even dare give a soothing rumble to try and placate the two – Caesar in particular, whose shoulders squared at the prospect of being defied so blatantly. It was a brave move, even for someone who Caesar trusted as much as he did Lydia, since not even Maurice or Rocket openly went against the Ape Kings commands. Besides, he hadn't been truly challenged since Koba's betrayal over half a year ago and while Caesar knew that Lydia was not looking for a fight and only had the colony's best interests at heart, Maurice figured that the Ape King probably didn't appreciate her methods of persuasion.

This was only confirmed as Caesar's nostrils flared with a deep intake of breath and he stared long and hard at the human woman in front of him.

Maurice didn't exactly fear for Lydia, knowing that while Caesar did have a temper to him, he would never harm anyone for disagreeing with him – especially not any of his close friends and a female to boot. It just wasn't the Ape King's way.

Still, it didn't mean he couldn't get absolutely furious when he was openly defied like this.

To her credit, Lydia did not even flinch when faced with Caesar's angry stare, her only reaction to the large male chimp's display of authority being a hardening of her own gaze and the appearance of a slight crease between her brows.

There was no way she was backing down.

At this moment, Maurice decided that it was time for him to break this up and he released a low rumble from deep within his chest to gain the Ape King's attention. Caesar's gaze reluctantly left Lydia's in favour of looking to the old orangutan.

But if he was expecting Maurice's support, the red-furred ape was going to have to disappoint his leader.

The orangutan merely nodded his large head as he stared the Ape King in the eyes, his gaze imploring the large chimp to just give in and listen to reason. It wasn't a bad idea, to be honest. Yes, it would take more time and resources, but the possibility of it becoming a necessity could simply not be ignored.

Lydia had the right of it in this matter, plain and simple.

The Ape King's gaze quickly returned to the human woman once Maurice had made his opinion known, pursing his lips before sighing heavily, his entire posture seemingly deflating in resignation.

"Do as you will." Caesar finally gave in with one, curt nod to confirm his decision, still with a deep frown on his face.

Then, the Ape King rose from his place on the cave floor, not even sparing either of them a second glance as he stalked off towards the cave's exit by the waterfall, most likely to be alone with his thoughts if Maurice knew him well. It wasn't yet time for sleep, after all, and Cornelius was being fed by Brook, so there was nothing to hinder Caesar from going to some private place and sort his thoughts out.

And with that, Maurice was left sitting together with Lydia in silence as she, too, calmed down. It was extremely rare that the human woman and the Ape King had a disagreement, and especially one of this severity, so it was really no wonder to the old orangutan when Lydia did a tired, heavy sigh once the Caesar disappeared out of the cave.

"I hope he isn't too offended that I basically blackmailed him into agreeing to this." She said in a dejected tone, clearly not feeling good about the fact that she had gone against him in the first place and probably fearing that the Ape King's foul mood would persist.

Maurice knew it wouldn't and shook his head at the idea, the large, dark cheek flaps swaying ever so slightly with the action.

" _I don't think he is offended at all._ " He replied gently, releasing a light rumble from within his throat as he signed. " _Only concerned…_ _So much has changed already, and I think Caesar only wants to maintain what little normalcy we have left now. Don't take his anger to heart, Lydia._ "

Lydia nodded absent-mindedly beside the old orangutan, her entire posture deflating now that she did not have to stand her ground anymore and could relax once again.

"I'm not taking it to heart at all… I just honestly expected him to agree without _too_ much arguing. I mean, it's for the safety of the colony…"

At that, the orangutan fixed Lydia with a humoured look, his brows raised as he replied in sign.

" _'Without too much arguing?' From Caesar?_ " He replied amusedly, partly trying to ease the woman's mind with a bit of humour, and partly in actual surprise at the confidence she seemed to have in herself and her ability to convince the Ape King.

Lydia cracked a small, barely-there smile at the orangutan, giving a slight shrug of her shoulders.

"Is what I'm suggesting really _that_ outrages?"

Maurice shook his head, grunting.

" _No, it is not, and Caesar will come to see it as well. Just give him some time to think on it._ " He replied reassuringly, patting Lydia's arm when he finished signing.

Lydia reached up to pinch the bridge of her nose in agitation, squeezing her eyes tightly shut and groaning quietly in response to Maurice's words.

"Then what's the problem? One would think that _he_ , of all people, would be able to see the sense in everyone having the ability to defend themselves?" She spoke in an exasperated tone, removing her hand from her face to gesture towards the centre of the cave in a hopeless manner.

Following her movement, Maurice saw ape children playing rambunctiously while their mothers tended to different tasks. Meanwhile, other apes were sitting in little groups on various plateaus around the cave, doing repairs on their tools and baskets while talking together, both verbally and in sign. Apes of all ages were gathered here, going about their daily routine as the war in the forest waged on.

And seeing as most of Caesar's forces on different forest outposts had yet to return for the day, well over three quarters of these apes were females, the vast majority of them unable to use any type of weapon. Lydia's point was only all too clear to the old orangutan.

He rumbled at her words, returning his understanding gaze to the human woman.

" _I think he simply does not like thinking of the possibility that this war will continue for so long that the females would need this skill. He has already moved Blue Eyes out of harm's way… and you as well._ _But you are right – he can hardly do that with everyone here._ "

Lydia had the decency to look sheepish at the mention of Caesar actively keeping her away from the fighting, but then she crossed her arms and got an agitated look on her face.

"It doesn't really matter if he likes thinking of it or not, Maurice. It has to be taken into consideration either way."

" _And Caesar_ _ **will**_ _face it when presented with counsels like yours and mine._ " Maurice reminded the dark-haired woman with the utmost patience, receiving only a subdued, seemingly hopeless nod in reply as she stared ahead at the rushing waterfall a few yards away.

The orangutan knew Lydia to be a wise individual, and he did believe that she had the right of it in this matter. She made good points and it was only her bad luck that Caesar was too stubborn to realise it until she had had to resort to essentially blackmailing him to make the Ape King see reason.

Then again, she was probably the only one who would dare to do so – much less get away with it.

And it in was moments such as this one that the aging orangutan theorised that his king might just have a soft spot for the dark-haired woman, though he never deigned to call attention to it. It was their business, after all, and so far, they seemed to be only the best of friends.

That speculation aside, Maurice sighed deeply at Lydia's continuously dejected demeanour, shoulders slouched and eyes downcast. She had _said_ she didn't take Caesar's reaction to heart, but deep down, the red-furred ape knew she probably did anyway. She may be forward, passionate and stubborn to a fault, but she didn't like arguing with those she cared about any more than anyone else did.

He reached over and put a heavy hand onto her shoulder, squeezing it in a reassuring manner and drawing her attention back onto himself once more.

" _Leave him to mull it over for a day or two, Lydia. He will come to see that it is the right decision. We both know him well enough to know this._ "

At that, the human woman smiled ever so slightly and nodded at the orangutan.

"Thanks, Maurice… And thanks for supporting it. I know it's probably not the apes' way and Caesar doesn't want to stir things up too much right now, but… you know."

" _War is not our way either._ " The aging orangutan pointed out, returning her smile as he went on. " _And I try to always support reason, even when Caesar does not._ "

At that, Lydia seemingly couldn't help but chuckle and Maurice was glad to see that she wasn't upset or angry anymore. He had always thought a smile suited her better than a frown, anyway, as it did most people.

And he was absolutely sure Caesar would get over this little disagreement, eventually.

If for no other reason than because it was _Lydia_ he had argued with.

He _did_ have a soft spot for her, after all.


	45. No Hard Feelings

**_Lydia_**

Two weeks after their… disagreement, Lydia was out in the same clearing once more, training the apes in the art of archery.

Both males _and_ females, this time.

Granted, it had taken some cajoling, but it had turned out that many within the colony were partial to the idea. Unsurprisingly, at least to Lydia, most of the females immediately welcomed the opportunity, nodding amongst themselves before Caesar had even finished presenting the human woman's suggestion to the apes. The Ape King himself had seemed greatly surprised by this.

Of course, there were also those who did not take to the idea, even among the females. These mostly counted themselves among the older members of the colony and Lydia theorised that it was probably because they had already settled their mind on the idea of gender-segregated tasks a long time ago. It was probably all they had known since Caesar had first established the colony and so, they did not appreciate change – much like the Ape King himself.

And of course, there were plenty of males who opposed the idea, old as well as young, though not as many as Lydia had initially feared.

Those who did, however, did so vehemently.

" _So now the females will hunt. Will males be made to pick roots and mushrooms too?_ " One of the younger males, an orangutan, had signed once he was given permission to speak and Lydia had almost sighed out loud at the youth's cocky remark. It had earned him a few, approving nods as well as disgruntled huffs of agreement.

But, Lydia was pleased to note, most of the females, even those who had not agreed to Lydia's suggestion, had regarded him with frowns and sneers.

" _You have no place to insult our tasks. You make them seem unimportant, but you would not eat half as well if those roots and mushrooms were not picked at all._ " One of the elder female gorillas had risen to sign, many of her compatriots agreeing soundly and making the young orangutan cower when he saw how he had turned most of the colony's female populace against himself with his statement.

Lydia had chuckled discreetly at the scene. The thing most didn't realise when it came to the apes was that, no matter how dominant the males appeared to be, even they would think twice about messing with angry female apes – especially when faced with large groups of them.

" _Who will take care of ape children if females will hunt and fish? Who will forage?_ " Another male, a chimp, rose up to sign with challenge clear in his eyes. " _Just because a_ _ **human**_ _does it, it does not mean_ _ **apes**_ _should too._ "

The chimp had sent an obvious, pointed stare towards Lydia as he said this, as if to prove his point, though he hardly received any support once he added this to his statement. Quite the contrary, as many apes, even those opposed the idea, frowned at the poor attempt at an insult towards the human woman.

And it was at that moment Lydia knew that Caesar had forgiven her for disobeying him the day before, as the Ape King stood up from his place on the large Council Rock, his stature challenging and his gaze intimidating as he spoke to the objecting male.

"I do not require that you agree. And I accept you speaking against it. That is your right." He said in his gravelly voice, an all-too obvious warning present in his tone. "But you will _not_ insult a member of my Ape Council in front of me."

A pregnant pause had followed in the wake of Caesar's words, shock apparent on everyone's faces as realisation dawned on each and every listener present – even Lydia, who had gone completely slack-jawed as she turned to regard the Ape King, her blue eyes wide in surprise. He had told her nothing about this and as such, she was probably even more surprised than anyone else at this revelation.

Thinking about it now had Lydia shake her head in amused exasperation.

 _What an absolute_ _ **ape**_ , she thought fondly before spotting a young male doing a wrong pose as he made to draw the bowstring, and she hurried over to correct him.

Still, she had expected an uproar at the announcement Caesar had made that day, or at the very least a strong objection from the majority of the Ape Colony at the prospect of having a human on the Royal Ape Council.

And they might have, had it been anyone else than Lydia, she realised.

Of course, there had been those who felt that this wasn't appropriate either, but those were few and far between, and the ones who _did_ voice their objection did so quite meekly, most of them merely shrugging and grumbling once the shock had worn off.

All the present members of the council, while not having been informed about the decision either, fully supported it once Caesar had spoken the words, Luca nodding in approval and Tinker smiling encouragingly at the woman by her side. Maurice had raised a surprised brow at his king at first, though his expression quickly transformed into one of approval as well as he had laid a large, heavy hand onto Lydia's shoulder.

Speaking of the aging orangutan, Lydia noticed out of the corner of her eye that he had appeared in the clearing as she finished helping the struggling male, loping towards her with slow mevements as the long hair on his arms swayed with each step. She smiled brightly at the red-haired ape, casting a last look across the students she was teaching today before she walked towards him with long, easy strides.

She touched her friend's shoulder briefly in greeting and Maurice returned the gesture before he cast an approving glance towards the row of apes training with bows and arrows. Among them, as per usual, was Ivy, ever eager to practice and, in Lydia's opinion, a natural at archery. She had taken to it like a fish takes to water, and the human woman suspected that it wouldn't be long before she would ask to join her on her hunts. It would be very much like her to do so, after all.

" _Making progress, I see_." The orangutan commented with graceful movements, a satisfied look on his face. " _Let us hope Caesar will be pleased._ "

Lydia couldn't help but give a bark of laughter at that, shaking her head at the aging ape in front of her. He was endlessly loyal to Caesar, alright, but that didn't mean that he wasn't able to poke fun at the chimp's stubborn nature.

To be fair, once Caesar had seen the amount of support Lydia's proposition had received from the colony and Lydia had eyed him with an obvious I-told-you-so look, he had been able to smile about the whole thing and roll his green eyes at her in defeat.

"He's not _that_ bad, Maurice – cut him some slack." Lydia replied with a fond smile on her face, though the laughter still hadn't completely died in her throat.

Maurice lifted a brow at her, amusement playing on his face and Lydia knew, she just _knew_ that it was somehow _her_ turn to be poked fun at now.

" _That is not the attitude you had a few weeks ago, if I remember correctly._ " He signed teasingly, barely keeping the deep rumble from within his throat at bay as he continued. " _Did him making you a council member improve your opinion of him that much?_ "

Lydia's eyes widened a fraction at that.

"Are you suggesting he did it to get on my good side again?" She challenged good-naturedly, though with a hint of curiosity present in her voice. She'd had a sneaking suspicion about that herself but had yet to directly ask Caesar about it.

The aging ape huffed at that.

" _I doubt it. I have made the suggestion many times as well. But I do believe he felt he needed to make it up to you somehow._ "

At that, Lydia crossed her arms beneath her breasts as she regarded the orangutan in front of her with a thoughtful stare.

"I had the feeling that you had a say in the matter. Only you seemed so surprised when he announced it."

" _Because I was. As I said, I have suggested it before, but Caesar never seemed to think it was the right time. I had no idea he was going to do it then._ " Maurice replied with an exasperated look on his face, clearly not too impressed with having been left out of the loop by his king. The aging orangutan did always seem to know everything, after all, so it must have been slightly unnerving to be sidestepped like that. Especially by someone he knew as well as he did Caesar.

Judging from his demeanour, however, Maurice hadn't taken it too much to heart, choosing instead to look at the benefits of Caesar's actions.

" _But I am glad that he did nonetheless, though his reasons remain his own._ "

Lydia shrugged at that, returning her gaze to her students as she spoke.

"I'm happy he did too and honoured as well." Then, she returned her gaze to the orangutan with a crooked, fond smile on her face "And thanks for putting a word or two in for me on the matter."

" _I have a feeling he would have done it even without my urging. He holds you in very high regard._ " Maurice replied with a heavy shrug.

Lydia pretended not to notice the look he shot her out of the corner of his eye, teasing, yet curious. It was like he was trying to gauge a reaction from her.

And she was having none of that.

"Was there something else you wanted? It's rare for you to venture all the way out here." She swiftly danced around his words, starting on a new topic instead. "Or do you want to be an archer too, now?"

It _was_ quite odd that he was out here, after all.

He shook his large head amusedly, his flat cheeks swaying as he did so.

" _I only wanted to see how you were doing – and inform you that the evening meal is going to begin soon._ "

"What!? It's _that_ late already?" Lydia exclaimed, looking up at the sky for confirmation.

Sure enough, the light was fading – in fact, Lydia estimated that it wouldn't be long now before twilight would be upon them, and she found herself grumbling at how easily she got consumed by tasks such as this. They must have been practicing for the better part of three hours, for crying out loud!

What surprised her the most, however, was that nobody had protested or even mentioned it in passing. Not even _one_ of the apes she had been tutoring had as much as made a comment about it. They had seemed completely consumed by the lesson.

A loud rumble of a chortle left Maurice when she mentioned this to him, and he nodded at the bewildered woman in front of him, his entire body shaking as he tried to suppress his laughter.

" _The mark of a good teacher, Lydia._ " He nodded at her in acknowledgement once his laughter had subsided.

Well, at least there was that.

* * *

Later that evening, when the colony was beginning to settle down for the night and the cookfires had begun to die, Lydia sat with Caesar in the main cave, the two being the last ones left of the council after Maurice and Tinker had retired for the night, and Luca had gone to oversee the planning of outposts for the Gorilla Guard. Cornelius, meanwhile, had fallen asleep in Tinker's arms not long before the female ape had decided to go to bed herself, bringing the Ape Prince with her. She enjoyed the company of the child as much as Lydia did, and seeing as neither she, nor Caesar seemed to be going to sleep anytime soon, nobody had thought twice about it when she had brought the Cornelius with her to her own nest further inside the colony.

Lydia and Caesar had then spent the better part of an hour discussing the progress of her lessons with the apes, as well as her hunting and the continued skirmishes with the soldiers in the forest. It had been a quiet week on that front, with no casualties among the apes, so Caesar seemed less troubled this night.

As of right now, a comfortable silence had settled between them as Lydia was about to finish the task of fletching a few arrows – a tedious task, but a necessary one nonetheless. She was just glad she had something to occupy her mind with, really.

When she was about halfway done with the last arrow, she noticed the Ape King staring thoughtfully at her hands as they performed the task, his intense eyes seemingly following every little twitch of her fingers.

"Something on your mind?" She ventured, not taking her gaze off the object between her fingers. It had to be done correctly, after all, if she was to continue to provide food for the colony. A botched arrow wouldn't do.

He inclined his head towards the forest.

"Could you teach me as well?"

At that, the human woman had to divert her attention from the object between her hands, staring up at the chimp in front of her through thick lashes. He _had_ to be joking.

Only, the look on his face told her that he was as serious as ever.

" _Now?_ Caesar, it's dark outside…" Lydia protested, a soft frown appearing on her face as she finally raised her head to meet his gaze directly.

She should have known he had meant it just by the tone of his gravelly voice. Caesar rarely made such requests if he didn't intend to follow through with them.

"The moon is out and full." He replied with a brow raised at her in an almost challenging manner. "I am never here to learn during the day. And I feel like I should."

Lydia couldn't help the gentle smile that reached her lips at that, shaking her head gently in amusement at the Ape King. Even now, he was ever eager to learn and did not take no for an answer.

"You are not easily denied, are you?" The human woman sighed, though there was no trace of agitation to be found in her voice.

"Not two times in a row." He replied teasingly as he shook his head at her, his voice deep and low.

Lydia tried, and failed, to hold back the chuckle that fought its way out between her lips before raising her hand to wiggle her index finger in a reprimanding gesture at him.

"Hey! To be fair, _you_ were the one who said no when I came asking permission to teach the females."

"And you refused to teach _anyone_ else because of it." He shot back, arms folded across his chest as he looked at her expectantly, as if daring her to question his logic. If his lips hadn't been slightly curved into a subtle, teasing smirk, Lydia might have thought he was still honestly sulking about the whole incident.

Still, she couldn't help going further down that path, giving a soft groan at his words.

"You mean to say you haven't forgiven me for _that_ yet?" She asked, her lips arranged into a poorly-executed pout of mock-sadness as she tilted her head at him.

He huffed out a laugh, seemingly amused by her poor acting.

"Maybe I have not… _entirely_." Came Caesar's cryptic answer as he shot an amused glance at Lydia out of the corner of his eye.

Oh, he was in for it now!

The human woman promptly stood up at that, dusting herself off before placing her hands firmly on her hips as she stared expectantly down at the Ape King still sitting on the ground.

"Well, I'll just have to try and make amends, then. Come on." She spoke with a grin on her face, turning promptly on her heel to walk somewhat briskly towards the exit of the cave.

* * *

 ** _Caesar_**

Admittedly, after such a long time knowing her as well as he did, Caesar really shouldn't be surprised at her straight-forwardness. Even so, moments like this, when she'd promptly get straight to business without much preamble, always served to stun him for a few seconds.

As it had just now, the Ape King just sitting there, his lips slightly parted as he watched her walk away, back straight and hips swaying as she did so.

He managed to compose himself before she had gone too far, however, shaking his head at himself as he, too, got up and walked towards the exit.

It didn't take long for them to reach the clearing, Caesar nodding at the few guards they met on their way. Lydia was carrying her bow and quiver full of arrows, looking for all the world as if she was prepared for a hunt. Still, Caesar made sure to inform the guards of the purpose of their little outing, so none of them would be getting the… _wrong idea_.

 _But is it really wrong?_ Caesar questioned inside his mind, his piercing gaze once again drawn to the delicate sway of Lydia's hips as she walked on towards the training grounds with long strides.

 _It's not like we have no interest in one another._

The Ape King discreetly shook his head at himself once again. He was out here to be taught archery, not to speculate on his relationship with Lydia.

When they arrived, Lydia handed him one of the ape-made bows that they had stored inside an old log for easy access, handing it to the Ape King without further preamble.

"Okay, first you need the right grip – we don't want the arrow to slip between your fingers when you draw it." Lydia immediately began instructing, making Caesar huff amusedly at her.

"I have seen you do this before." He spoke matter-of-factly, though he didn't protest as her delicate hands reached forward to shape his fingers' hold on the arrow, her touch gentle and her eyes intent on her task.

They felt nice against his skin.

"You want me to teach you or not?" Lydia asked with a raised brow, though Caesar detected only amusement in both her tone and her expression as she looked up at him through her dark lashes, her head tilted downwards as she had begun correcting his grip on the arrow.

The Ape King pressed his lips tightly together into a line in an effort to keep from chuckling and nodded his head in the affirmative.

"That's what I thought." She winked at him with a crooked smile playing on her lips before going back to the task at hand.

Was she flirting with him? Or was it just her usual, teasing self he was experiencing right now?

Perhaps he had spent so many days away from the colony that he'd forgotten?

Once she was satisfied with his hold on the weapon, Lydia instructed Caesar on how to position his arms before he would begin actually shooting at targets, the Ape King listening intently as she explained and he tested out the flexibility of the bow and string. They seemed easy enough to pull for him, though he was certain that, had Lydia not already been practiced in the art of archery, she might have had trouble with it.

Soon, she nodded and urged him over to one of the improvised shooting ranges the apes had set up, choosing one of the painted targets for him. Caesar estimated the distance to the target from where he stood to be about 25-35 yards, which, judging from the distance of some of the other ranges, was about medium.

"You seem confident in me…" The large chimp commented amusedly, a heavy brow raised at the woman in front of him. "I have never used this weapon before, Lydia."

"What happened to 'I have seen you do this', huh?" She challenged, arms crossed beneath her breasts as she cocked her hip cheekily to the side, smirking at him. He still couldn't decide if her demeanour was flirtatious or if his mind only chose interpreted it that way. "Besides, no one but me is out here to see if you happen to screw up, so you don't have to worry about that."

Caesar grimaced and released a curt huff at her words, rolling his eyes when she began chuckling at his reaction.

"You'll do fine, Caesar – as long as you do as I say, that is." Lydia went on, her tone now reassuring as she reached out her hand. "Now, want me to demonstrate first?"

He nodded and looked on as she gently took the weapon out of his hands, moving to stand with her back to him and getting into position. He appreciated her consideration, he really did – he was a quick study, but he did prefer to have the opportunity to observe an action if he was to copy it later on, rather than simply having it explained. She seemed to take this into consideration when teaching him – like any good teacher would.

If only he had been able to focus properly on what she was doing. Something that seemed to be extremely difficult for Ape King at the moment, what with the way he was made to openly study her form – he had a strong feeling that it was all the wrong things he was paying attention to.

Like her long, slender, deerskin-clad legs planted firmly beside each other as she took her stance. Her shapely hips and rounded buttocks, accentuated by her low-riding pants and belt. Her strong, straight back and squared shoulders as she drew the bowstring back.

The soft, barely-audible exhale she did right before she released the arrow.

It was only when said arrow pierced the bark of the redwood tree several yards away, a dull 'thump' following as it hit its mark, that Caesar was pulled from his thoughts and made aware of the fact that he really hadn't payed enough attention. At least not enough to be able to sufficiently imitate Lydia's pose and technique, in any event.

He said nothing of it when she turned and asked if he got it all, however, very much aware that he would probably end up doing the same thing once more if he asked her to demonstrate everything again. He would just have to remember all the other times he had seen her do it. When his mind hadn't been focused on… other things.

"So, let's see what you can do." Lydia spoke encouragingly, handing him the bow and another arrow from the quiver she had brought over and dropped on the ground beside them.

Bracing himself, Caesar took the items offered to him, went about adjusting his grip like she had showed him earlier and took his stance in front of the target.

He could literally _feel_ her eyes going over his form, studying him intently as he got into position. He lifted the weapon and, making sure the arrow was placed correctly within his grip, started drawing back the bowstring.

Caesar knew he had done it all wrong the moment he let go of the arrow. It flew through the air, alright, but was completely off its mark, going way past the redwood tree and disappearing into the darkness of the forest with a pathetic 'whoosh', never to be seen again.

When the two looked back at each other after the arrow had irrevocably disappeared, Lydia only took a brief moment to look at him before she shrugged her shoulders, a good-natured smile on her full lips.

"Well, you're not overdrawing, so that's a start." She said simply, and Caesar could only laugh at her positivity. She directed him to start over again with another arrow, and the Ape King did as he was bid.

"Hold it there. Don't shoot just yet." Lydia told him once he had knocked the primitive arrow, and the large chimp held perfectly still as the human woman began to circle him.

There was something about the way she had said those words, a hint of softness in her voice that made Caesar hyperaware of everything around him. The distant calling of the crickets, the pale moonlight shining down on the two of them, the sound of her careful steps across the soft forest floor beneath them both.

He could sense her standing right behind him, and yet the Ape King still jumped ever so slightly in surprise when he felt something warm lie flatly against his back, right against his spine.

"You have to straighten up a little." She spoke gently as her soft palm splayed against his back, below his shoulder blades.

Caesar immediately complied, pushing his shoulders back against her touch.

He hadn't witnessed many of Lydia's lessons since Malcolm and his family had first been taught, and the instructions that Caesar _had_ manage to remember all but disappeared from his mind when he had felt her touch his back.

There was nothing for him to fall back on now. No half-forgotten memory he could desperately pull information from as he stood here. No past experience with this task which would help him get it right on his own.

No. There was nothing but her gentle instructions, spoken in a voice which somehow seemed to grow more hushed with every word she uttered.

"Good. Now, reposition your feet." Lydia went on, moving to put both hands on his hips, her palms warm and her grip firm as she tugged him into the correct stance. Caesar resisted the tingle that threatened to go through his pelt at her touch. "That's better. Let your back do the work as you pull."

Her hand returned to his back, her fingertips grazing his fur ever so slightly as she slid it up to rest right between his shoulder blades, presumably so she could feel how they drew against each other as he pulled the bowstring.

Caesar stopped the movement when the string was by his cheek, drawing in a _very_ calculated breath as he did so. It was incredibly hard to concentrate on doing this right when she was touching him like… _this_.

And her voice… Well, her voice had become so hushed now that it was like velvet to his ears. It seemed like she didn't want to break his concentration by speaking too loudly, though all it really did was make Caesar stand completely still in anticipation at her proximity.

All the Ape King knew was that it stirred something within him. A certain tingling within his gut, not unlike the feeling of strands of grass gently brushing against one's fingers.

It was so distracting that he must have forgotten to maintain his posture. At least that was what Caesar managed to deduce when her voice sounded once again.

"Back straight, Caesar…" She instructed lowly, her face only inches from the back of his neck, breath tickling the hairs there as her hand went further down to that spot just below his shoulder blades to guide him.

He could feel how her fingers gently splayed out against the expanse of his back, feeling for the muscle underneath his fur to make sure they did the work while the heel of her hand put a gentle pressure on his spine to straighten him.

The Ape King exhaled slowly, letting her hand ground him as he took aim.

"Now," Lydia's voice sounded beside his ear. "you're ready to let go."

And so he did.

His fingers released their hold on the bowstring and the arrow was thrust forward with incredible force, swiftly piercing through the air until it hit the painted redwood tree with a resounding 'thump'. It struck the innermost ring, just outside the circle that marked the bullseye of the target.

Caesar's mouth parted slightly in mild astonishment – he really hadn't expected to even hit it, especially not with Lydia's distracting presence just behind him to divide his focus.

"Excellent, Caesar!" She exclaimed happily, though her voice was still slightly hushed as she patted his back.

Then the hand completely disappeared as she took a step back from him, probably to give him some space now that her guidance was no longer needed.

It was like an icy handprint had suddenly appeared on his back, the night air hitting the spot where her warm palm had been only moments before, and Caesar immediately missed the sensation. It was not often the two of them touched.

Come to think of it, he didn't really get to feel anyone's touch these days, save for when Cornelius huddled up against his chest as they slept.

The Ape King turned around to face the human woman behind him and was met with her beaming, blue eyes and a proud smile as she looked at him. The pale moonlight cast a soft, cool glow across her features and made her look almost ethereal.

She was beautiful as always.

"You are a good teacher…" He spoke lowly, not breaking eye contact as he stepped forward to shorten the gap between them.

"I'm glad you think so…" Lydia answered in a similar tone as she stared back with lidded eyes, her expression turning thoughtful as he held her gaze.

He was less than half a foot away from her now, so close he could feel her warm breath across his face. Close enough to get a whiff of her scent, heady and alluring as it drew him in. Close enough to see how her pupils dilated ever so slightly and her full lips parted as he got nearer.

The Ape King hadn't even noticed how his own green-and-golden eyes had become hooded, nor how his heart pounded ferociously inside his chest as anticipation took hold of him. Her touch from before, her low and gentle voice as she had instructed him, had reminded him of just how much he wanted this woman in front of him.

The bow in his hand dropped to the ground with a subdued clatter as Caesar let go of it to reach his hand up to her face, the need to feel the soft skin of her cheek against his palm almost overwhelming him. She didn't flinch at the sound at all. Didn't even take her eyes off the king's own as his hand gently moved upwards. Their shallow breaths mingled when his face was only inches from hers, and he could see all the subtle change in her beautiful features.

There was the obvious anticipation present in her deep, blue orbs, but... The large chimp could also sense a certain trace of hesitation – a twitch of her lip, a tremble in her breath.

And a sudden voice sounded inside Caesar's own mind then, persistently telling him that this wasn't right. That it was too soon.

And a wave of guilt washed over him.

It prompted him stop his hand before it touched her face, only for it to hover a fraction of an inch from her cheek as the Ape King was suddenly gripped by uncertainty.

He craved closeness.

He craved _her_.

But…

His hand retracted several inches away from her face, closing into a loose fist as his lips formed a thin line.

"Caesar…" Came Lydia's quiet voice, tainted with confusion at his behaviour.

"I apologise." The Ape King spoke softly, turning his head to the side and breaking eye contact at last. "I thought I was… ready to let go."

A deep sigh left him, making his broad shoulders slump with the action. What was he even thinking?

 _You are lonely_ , that same voice from before sounded inside his mind. _You are moving too fast because you cannot stand it._

"Oh, Caesar…" He heard her say, her tone laced with sympathy and… was it affection? He didn't quite know if he was interpreting _anything_ correctly right now. That, and he had let himself get caught up in the moment, thinking he could put his conflicted emotions aside.

A soft hand came up to rest against his cheek and Caesar turned his head to stare back at the human woman once more, a hopeless look on his rugged face.

"Please, don't be like that, okay?" Lydia spoke gently, brushing his cheek with her thumb. "I think I got a bit carried away too, but… I don't think either of us is quite ready to let go just yet."

Caesar leaned into her touch, sighing once again before he nodded in acknowledgement of her words.

He was surprised, however, when she pulled his face forward and placed her forehead against his own, closing her eyes slowly as she did so. It was the first time she had initiated this gesture between them, and Caesar could only marvel at how natural it felt to him.

And even though it wasn't the closeness he had originally intended when he first reached out to touch her, it seemed to be just what he needed. It grounded him in a way he hadn't felt for a long time, and Caesar did a soft exhale and closed his eyes once the initial surprise had passed.

She grabbed his hand, the one he had retracted from her face, and laced her fingers with his own, but did nothing to pull him further into her touch.

For the two of them, this was enough… for now.

"Still want me to teach you?" Lydia's voice sounded gently, and Caesar reopened his green-and-golden eyes to see that she was looking at him with a soft smile, her forehead still pressed to his own.

Despite what had just happened, Caesar managed to return the smile, accompanied by a low chuckle.

Really, this woman just had a way of making him feel good, even when he thought he had messed up…

"If you are still willing to do so." He replied in his usual, baritone voice, pulling back from the intimate gesture to stare at her with fond eyes.

She scoffed good-naturedly at that.

"I think I could be convinced." Came her teasing reply, and she winked at him before picking up the weapon he had so unceremoniously dropped moments before.

Then she passed him, took an arrow out of the quiver on the ground and got into position to shoot once again, to demonstrate, Caesar assumed.

"And try not to stare at my ass this time, okay."

And though Caesar would readily admit that he was slightly embarrassed at having been caught red-handed, he couldn't help letting out a deep chuckle at her request.

"I cannot promise you this." He retorted teasingly, the moment from before easily shoved into the back of his mind. "But I will try."

And with that, the arrow was released, piercing through the air as their lesson resumed.


	46. Helping Those In Need

_**Orion**_

The steady rhythm of his horse's even steps were meditative to Orion as he and his two companions made their way across the, thankfully, even terrain.

It had been five months since they had left the Ape Colony, and about four months since they had left Malcolm and his family back at the city of Sacramento.

It had been a heartfelt farewell for everyone involved – even Blue Eyes, who had warmed up considerably to the trio during their stay with the apes, and then by spending time with them in those three weeks it had taken to reach the city where the apes were to leave them.

Even now, Orion remembered the separation like it had only been yesterday that it had happened.

An hour or two after they had left the zoo, their little group had stopped just before they reached the city centre, when Malcolm had begun to recognise the area and told them that the human colony wouldn't be far now.

And there had been plenty of evidence that humans had at least been around, which had prompted the group to proceed with caution. Judging by how they had reacted back at San Francisco, everyone had agreed that it was probably not a good idea to bring the apes with them to the humans here, should there be any left.

Malcolm had explained that the human colony in Sacramento was separated between three areas, with their base of operations being situated in a place called California State Capitol Museum, wherever that was. Orion had little concept of this, as the only time he had been in a human city prior to this moment had been those days he had spent as Koba's prisoner back in San Francisco together with Caesar's other followers.

"What is a museum?" He had asked Alex, puzzlement clear on his features. He had never heard that word before in his life.

"It's a place where they keep old stuff, basically." The human teen had explained. "Like bones of animals, if it's a museum for history of nature… Or the history of humans… which usually means history about all the wars we've fought with each other."

That last bit had sounded… dreadful. Though Orion had been able to see the purpose in such a place. Mother had always told him that it was important to know about the past, if for nothing else than to not make the same mistakes over and over.

Then, another question came to mind.

"Why have a colony in such a place?" Orion had frowned.

It had been Malcolm who had answered that question.

"Buildings like that are very easy to recognise from a distance, and it's somewhere people can gather in large groups. That, and I think they wanted to have something to remind them of what once was."

That had made sense to Orion too and had made him think about Mother as well. She had also said that humans clung to the idea that they were superior and that they wanted to go back to that time. It made Orion kind of sad to think that these people in Sacramento might be like that as well – it couldn't be very healthy to want something seemingly unattainable that desperately.

They had stopped a couple of streets away from the place Malcolm had spoken of, the three humans looking in the direction of the building for any signs of life – be it smoke, the sound of engines or even shouts – anything to indicate that some members of their own species were still here.

Even if they hadn't seen anything which definitely proved that humans were still around from that far away, Malcolm had seemed to remain optimistic as he turned his gaze towards the three apes once more, telling them that he thought the trio would be fine from this point on.

"So… I guess this is goodbye, huh?" The grown human male had said once everyone had dismounted, holding on to the reins of his steed as he reached forward to shake Blue Eyes' hand as he had done Caesar's several weeks prior.

The Ape Prince had seemed taken aback by the gesture at first and looked back and forth from Rocket to Malcolm, as if he was expecting the human to shake hands with the elder ape first.

Rocket, seeing Blue Eyes' hesitation, had released an amused chuff and signed to the younger ape.

" _See? Even the humans know you are the leader here! Don't be rude!_ "

Orion hadn't been able to keep back a chuckle at the exchange, earning himself a half-hearted glare from the Ape Prince before he turned back to Malcolm and took his hand to shake.

"Yes… And. Thank you. For helping. Father." The Ape Prince had managed to grind out with difficulty, surprising humans as well as apes.

Sure, he had the ability to speak, but he didn't practice it nearly as much as Orion did, preferring instead to sign whenever possible.

It would seemed, however, that Blue Eyes had thought it appropriate in this situation – something Orion could only agree with. These people had tried their best to prevent conflict between apes and humans, and even when the entirety of the Ape Colony had actively hunted them, they had had it in their hearts to save the Ape King, not knowing if he would be able to overcome those who opposed him if he recovered from his wound.

Malcolm had smiled after the initial surprise as the Ape Prince's words had worn off, giving the young ape's hand a firm shake.

"It was a pleasure to get to know you all." He had said then, letting go so that he could turn to Rocket and Orion with the same gesture.

Ellie had actually given all of them a quick, but no less sincere hug, telling them how glad she was to have been able to spend so much time with them all and how much she was going to miss them.

Orion couldn't help the lump that appeared in his throat as Alex came forth next, hoisting the strap of his ever-present satchel further up onto his shoulder as he stood in front of the two adolescent apes.

"Thanks for being such cool friends." He had said with no small amount of emotion in his voice, though he had done his best not to let it show in front of his father and step-mother. "I've had loads of fun with you guys. You're the best."

Then, he had reached his arm forward to grab Orion's and the two had bumped shoulders – like the human teen had showed him that male friends of his species would sometimes do. He did the same with Blue Eyes before going to Rocket and receiving a firm handshake and a friendly hand on his shoulder.

Orion had been loath to say goodbye to the human teen, who he had formed such a strong friendship with.

He remembered the first time he had heard talk of the young human as his mother had described the group. It was a day or two after they had first arrived in the forest and Orion's interest had immediately been piqued at the mention of an adolescent human boy. He had wondered if they would have something in common. If Orion's upbringing with a human mother would aid him in forming a connection with this person.

The meeting of the two species had occupied his mind immensely. True, Mother was human, and she did have some quirks and habits which were related to that fact – but she had sworn off her own kind long ago, before Orion had even been placed in her care, and so the only human he had ever known was _her_.

And to his joy, he and Alex had connected almost immediately, the boy seemingly just as curious as Orion himself had been – if a bit wary and shy in the beginning. The two had shared so much about themselves and their lives that Orion now felt he knew the human boy almost as well as he did Blue Eyes. He had learned so many things about humans and their world before they got sick and the apes got smart. Things that Mother had never deigned to tell him about.

Like how people used to need all kinds of permissions for using things around them, things of their own invention, like cars and guns. Or how it had been possible for them to communicate across vast distances all around the world using phones, computers and radios – devices Orion had little to no idea of what was.

He had even been told that one needed to acquire their home and the land it was on from others. Like a roof above one's head was a commodity and not a given right. None of the three had been able to explain why that was the case and asking Mother later on hadn't helped either. She had _tried_ , which he appreciated a whole lot, but in the end she, too, had merely shrugged and replied that it was just how the system had ended up being.

It didn't make sense to him. All it really did was make him grateful that he lived in a society where something like that wasn't a problem at all. The apes simply chose their own living quarters, built their own huts and worked together to survive.

Human society seemed very complicated and flawed to Orion, and he almost felt dizzy just thinking about it all.

He hoped life in the Sacramento Colony wouldn't be quite as complicated for the human trio they had left behind, that's for sure.

 _If there was even anyone left for them to find_ , Orion pondered worriedly.

They hadn't seen anyone at all, but Malcolm had seemed quite hopeful as they had parted ways.

The three humans had elected to stay dismounted for when they would approach the colony and had all been standing in the middle of the road with their reins in hand as the apes had jumped back onto their own horses.

"Good luck you guys." Malcolm had spoken in a warm, albeit shaky voice as he bid them farewell in that eerily empty street. "I hope you find what you're looking for."

Orion had cast one last look at the humans as the apes had nodded and turned their horses down the road leading east, making eye contact with Alex and signing goodbye to him over his shoulder. The teen, having learned some rudimentary signs, had mirrored the gesture with a sad smile.

Orion hated goodbyes. With a passion.

They made his chest tighten uncomfortably and his stomach churn with anxiety. They always had.

The knowledge that he would probably never see these people ever again only made it worse. It was different with Mother and Ivy and everyone else back at the colony. He had known from the beginning that his group intended to return to them and that he would see them again – no matter how long it took.

Honestly, he would have liked these humans to stay with the apes – they had done so for three months, four if one counted the weeks they had spent together with Orion, Rocket and Blue Eyes on the road. Would it really have been such a bad thing for them to stay? After all, Mother had been able to make a life for herself with the apes, so why couldn't Malcolm, Ellie and Alex do the same?

But even as the thought had struck him, Orion had realised it wasn't an option. Mother may have rejected human society long ago and was able to live happily with this decision, but that didn't mean that these three people could do the same.

Besides, with the apes going to war with those soldiers down in the city, Orion knew that it was safer for them if they left.

It still didn't mean he had to like it, though.

Just as that thought passed his mind, Blue Eyes gave a hoot of concern beside him.

It drew Orion from his memories and musings immediately and he looked up to meet the Ape Prince's sky-coloured stare.

" _Are you well, Orion?_ " He asked, worry colouring his features.

On his other side, Rocket, too, was looking at him in much the same manner.

The youngest of the three apes waved his hand dismissively in the air and offered an easy smile at his two companions. Seemed like he had become lost in his thoughts for too long yet again…

"Do not worry. I was only thinking." He told them, adjusting his hold of the reins of his horse. "Long day."

It _had_ been a long day, after all. They had been riding since early morning and though Orion did like to believe that he was getting quite used to life in the saddle, he was beginning to wish for a break to stretch his legs.

Blue Eyes nodded, a thoughtful look on his smooth face.

" _Perhaps we should take a break soon. Our horses could probably use a rest as well._ " He offered, looking back to Rocket for approval of his suggestion.

The balding ape didn't seem too satisfied with the Ape Prince's wording, even if he seemed to agree with the suggestion itself.

" _If you think we should, then we will, Blue Eyes._ " The eldest chimp signed. " _You must be surer of yourself and the decisions you make. A leader needs to listen to his followers, true, but he also needs to be assertive. Believe that his decision is the right one._ "

Blue Eyes nodded in a manner which reminded Orion of an ape child recently reprimanded by his parents, the slight hunching of his shoulders and briefly downcast gaze underlining this fact.

He sympathised greatly with his friend, he really did. Blue Eyes had grown up with the knowledge that he was Caesar's heir and had often expressed concern for how he was going to handle the task of one day taking his father's place. He had confessed to both Orion and Ash that he felt… unequipped for the task, knowing the legend that his father had become even before the Ape Prince had been born.

He didn't feel comfortable with being assertive, he had told them. Didn't think that he would be able to handle the kind of trials and tribulations his father had had to go through.

It was quite understandable. At least to Orion, it was.

How would Mother have put it? He had big shoes to fill? Yes, Orion believed that was the saying she had used.

He reached over and patted the Ape Prince lightly on the arm. Rocket's words had been true, but that didn't mean Blue Eyes should feel bad about them. He was still learning and as of right now, he was only leading two apes – not the entire colony.

If anything, this would qualify as practice, in Orion's opinion.

Blue Eyes gave a subtle, thankful smile to his friend before straightening up in his saddle and facing forward once more.

" _Let us rest by that group of trees further ahead, then._ " He signed a bit more confidently, pointing out a nice, little stretch of land shaded by the trees that dotted the landscape.

The forest up in the mountains they had travelled through for the better part of four months had been completely covered in trees and other vegetation but now, it was getting steadily scarcer as they began to enter the desert-lands that Mother had described before they had left the colony.

Rocket nodded at that, approving Blue Eyes' decision as well at his attempt at being more assertive. It was a start.

They tied their horses' reins to the trees and let the beasts drink from their cupped hands, pouring the precious water from their gourds and making it easier for the horses to drink properly. They didn't have much water left and would need to find a place to resupply themselves soon, Orion estimated.

Rocket had sat himself against one of the trees, still with the human gun he had brought with him slung across his shoulders as he stared at the stretch of land that lie ahead of them, releasing a heavy sigh. Adding to that, Orion noticed the gentle slump of his shoulders and how his lips seemed to press into a thin line on his muzzle.

Orion shared a look with Blue Eyes, who had noticed the older apes' behaviour as well.

Honestly, he didn't seem disheartened or hopeless to Orion… perhaps a little…?

"Homesick, Rocket?" The youngest chimp dared ask, compassion shining in his intelligent, verdant stare.

The balding ape seemed startled by the question, his eyes going wide for a short moment before Orion's words registered properly and he released an amused huff and nodded.

" _Always so observant._ " Rocket commented with a smile. " _Very much like your mother._ "

"Or Maurice." Blue Eyes rasped out teasingly, earning himself a playful shove from Orion.

Rocket chuckled at the pair's antics.

" _But to answer your question, Orion… Yes, I do feel a bit homesick._ " He signed once the two younger apes had settled down again and come to sit by him. " _I wonder how everyone is doing at home. Especially Tinker._ "

His words immediately had a sobering effect on the atmosphere and the two younger apes nodded seriously at their elder. They worried too, after all, and it was really no wonder that Rocket would be especially concerned about his wife's wellbeing, not only because of their bond and the war that was going on with the soldiers, but also because Tinker was alone now, without her mate and son.

 _Very much like Mother, really…_ Orion thought quietly, a slight pang of guilt making his heart clench uncomfortably in his chest. He just hoped that the two females could find strength in each other's company.

The young chimp pursed his lips in thought, folding his hands in his lap.

"We can only remember them. And keep hope. Like they do for us." He commented.

He knew it wasn't much consolation and probably didn't serve to ease Rocket's mind any more than it did his own, but what else was there to say, really? They couldn't turn tail now and come home with no results to show for. Yes, there was the risk that the colony was gone once they returned, though Orion preferred not to think on that too much. But if they didn't complete this mission, then the colony would perish either way.

At least, in this way, they had a shot at ensuring the apes' future.

They had to be strong and pull through – and trust Caesar's ability to protect their home.

Rocket and Blue Eyes both nodded in agreement.

" _You are right, Orion. That is-_ " The elder ape began to sign, only to stop mid-sentence with a frown appearing on his dark face as he turned his head slightly to his left.

" _What is it, Rocket?_ " The Ape Prince beside Orion hooted confusedly after a second or two, though Rocket only held up his hand to request silence form the two younger apes.

Soon, the cause of Rocket's sudden shift in behaviour became clear to Orion and the Ape Prince, when the faint sound of childish laughter could be heard.

Human laughter.

The three chimps looked at each other with grave expressions.

" _What are humans doing all the way out here?_ " Blue Eyes questioned, his gaze continuously darting towards the sound. " _So far away from any city?_ "

" _I don't know._ " Rocket signed as he made to get up. " _Might be stragglers._ "

" _What should we do?_ " Orion chose to sign instead of speaking, sensing that Rocket wanted them to make as little noise as possible for now. " _Do we investigate?_ "

He looked to Blue Eyes, even if his instincts told him that Rocket was still the real decisionmaker.

The Ape Prince seemed hesitant as he stood as well, though his brows furrowed in a way that made him look startlingly much like his father after a few seconds.

" _I… I think we should… We need to know how many, and where precisely, so we can avoid them._ " The prince reasoned, sounding almost confident until he looked to his honorary uncle for him to back up his decision.

In this situation, though, Rocket let the slight show of insecurity slip past without a comment, only nodding briefly in agreement and drawing his gun.

Orion really hoped he wouldn't have to use it. He hated guns and the often-irreparable damage they could inflict.

The three apes left their horses tied to the trees as they stealthily made their way towards the sound of the laughter, keeping their heads low to camouflage themselves in the sparse vegetation that dotted the landscape. The sound got steadily louder as they got nearer, and a few hundred yards away from the apes' original position, they were met with the sight of five human children of varying ages as they peeked between the leaves and branches of the denser bushes they were hiding behind.

There were three girls and two boys in total, the youngest of the group moving around on his little legs in a stomping, slightly uncertain manner, which made Orion suspect that he must be quite young and might only have learned to walk properly a short while ago. Two of the children looked to be around the same age, a boy and a girl, obviously a few years older than the first one, who were nimbly chasing each other around with dry sticks in some sort of game together with another girl, who looked to be older still.

The obvious leader of the little group of human children, however, seemed to be the oldest of them all – a skinny, olive-skinned child with tousled, dark brown hair. She was dressed in a faded, orange top and a long, white skirt, her feet bare against the dry dirt.

" _Where are the parents?_ " Orion questioned the two other chimps, who also seemed to be scouting the area around the children for any sign of the adults. They were bound to be around, after all.

Rocket shook his head, his lips pulled into a thin line as he observed the surrounding area, seemingly not liking what he saw – or rather, what he _didn't_ see.

" _I don't know… They must be here – humans take care of their young too…_ " He signed, not looking at the two younger apes beside him.

" _We should probably sneak by and search further. We need to know where they are, so we can avoid running into them…_ " Blue Eyes signed next. " _And the guns they might have._ "

Both Orion and Rocket nodded at that, seeing no fault in the Ape Prince's reasoning, and the three of them began easing their way around the area in search for the potential threat, taking great care not to let themselves be seen by the children already there.

Before they could get even one quarter of the way around, Rocket seemed to spot something out of the corner of his eye and signalled for the younger apes to get down and stay low, his keen eyes trained on something in the distance as he peeked above the bushes.

And when Orion followed his gaze, his heart nearly ceased its beating and the air left his lungs in a barely-contained gasp of dread.

It was a mountain lion on the prowl.

Right towards the unsuspecting human children.

And suddenly, as his eyes darted from the predator to its blissfully ignorant prey, Orion's mind took him back to that day when he had been just past three years old and had snuck into the woods back home with Blue Eyes and Ash.

The realisation, the terror and the hopelessness as it had happened – it all came back to him in that moment as he watched the beast inch closer and closer.

And Orion looked over at Blue Eyes, he knew his friend felt it too.

The predator's body language was purposeful and its eyes intent, the apes could all see that even from this distance, as it snuck forward through the green and golden vegetation.

It would pounce soon.

"Should we not help them?" Orion whispered worriedly, not comfortable with the possible prospect of letting these human children get mauled and killed by the beast.

He did recognise, however, that it was Blue Eyes' decision to make, as the leader of their group.

The Ape Prince, however, seemed doubtful, biting his lip as hesitation shone in his sky-coloured orbs.

He looked to Rocket briefly, the older male wearing a deeply troubled frown on his face. It was clear to Orion what the balding ape thought of the situation, but it seemed that he was struggling with whether or not he should use this as yet another lesson to teach Blue Eyes how to be a leader.

Orion thought that was a foolish thing to even consider, given that there were lives at stake – true, they were human lives, but how much did that really matter? They were still children, for crying out loud!

The way his face must have looked seemed to stir something in Blue Eyes' mind, however, because the moment Orion looked back to the previously indecisive prince, his gaze seemed to have hardened and his mouth set into a resolute frown. It didn't quite match the look of his father, but the resemblance was there, alright.

"We must help." He rasped out, looking at his honorary uncle. "They are. Just children."

Rocket gave a single, approving nod and hoisted his gun onto his arm as the younger apes prepared their spears.

And just in time, as the huge cat crouched down in preparation the moment the three chimps drew their weapons, lurching forward from the thicket it had hid inside, running towards the humans with incredible speed.

Blue Eyes was the first of the apes to charge at the beast from the apes' hiding spot, though Rocket and Orion himself were sure to follow immediately after the Ape Prince, weapons raised threateningly and with angry screeches directed at the large cat.

From then on, it was all just chaos, really.

The human children screamed and cowered in fright as the three apes and the huge mountain lion sprang towards them from two different directions, mighty screeches and roars mingling with the sound of gunfire as Rocket began to shoot at the outraged beast.

The older ape was not used to the weapon, however, and completely missed the target, though the frightening, and no doubt unexpected spectacle the cat was met with _did_ make it halt and jump back from the children with a vicious, spitting hiss.

The apes reached the small, terrified humans in no time and managed to get between them and the predator, hackles raised and canines on display to show the mountain lion that they meant business.

It only managed deter the cat for a short while as it jumped out of the line of fire when Rocket shot at it again.

Then it pounced once more, growling angrily as Orion stabbed at it with his spear, grazing its flank.

The children cried and huddled together behind the apes, looking on with tears streaming down their cheeks and open-mouthed frowns as they howled and wept.

It all ended as soon as it had begun, however, when the beast threw itself towards Rocket and the ape shot the animal in the right side of its chest, followed quickly by Blue Eyes' spear piercing its soft underbelly and blood began spilling forth from the wounds in copious amounts.

It landed with an unceremonious thud, practically on top of the Ape Prince, and he struggled for a while to get free from the beast's deadweight before Rocket came forth to remove it from his leader-in-training.

Orion's heart was beating violently against his ribcage as the adrenaline began to dissipate and his hands loosened their intense grip on his large spear. He wondered if this was how Mother had felt all those years ago, when she had jumped to defend him, Ash and Blue Eyes in much the same manner.

Then, just as he was regaining his breath and his hackles lowered once more now that the danger had passed, the young chimp became aware of the frightened whimpers behind him and turned around to look at the cowering group of human children on the ground.

The eldest of them, the one in the white skirt, had her arms protectively around the rest, providing quiet, soothing words to the younger children in a language Orion didn't understand.

Looking at how frightened they all were, even with the predator now dead on the ground, the young chimp crouched down to gently lay his spear on the ground before he inched towards the humans in what he hoped would be a non-threatening manner. Behind him, Blue Eyes seemed to catch on to what Orion was trying to do and followed suit, putting his spear down and crouching so he didn't seem so large and imposing to the small children. Though unlike Orion, the prince made no move to approach them.

Rocket, meanwhile, kept his distance, still holding the gun and looking nervously at the scene before him.

Orion gibbered soothingly at the children as they shirked away from him, holding his hands up in a placating manner to show them that he meant no harm – he just wanted them to know that they didn't need to cry anymore. That he didn't want to scare them.

"Do not worry." He spoke gently. "You are safe."

The eyes of the four eldest children widened in surprise and fright, and the youngest girl whimpered and buried her face in the crook of the boy's shoulder.

This was _not_ going too well.

It seemed, however, that the girl in the orange top and white skirt understood Orion's intentions, at least to a degree, as her gaze slowly shifted from one of terror to one of cautious interest.

Just then, as verdant eyes connected with dark brown, frantic shouts could be heard approaching the scene, and Orion had to tear his eyes from the human girl's – only to come face to face with a group of seven adults, who came running towards them.

These humans, three men and four women, were of varying ages, ranging from what Orion would estimate to be early 20's to late 50's and all wearing looks of utter shock and fright on their faces as they approached

And what was worse – one of them was carrying a gun in his hands, which he raised towards the apes the moment he was within 15 feet of the scene, shouting strange words and gesturing wildly with his weapon.

 _Well, now we know where the adults are_ , Orion's mind chimed hollowly as he made to slowly stand up and face this new threat together with Rocket and Blue Eyes.

He just hoped they could solve this mess before anyone got hurt.

This was turning downhill quicker than he imagined it would.


	47. Breaking The Barriers

**Author's Note:** This chapter might need a little info.  
Spanish will appear in this chapter, though I've added a list of translations in the bottom. I made it like this so that the reader would be "on the same level" as the apes (well, maybe except for all you spanish-speaking readers out there ;) ). Mind you, it has been years since I've had spanish classes, and it was only one year of beginner's spanish, so I relied heavily on online translation tools for this chapter :) If any spanish-speaking reader sees I've translated something wrong or has anything to add or correct, feel free to write to me so I can fix it - especially if you happen to know a 'mexican variation' which differs from traditional spanish :)

* * *

 _ **Blue Eyes**_

This was bad.

Really bad.

Blue Eyes stood frozen, stuck with Orion and Rocket between the children and the adults trying to get to them, not daring to move as long as the oldest human male was waving around that gun of his.

Another one of the men carried a small pistol while the third only held a large, vicious-looking knife. The latter also attempted to block one particularly distraught-looking female human from running towards the children. Her frantic cries had the prince assume she must be the mother of at least one of the children, and the ape was half-tempted to turn his eyes back to the young ones and look for similarities that would confirm his suspicion.

The Ape Prince wasn't as concerned about the two younger men, however, even if one _did_ carry a pistol. They both seemed more concerned with keeping the women behind them from rushing forward to the children and looked less frantic overall than the oldest male did.

What made this situation even worse was the fact that the apes had no idea what the humans were trying to tell them and so, could do nothing to act accordingly to appease them. They spoke in a strange language that Blue Eyes had never previously heard, so fast that he couldn't even separate the individual words at all.

"¡Alejarse de los niños!" One of the younger men, the one with the pistol, yelled angrily, though he didn't seem brave enough to actually use the weapon for its intended purpose. In fact, he seemed almost afraid to even hold it, his hand shaking, and his eyes trained on Rocket, who was still holding his own gun firmly in his large hands.

"¡Mis niños! ¡Mis preciosos niños!" A woman cried frantically. She seemed to be one of the youngest of the women, and was looking at the smallest child with desperate, teary eyes.

The children were crying, the adults were yelling, and the apes could do nothing but stare cautiously and hope for the best.

It was chaos.

Then, much to Blue Eyes' concern and subdued protests, Orion took a step forward, putting himself between the prince and the adult humans, his hands held up to show his empty palms.

It was clearly meant to be an attempt to protect Blue Eyes and show that they meant no harm, but all it really did was make the adults draw back and hold their weapons higher.

"¡Mantente alejado! ¡No te acerques más!" The man with the gun spoke shakily, holding up the weapon towards the apes with eyes full of fear.

He had silvery streaks at his temples and grey stubble on his chin that greatly contrasted his otherwise dark hair and slightly wrinkled, sun-kissed skin. He wore a light brown, soft leather jacket with frills in various places, faded, dark blue jeans, and heavy-looking boots.

"Wait! We do not want to harm you!" Orion spoke in an attempt to placate him, though it only made all the humans present draw even further back in renewed surprise and terror.

"¡Mierda!" The man's eyes widened, and his hands shook violently as he held the gun.

The weapon in his hands went off and suddenly, Orion released a blood-curdling screech of pain and fear as he fell forward to his knees.

A rod of ice went through the Ape Prince's heart as soon as the deafening shot was fired, and he heard his friend's cry of agony.

It was like that time Ash got shot all over again and Blue Eyes felt his lips pull back to show off his formidable fangs as a hiss instinctively left his throat.

Rocket pulled his own human weapon up in defence when the man directed the barrel at Blue Eyes next.

"¡Alejarse de los niños! ¡Ahora!" He shouted, obviously trying to sound fierce when Blue Eyes could clearly see that he was shaking where he stood in fear of retaliation from the apes in front of him – he seemed especially wary of Rocket, who held the more lethal weapon, but had decided to aim at Blue Eyes instead, probably since he stood closer to the children with his teeth bared in anger, which made him seem like more of a threat to them.

The apes would have done the same, after all.

And Blue Eyes _did_ feel the urge to retaliate. Orion was alive, as was evident by the fact that he was still on his knees and not lying limply on the ground, but seeing as he was now clutching the side of his head and panting in obvious pain and distress, the Ape Prince couldn't help but worry. He had no way of knowing how much damage the man had done to his friend and right now, the urge to screech, hiss and throw himself at the human in a fit of righteous rage was bubbling violently within Blue Eyes' chest.

But he also realised, amidst the initial bout of fury that ran through him, that attacking would lead to disaster. The man would shoot him as soon as he sprang forward, and then Rocket would most likely shoot the human man, which would lead to an all-out bloodbath as the rest of the humans scrambled to defend themselves as well.

So, instead of giving in to the anger, like he would probably have done in the past, the Ape Prince slowly put his hands up in the air in what he hoped would be a placating gesture before he reached his arm out towards Rocket, silently ordering the elder ape to lower his weapon.

Rocket seemed confused for a second and looked incredulously at the prince, as if to ask him if he had lost his mind, but decided to comply when Blue Eyes huffed insistently at him. The gun was lowered reluctantly as the balding ape eyed the humans with a deep frown, pointing the weapon away from Orion's assailant.

The man in front of them didn't lower his gun in turn, but his expression did seem to turn less severe as Blue Eyes began to ever so slowly do crude sign language with his hands, aware that these humans probably didn't know proper sign either. When they had taught Malcolm and his family this, the trio had explained that it was rare for humans to know sign unless they had someone with a hearing disability close to them – like Lydia had had in the past.

And these humans obviously didn't speak the same verbal language as the apes either.

But Blue Eyes knew he had to try. If they were all to walk away from this unharmed, if he were to help his injured friend, he had to do _something_.

No ape army would come to their rescue _this_ time around. He had to take charge of this situation. _Now_.

So, he first pointed towards the mountain lion lying dead on the ground a few feet away, then shaped his hands into a claw-like gesture to indicate the beast attacking and pointed towards the children behind him.

Then, he put a hand to his own chest, pointed at the beast again, and raised his hand in a spear-throwing gesture to try and make it clear that they had been trying to help.

The man before him seemed startled by the last action, however, and tightened his grip on the gun once more.

But before Blue Eyes could react to the threatening action, a voice sounded behind him.

"¡No! No le hagas daño." The oldest of the human children, a girl, suddenly yelled pleadingly, though the Ape Prince had no idea what she was saying.

He could never quite tell the age of humans, but this girl was definitely younger than Alex had been, maybe 13 or 14 years old at most, and sported thick, tousled, black hair and large, dark brown eyes.

Her pleading seemed to catch the adult humans off-guard as the child ran over and fell to her knees before Orion, who was still hunched over on the ground, clutching the side of his head as he groaned in pain. Blood spilled thickly between his fingers and onto the ground, staining the dirt.

"¡Mataron al puma! ¡Nos salvaron, Papa!" The child continued desperately, pointing with jerky movements towards the dead mountain lion.

"¡Habló, Ofelia, habló el simio!" The younger male with the pistol said with furrowed brows before his elder could reply to the girl's words. "¿Qué tipo de bestia puede hablar?"

"¡No son bestias, hermano! ¡Nos salvaron!" The girl argued back fiercely, her teary, dark eyes aflame with defiance. "¡Lo vi en los ojos de este! ¡Querían ayudar! Papá, por favor, ¡no les hagas daño!"

She looked to the eldest human male once more, and Blue Eyes couldn't help but be moved by her coming to the apes' defence, throwing herself between them and the adult humans like this – it was clear what she was trying to do, even if Blue Eyes didn't understand a word at all.

She was a very brave young human indeed.

The oldest man's moustache twitched as he looked down at the girl, his brown eyes softening considerably as their gazes met.

He lowered his gun.

"No me gusta esto, niña ... pero si lo que dices es verdad-" He began speaking, more calmly now, only for the girl to interrupt him.

"Es, papá, es la verdad, lo juro." She spoke resolutely, though her posture had relaxed a bit once the man's tone turned softer.

The elder human male pursed his lips in silent contemplation before he nodded at the girl, completely lowering his weapon and seemingly ordering the others to do the same. They made little protest, though they continued to eye the apes suspiciously. Then, the human women slowly began approaching their children, the more frantic one embracing the three youngest humans fiercely once she reached them, while one of the women began patting the second oldest child on her back to soothe her.

Rocket, meanwhile, slung his gun around onto his back and picked up Orion and Blue Eyes' spears before he and the prince himself went over to check on the youngest chimp's injuries.

He was being tended to by the young girl, who was still on her knees before him, soon to be accompanied by the eldest human male crouching down beside her.

"Déjame ver, por favor. No te hare daño." She spoke gently to Orion as she reached forward to pry his hand away from his injury. The adult humans still looked anxious as they observed the scene, but at least they had chosen to listen to the child.

 _It is a start_ , Blue Eyes thought as he crouched down beside his friend, hooting softly.

Orion reluctantly let the girl take his hand away, so she could inspect the damage. The amount of blood had both Blue Eyes and Rocket visibly worried, but as the injury was exposed, it became clear that the bullet hadn't hit Orion's face.

He did, however, sport a sizable tear in his left ear, and blood was oozing vigorously from the large gash. He had probably had one third of his ear blown clean off, by Blue Eyes' estimation.

But right now, the Ape Prince was just relieved that it wasn't more serious than that. His friend could easily have ended up in a way worse condition than this.

The girl, however, grimaced in obvious concern at what she saw and, without further ado, reached down to rip a piece of her white skirt off – much to the obvious protest of the four adult women in the group.

Then, she bunched up the fabric and raised it to Orion's ear.

The injured ape released a small hiss at the contact, but otherwise did nothing as the child pressed the cloth against the side of his head. It immediately reddened as the dark liquid was absorbed and it was obvious that it wouldn't be enough to quell the steady stream of blood.

The small human turned her eyes up towards the human male, her large, brown eyes imploring as she spoke to the adult.

"Realmente no creo que quieran hacernos daño. Solo estaban tratando de ayudar." She had a light, gentle voice, the Ape Prince noted. "¿Podemos tratar la herida, Papa?"

The man seemed to consider her words carefully, looking at the apes in turn before casting a glance at the slayed beast further away. Then, he nodded in resignation at the child.

"Nadie que salve a los niños puede ser meras bestias. Les debemos por su amabilidad." He spoke, and it seemed to Blue Eyes to be something very profound as the man looked around at each of the adults around them, who nodded at his words.

His dark gaze returned to the girl once more.

"Eres sabia como tu madre, niña." He said with a fond smile, the wrinkles appearing at the corners of his eyes making him look incredibly kind all of a sudden.

He patted the girls back affectionately and the child turned back to the apes with a soft smile on her face.

"Ofelia." She said, laying a hand on her own chest to indicate that it was her name.

Beside Blue Eyes, still holding the ripped piece of her skirt to his ear, Orion nodded and did the same gesture as the girl with the other hand as he spoke his own name.

"Orion." Ofelia repeated with a slight roll on the r, as it seemed her people did when they spoke in general.

Then, the young chimp pointed towards the Ape Prince, and Blue Eyes dared a slight upturn of his lips as his eyes met Ofelia's own.

"Blue Eyes." Orion spoke clearly, so that the child could get the pronunciation right before he went on to point at Rocket and do the same.

Ofelia repeated the names with a slight wrinkle of her nose, perhaps finding them strange or exotic, but she maintained the curious smile on her face.

And as Blue Eyes looked around at the adults, he realised that they actually seemed to find the scene before them somewhat endearing now, if the looks on their faces were something to go by.

 _Yes_ , Blue Eyes mused as relief began flooding his heart and he patted his injured friend's back. _This is definitely a start_.

* * *

 _ **Rocket**_

They learned that the humans were a family group, all related to each other in one way or another. Ofelia was the daughter of the eldest human male, Martín, but had no mother, as far as Rocket could decipher from the pointing the girl made between all of the humans, trying to show the relation between each of the group's members by drawing a family tree on a crumbled spare piece of paper.

The man who had held the pistol, Marco, was Ofelia's older brother and the father of the three youngest human children, while the woman who had screamed frantically for them was his wife, Laura.

Another one of the women, called Carmen, was Ofelia's older sister, who seemed to be in her late teens, as far as the balding ape could tell, and looked very much like her younger sister – if a bit more mousy and subdued.

The last human male was called David and was the younger brother of Ofelia's father. He travelled with his wife, Pilar, and their only child, Rosita – the second oldest of the children the apes had saved and Ofelia's cousin. The fourth human female was the sister of Ofelia's aunt, a woman by the name of Maria, who looked to be in her late 40's and, by Rocket's observations, was the lead female of the group – probably since she was the oldest of the four.

All the different names coupled with the language barrier almost managed to make the balding ape go dizzy, but he took heart in the fact that at least these humans seemed friendly. They had treated Orion's wounded ear and shared their food and water with the apes after Rocket had brought their horses over, and the old chimp would readily admit that it was the best meal he'd had in months.

Ofelia stuck to the apes and had graciously taken on the job as interpreter for both groups, a job she performed extremely well, Rocket had to say, and her father especially seemed very proud of his daughter's initiative.

"Uhm... ¿Es él su padre?" Carmen, Ofelia's older sister spoke, pointing shyly at Rocket.

The oldest chimp immediately looked to the child for clarification, and Ofelia's expression scrunched up in thought as she searched for a way to convey her sister's words. Then, she showed them the quick drawing she had made of her family relations, pointed to the dot representing herself and then lifted her finger from the paper to point at Blue Eyes and Orion, only to go back to the drawing and pointing at her father's dot and then at Rocket immediately after.

It was quite a work-around, but the apes understood all the same – she had asked if Rocket was their father.

The three of them looked at each other briefly, only to smile and shake their heads in unison.

Orion then reached his hand forward and eyed the pen Ofelia was still twiddling between her fingers, indicating that he wanted to borrow it. She complied with curious, brown eyes looking on as Orion gently took the paper she had previously drawn on, only to turn it and begin drawing the same design, only now representing the three apes and each of their own families.

The humans looked on as Orion crossed out those who were now dead and the human's eyes all turned sympathetic, Martín's eyes finding Rocket own as he held a hand to his heart and nodded at the balding chimp, whose lip quivered at the show of respect for his loss.

Any parent, be they human or ape, could understand the pain it was to lose a child, their most precious treasure.

Rocket nodded back in thanks, a small smile on his face directed at the human male.

His attention was pulled back towards Orion's doodling once more when Ofelia and her cousin Rosita called for their parents' attention to the parchment in the chimp's hands. To Rocket and Blue Eyes' surprise, he had drawn the outline of a human female beside his own family tree and then proceeded to point to the dot representing his mother and then at the drawing of the woman.

Rocket knew what he was trying to tell them, and immediately feared that the humans would somehow get the wrong idea. What if they thought that Orion was the result of a union between an ape and a human? Was such a thing even _possible_? And would they condemn it?

 _Well,_ Rocket's mind reasoned, _Orion_ _ **is**_ _the result of such a union, in a way – at least his upbringing is._

But how would these humans understand this? And would they take offence either way? It wasn't like the subject of Lydia and Roy's relationship hadn't been a hot topic in the village, but nonetheless something people didn't speak out blatantly about. It had been something unspoken. Hushed, even.

Orion, however, was quick to try and clarify when the humans' faces all scrunched up in confusion at what he meant and crossed out the dot that was supposed to symbolise his mother, then pointed at the drawing of the human woman and held his hands up as if cradling an infant and rocking it back and forth. Then, he held his one hand out flat in the air as it to indicate someone height, steadily lifting it up to show growth

Rocket was quite impressed with Orion's simplified signing and immediately had his worries eased when the humans seemed to understand, smiling at the young chimp.

Then, Ofelia, who Rocket had figured out by now was an endlessly curious young girl, gained Orion's attention, pointed at herself and said her own name, then at Orion as she said his, only to return to the drawing in front of them with a questioning look in her dark brown eyes as she pointed at the human figure.

The three apes smiled, but no one as fondly as Orion himself as he raised his verdant gaze and spoke his adoptive mother's name.

"Lydia."

Ofelia nodded with a smile, seemingly liking the name, until Blue Eyes decided to draw everyone's attention with a soft hoot. Orion turned his head to look at his childhood friend and watched as the prince pointed towards the paper before signing teasingly.

" _I didn't know you could draw so well. Much attention to detail – like Maurice._ "

Orion rolled his eyes at his peer's playful jab and stuck his tongue out at Blue Eyes, something that seemed to amuse the surrounding humans greatly, even if they probably didn't understand what Blue Eyes had said.

Some things simply didn't need an explanation, Rocket pondered as he watched the young apes continue to throw witty remarks in sign at each other while the humans spoke amongst themselves.

Then, just as Rocket was contently lost in his own quiet musings, the youngest of the children, a toddler by the name of Gabriel, came walking towards the balding ape on his stocky legs, babbling happily as he approached.

His mother, Laura, seemed apprehensive at first and tried to call the boy to no avail, as he sat down right in front of Rocket with his little arms stretched out towards the grey chimp. His smile revealed that he had yet to grow out some of his teeth, but his large, brown eyes were shining with childish glee as Rocket, after casting a quick look at the adult humans, tentatively reached forward with one hand to let the child grab the offered limb.

Orion and Blue Eyes both seemed flabbergasted at the scene, as their honorary uncle let a small human child inspect his calloused, dark palm and partially hairy arm.

And to be honest, Rocket hadn't expected this either. A few hours prior, the child had witnessed the apes charge towards him and his playmates, spears and gun held high and furious screeches leaving their throats, followed by a bloody, albeit short fight with a ferocious predator.

By all rights, this small child _should_ be afraid of him. He had probably never even _seen_ an ape before.

But maybe _that_ was exactly why he wasn't afraid. He didn't know what harm a strong male ape like Rocket could do to him, had the chimp actually wanted to. It seemed that all he saw was someone new and different – a creature that needed investigating.

 _What a joy it must be_ , Rocket thought wonderingly, _to be able to meet those different than yourself with such trust and excitement – and not a shred of fear to taint the experience._

And though he didn't show it outright, the curiosity was mutual. Rocket had never been this close to a human this young and had thought Laura, Marco, or someone else for that matter, would whisk the child away before he got this close to the balding ape. They didn't know him, after all.

So, when the toddler had been allowed to continue, going right up to Rocket and reaching for him, the ape could do nothing but comply – and found that he quite enjoyed it. It really wasn't all that different from how he used to play with Ash when he had been a child, though this little human was less rambunctious than his son had ever been.

A lump formed in Rocket's throat at the memory, but he managed to keep it at bay and focus his attention back at the child in front of him, actually smiling as he reached a single, large digit forward to tickle the small human's belly playfully.

And it worked just the way it would have with an ape child, as Gabriel began laughing joyously and grabbed Rocket's finger with both of his tiny hands before he looked proudly back up at his mother with those large, brown eyes of his, topped off by his tousled, light brown curls.

The adult humans all seemed quite amused by the display, even Gabriel's mother, who had been the wariest of the apes since Martín had agreed with his daughter to help them.

And as Rocket happily continued to provide entertainment for the little human now splaying his tiny hand against the chimp's huge palm, seemingly comparing them, the balding ape couldn't help but think that the two species really weren't all that different.

* * *

 _ **Orion**_

They rode on the next day, after having spent most of the evening and night talking… or at least _trying_ to talk with the adult humans after the children had been put to sleep. Ofelia had, as the only child, been allowed to stay up late with the adults and continued to help interpret with much enthusiasm.

At some point during the evening, Blue Eyes had pulled out Mother's old map and attempted to explain to the humans where they were going. Maria, the eldest of the human women, had pointed at the three apes in turn, then at their horses and after stretched out her arms in what Orion interpreted as a questioning gesture. The Ape Prince had figured it out first, hence why he had taken out the map, and showed the humans where they had come from and the general direction the wanted to go.

Orion had looked at Ofelia, put up his hand over his eyes and looked around as if searching for something, and then proceeded to make a crude drawing of a hut on the paper they had used to show their families.

"New home." Orion had spoken slowly to the girl as he gestured. "For family."

The young human had seemed to understand, piecing the words together one by one and, to Orion's surprise, had carefully translated them into her own language.

"¿Nuevo hogar… para tu familia, sí?" she had pointed at Orion's drawing of the hut when the apes' brows collectively furrowed. Did she understand what they meant?

"Hogar." She then insisted as she pointed, then laid a hand on Orion's shoulder. "Para tú y tu familia."

Orion's green eyes had lit up as he smiled brightly at the girl and nodded. She had understood! The words had been similar enough for her to understand what he had said!

The humans had begun discussing at length after that, and at one point, Marco had pulled out a map of his own, this one showing only the state of Nevada, the one the three chimps had decided to go through, and they had begun pointing and gesturing as best they could to the apes. David had marked spots in several places on the map and made a show of fanning himself with his hand, to indicate that these areas were hot – possibly desert lands, as far as the apes could tell.

After a long while of the humans pointing out places to them that might be suitable – as well as ones that could be dangerous – David had handed Rocket the map with a smile and the balding chimp had taken it with a nod of gratitude before everyone had decided to call it a night.

The small group of humans had seen the three chimps off after providing them with a little food for their journey and redressing Orion's wound. It still hurt quite a bit, he had to admit, but he took heart in the fact that the bullet had only taken part of his ear and not his head and face. It could have been worse.

He didn't carry any grudge towards Martín about it either. The man had been frightened, protective of his child and unable to understand them.

 _And_ , Orion mused, _in hindsight, maybe speaking to him while he had been in that state had not been the best idea_.

Still, in Orion's opinion, the man and his group had more than made up for it by listening to Ofelia and even gone as far as to offer the apes food and drink as thanks for their help.

"¡Adiós!" The humans had called in unison as the apes had mounted their horses, the children in particular waving vigorously with huge smiles on their faces

"¡Buena suerte!" Martín had bid them with a smile underneath his dark moustache, the skin around his eyes crinkling as he put a hand around his daughter's shoulders.

 _They are good humans_ , Orion thought as he waved back together with Blue Eyes and Rocket before they turned for the last time and rode on towards the east. _We were lucky to stumble upon them_.

" _I am proud of you two._ " Rocket began to sign once the humans were out of sight, smiling at the two young chimps.

Blue Eyes and Orion briefly looked to each other in confusion at their honorary uncle's words.

" _What for, Rocket?_ " The Ape Prince signed, intrigued. " _We haven't done anything._ "

The balding ape shook his head amusedly.

" _That isn't true at all. Orion did as you asked of him all those months ago and tried to guard you against danger, as a good second should._ "

Orion felt his bad ear pound slightly as they both turned pink at the praise he received. He really hadn't thought about it like that – he had just been trying to make sure they would survive the encounter.

" _And you, Blue Eyes, acted with responsibility and took charge of the situation when you were needed most – as any good leader should._ " Rocket went on, reaching over to pat the Ape Prince's shoulder. " _Your father would be as proud as I am._ "

Blue Eyes seemed taken aback at first at the high praise, not really knowing how to respond. He had been reprimanded and corrected time and time again during these many months for not acting as a leader and now, when he got to know that he had done a perfect job, Orion could tell that his friend hadn't expected to ever hear those words.

In the end, though, the prince managed a bright smile at his honorary uncle, thanking him and seemingly growing an inch or two as he sat straighter in his saddle.

He was right to feel proud, Orion thought, smiling broadly at the Ape Prince.

They still had a long way to go and who knows what other dangers they would face in that time until they could return to the colony?

But they had grown with this recent experience. Slowly but steadily getting ready to take over the roles of those who came before them.

To guide as they had once been guided.

Lead as they had once been lead.

* * *

Translation list – in chronological order:

¡Alejarse de los niños! - Get away from the children!

¡Mis niños! ¡Mis preciosos niños! - My children! My precious children!

¡Mantente alejado! ¡No te acerques más! - Keep away! Do not come any closer!

¡Mierda! - Shit!

¡Alejarse de los niños! ¡Ahora! - Get away from the children! Now!

¡No! No le hagas daño. - No! No, don't hurt him!

¡Mataron al puma! ¡Nos salvaron, Papa! - They killed the cougar! They saved us, Dad!

¡Habló, Ofelia, habló el simio! - He spoke, Ofelia, the ape spoke!

¿Qué tipo de bestia puede hablar? - What kind of beast can talk?

¡No son bestias, hermano! ¡Nos salvaron! - They are not beasts, brother! They saved us!

¡Lo vi en los ojos de este! ¡Querían ayudar! Papá, por favor, ¡no les hagas daño! - I saw it in this one's eyes! They wanted to help! Dad, please, do not hurt them!

No me gusta esto, niña ... pero si lo que dices es verdad- - I do not like this, girl/child... But if what you say is true-

Es, papá, es la verdad, lo juro. - it is, Dad, it is the truth, I swear.

Déjame ver, por favor. No te hare daño. - Let me see, please. I will not hurt you.

Realmente no creo que quieran hacernos daño. Solo estaban tratando de ayudar. - I really do not think they want to hurt us. They were just trying to help.

¿Podemos tratar la herida, Papa? - Can we treat the wound, Dad?

Nadie que salve a los niños puede ser meras bestias. Les debemos por su amabilidad. - No one who saves children can be mere beasts. We owe them for their kindness.

Eres sabia como tu madre, niña. - You are wise like your mother, girl/child.

.. ¿Es él su padre? - Uhm... Is he their dad/father?

¿Nuevo hogar… para tu familia, sí? - A new home... for your family, yes?

Hogar - Home.

Para tú y tu familia - For you and your family.

¡Adiós! - Goodbye!

¡Buena suerte! - Good luck!


	48. Trouble Returns

_**Author's Note:**_

PLEASE NOTE: Next week's chapter will be the last one in 2018, seeing as I'm taking friday 28th of December off to have a little break in-between Christmas and New Year :) I will take up the weekly updates once more from January 4th and onwards :)

* * *

 _ **Caesar**_

"They tire you, Lydia?" Came the Ape King's amused voice as he entered the large clearing where Lydia trained the apes in the art of archery, and where many now also trained in the use of other weapons, such as spears and bolas.

The human woman was sitting on the fallen log where they kept some the weapons for training stored, having momentarily stopped her work on one of her sewing projects as she looked over the practicing apes. She smiled with a raised brow at Caesar as he came to stand by her, observing the occupants of the clearing with great interest.

"Quite the contrary, to be honest. They hardly need me instructing them at all today, so I thought I'd get some sewing done in the meantime and have them call me over if they have problems." She responded quite cheerfully, resting her hands in her lap as she turned to stare up at him, her eyes bright and her smile playfully crooked.

It had been an easy day for her, it would seem, and Caesar found his mind calmed by that fact. Nine months had passed since Rocket and the boys had left, and the fighting in the forest was drawing out, no one side gaining any ground over the other. It was nice to see that at least _some_ things were going their way.

 _Perhaps I should just be happy that the Colonel's army has not managed to advance_ , Caesar briefly mused. At least that meant that their home remained safe, though the continued strain of the fighting, and the dead and injured apes returning home week after week, still made the king's stomach churn.

But he took heart in Lydia's smile. It was good to see her like that, especially since Orion's absence still left her sleepless more than usual most nights – her frequent appearances in the cave down by the river a testament to that fact. On those nights, she and the Ape King would talk about their worries and hopes for the future or remain silent and enjoy each other's company. Taking comfort in being in the presence of someone who understood.

What they never really spoke about, however, were their feelings for one another. Ever since that incident several months ago, when Lydia had attempted to teach Caesar archery, it had seemed like they had made a silent agreement not to discuss the topic. They had enough to worry about as it were.

However, that didn't mean the Ape King's feelings had diminished in that time. In fact, Caesar felt steadily more drawn towards the human woman sitting in front of him now, as the stab of guilt every time he thought about his feelings became less and less noticeable.

The Ape King nodded at her words.

"It sounds like you are getting a lot done." He commented with a raised brow, still surveying the practicing apes with keen eyes. Everyone seemed to be doing fine without Lydia's guidance for now.

She shrugged as she began putting away her sewing, stuffing it into a simple leather bag she could sling over her shoulder. It had patterns of dark string stitched into the hide, creating an elaborate pattern of claw-like markings.

"If you consider getting up once in a while to provide help and then go back to sewing a couple of minutes later being a lot, then I suppose I have, yeah." Lydia spoke, though she didn't sound agitated.

Perhaps a bit…

"Bored?" Caesar ventured questioningly, giving her a sideways glance.

A brief chuckle left the human woman.

"Perhaps a tiny bit. You know how I enjoy having something to occupy my time with."

Ah, yes. He knew that all too well. Sometimes it seemed to him that Lydia was like an ever-moving current of a river, with either her mind, her body or at the very least her hands always moving, shaping and flowing. She would hunt, she would sew, fletch her arrows or skin her kills. She would have animated discussions with him or Maurice, often leading to lengthy debates which stretched and exercised the mind.

Stagnation, be it of the body or the mind, did not sit well with her. Lydia wanted to be of use. To make progress.

And speaking of progress…

"How is the female hunting party?" He asked, his tone casual.

Since Lydia was the female with the most hunting experience, as well as the one to suggest the other females learn this skill, she was the one in charge of organising both the training and the hunts themselves. She was also the one to report to Caesar on how said hunts had gone.

"Good. In fact, they brought home quite a nice catch this afternoon – I don't think we'll have to worry too much about meat the next couple of days." Lydia replied with a satisfied, sincere smile on her face.

He nodded at that. A few days with plenty of food to spare meant that everyone could focus on other things, such as making weapons, tanning hides or make more herbal medicines for those injured in the skirmishes in the forest.

"Your idea seems to have become a great success." The Ape King commented clinically, looking at the apes training with their weapons once more.

About two thirds of this lesson's students were females of varying ages, all looking quite capable as they wielded spears, bows, bolas and flint knives.

"You know… I don't want to be the one to say, 'I told you so', but…" She looked at him out of the corner of her eye, barely managing to feign an expression of innocence.

"You told me so." He replied with a soft, huffing laugh.

He might be a stubborn ape, in fact he was quite aware that he was, but he wasn't so high and mighty that he couldn't admit when he had been wrong about something. His reservations toward her suggestion had been based on his own insecurities and the fact that he didn't want to radically change the apes' way of life in a time of strife like this. The Ape King had feared it would bring instability to the colony to try and introduce something like this and had been more than just a little surprised to see just how many of the females actually supported the idea when presented with it. Even most of the males seemed comfortable with it by now, many commenting on how they felt better with the knowledge that their mothers, mates and children could now defend themselves in their absence.

Caesar liked to think nowadays that it made them more focused when they were out fighting in the forest, since they didn't have to worry quite as much about the safety of their loved ones back home.

And well… it _did_ give some much-needed breathing room for the males to have the females' hunting to fall back on if they themselves were not successful.

All in all, Caesar was glad that he had ended up permitting it.

"Pretty much, yeah." Lydia answered, shrugging yet again as a smug grin found its way to her face. "Though I think you made up for being such a stubborn ape when you put me on the council, didn't you?"

Her tone was teasing, but Caesar knew that the question itself was serious enough. He could see it in her eyes when he turned towards her.

He grimaced softly at the idea.

"I hope you know I did it most of all because I value your opinion. Not just… as a means to make amends… for my mistake."

His tone had a somewhat sobering effect on her teasing demeanour and Lydia pursed her lips as she stared back into his green, golden-specked eyes.

"I know you did, Caesar… I just couldn't help but wonder about… well, the timing." She answered him truthfully.

At that, he couldn't help a small smile. While it was true that their argument was what had finally prompted him to make this decision, the announcement itself had actually been more of a spur-of-the-moment incident. When he saw how much support Lydia's proposition had gained from the females at that gathering – and how one of the males seemed to think it fitting to back-handedly insult her – the deal had been sealed for the Ape King. If something like _this_ wouldn't cause an uproar, then surely making the person who had suggested it a council member wouldn't either – be they human or not.

And it hadn't. Sure, some had seemed indignant, but overall the decision was applauded by the majority of the apes.

The fact that it also worked as a way to make up for his previous unwillingness to listen had been more of a coincidence, really, but he didn't want her to think it was his way of settling matters between the two of them. He preferred to do that through mature dialogue, not favours of such… grandiose proportions.

And well… He couldn't very well announce her as a member of his council more than once, now could he?

"The timing was… coincidence." He offered somewhat sheepishly, knowing it would probably still seem a bit _too_ coincidental to her anyway. "I have thought about granting that position to you for a long time… Maurice has been suggesting it as well."

Caesar almost felt like he was dragging the orangutan into the conversation just to use him as a viable excuse, even if Maurice _had_ actually mentioned that it would probably be prudent to have her as a member.

As the chimp had expected, Lydia smiled somewhat crookedly at him.

"I'm sure it-" She said, only to pause mid-sentence and get a confused look on her face as her gaze was redirected to something behind Caesar.

He frowned briefly and turned to see for himself what had managed to grab the human woman's attention and was met with the sight of one of the members of his Gorilla Guard coming through the bushes with a searching look on his face. The moment his eyes found the Ape King, the young male gorilla hurried towards his leader, wearing a worried look on his dark, gruff face that put Caesar very much on edge.

Had something happened? An ambush, perhaps? From the soldiers? Had they managed to find the apes without Caesar and his troops being aware of their approach?

The rapid stream of horrible thoughts sent a chilling tremble through Caesar's dark pelt, but he quickly noticed that the ape coming towards him didn't seem scared or desperate, quickly leading Caesar to be believe that his reason for being here wasn't as pressing as the king had first thought.

No, this ape wasn't scared... if anything, he looked irate. Bristling, even, nostrils flared and frown deep with concern as he approached the large chimp.

Silence descended over the clearing as those occupying the training fields also noticed the newcomer, everyone suddenly growing tense as they, too, noticed the mental state of the gorilla.

Caesar straightened as he turned towards the other ape while Lydia stood up and went forward to stand beside him, ready to spring into action, as always.

" _Caesar! Must come!_ " The ape signed jaggedly, huffing agitatedly. " _We have trouble._ "

The king's brow furrowed.

"What has happened?" He asked, his expression stern.

The young gorilla huffed again and pursed his lips in obvious distaste as he spoke his next words.

" _They're back. Cedar has returned with some of Koba's followers._ " He signed finally, and Caesar felt his chest grow cold from within.

"Cedar…? What about Grey? Or…?" Came Lydia's confused voice, turning quieter towards the end of her sentence and Caesar knew she meant to ask about Red, probably concerned that he had returned too.

Caesar almost bristled at the thought, remembering very vividly how distraught Lydia had been about the red gorilla's behaviour before he had left all those months ago. The comments he had spewed and the advances he had so brutishly tried to make on her.

If that ape was back, Caesar swore he would…-

The gorilla in front of them quickly shook his head.

" _She leads these apes alone. They're mostly females and young._ " He informed, his gaze shifting between Caesar and Lydia, almost as if he didn't quite know who to look at. " _She wouldn't tell us why they were alone. She asks for you._ "

Caesar's frown only deepened. What was the meaning of this?

Looking over at Lydia, he could tell that she was having much the same thought, a hard look appearing on her features at this news. Underneath that expression, however, Caesar could easily detect apprehension. An anxiousness he had to admit he very much shared with her in that moment.

"Tell everyone to gather in the caves." The Ape King spoke gravelly to the gorilla in front of him, jaw set, and eyes determined. "And take me to her."

* * *

 ** _Lydia_**

Lydia pursed her lips, her eyes surveying the relatively small band of apes in front of her.

Cedar, Grey's mate, was their leader and spoke for them as they stood on display in front of the entire colony – as well as the Ape King and his council, sat upon the large boulder where they usually held their meetings.

And the fact that Lydia had sat down with them hadn't escaped Cedar's notice.

" ** _She_** _is on your Ape Council now?_ " The female chimp had signed in obvious indignation, her green eyes directed disapprovingly at Lydia before she returned her gaze to Caesar.

Lydia had wanted to make a snarky comment at that, not quite believing the nerve of this ape. She had always been testy, never passing up an opportunity to question Cornelia's leadership of the females in the past, though always managing to do it so subtly that it had never seemed like actual opposition on her part.

Before Lydia could as much as defensively cross her arms, however, Tinker was at it.

" _You return to us now, seeking shelter and safety after having betrayed and abandoned the colony, and the first thing you do is insult a member of the council?_ " She signed as she held her head high, clearly agitated. " _Brave… or foolish, considering no one here is a friend of yours._ "

Cedar wasn't impressed one bit and eyed Tinker coldly.

" _Excuse me for my… surprise. I was under the impression that it was a council of apes. For_ _ **apes**_ _._ "

Maurice rumbled deeply at that, his gaze unusually hard as he regarded the female chimp.

" _Some are apes on the inside only, Cedar._ " He signed with slow, deliberate movements. " _While others only remain apes on the outside._ "

Lydia resisted the urge to turn and stare at Maurice in wide-eyed astonishment at his jab. He normally didn't indulge the urge to dish out insults, no matter how subtle – Lydia quite honestly didn't think he had it in him at this point – but here he was, throwing one right into Cedar's face in front of the entire colony.

It clearly didn't sit well with the female chimp, whose lips were set in a thin line as she visibly resisted the urge to retaliate. All around, members of the colony murmured and signed discreetly, equally as surprised as Lydia at the elder orangutan's words.

It all ceased, however, when Caesar held up his hand, as he usually did when he asked for silence, and then frowned deeply as he stared at Cedar and her group.

"Why are you here, Cedar?" He asked, voice deep and grave as it resonated through the large cave. "Where are the rest of the apes who left?"

At that, Cedar seemed to shrink ever so slightly, her shoulders hunched and rigid-looking as her brow furrowed.

" _They have died_." She signed after a few seconds of uncomfortable silence. " _Murdered…_ _We are all that is left._ "

Confused and surprised hoots and gibbering erupted throughout the cave at Cedar's words, many seemingly scared and looking to each other in obvious concern. Lydia herself was also taken aback by this information, though did her best to maintain a neutral expression. Shocking as it was, it lacked an explanation.

Obviously, Caesar thought so too as he gestured for silence once more, then leaned forward to stare intently down at Cedar, studying her face as he spoke.

"What happened, Cedar?"

To Lydia, it looked like she was about to flinch at his tone, but Cedar managed to somewhat suppress the urge and chose instead to look up at the Ape King in an almost defiant manner, as if daring him to question her next words.

" _We were betrayed_." She announced with rage in her eyes. " _By Red. He thought he could control Grey. Act as the leader without taking responsibility. He let my mate take that instead._ "

Lydia wasn't surprised that Red would do something like this, honestly. It was quite believable. What she couldn't understand was why it had led to Cedar coming back with such a small group all by herself, consisting mainly of females and young, with only a few, straggling males who honestly didn't seem to know what to do with themselves at the moment. Were the others really dead, as Cedar now claimed? And if so, what did Red have to do with that?

A cold, unpleasant chill went down her spine at the thought. She had been face to face with the gorilla and even if he had been young compared to the likes of Luca, he was still a large, imposing ape male.

But even so, he wouldn't have been able to take on an entire group of apes by himself, as even the relatively small band of females standing in front of the colony now would have been able to overpower him.

No male, no matter how large or powerful, stood a chance against an enraged group of females – especially not if they had young to protect. Everyone knew that.

So, what had happened?

" _Grey didn't let him. They argued often. It got worse and worse with every month as Grey kept refusing to lead as Red wanted him to._ " Cedar continued, the group behind her looking steadily more apprehensive as their story unfolded with their lead female's signing. " _I thought Red would challenge my mate for leadership but… he never did. He only got ever angrier until one day, he had left with a small group of about sixteen males._ "

Caesar's frown got steadily deeper, Lydia noticed, as he listened to the female chimp's story, his hands grasping each other in his lap and his intense gaze still directed at Cedar's face, almost as if he was looking for tells to prove that she was lying to them all.

He didn't seem to find any.

" _We thought he had only left with those who agreed with his leadership… That that was the last we would ever see of him…_ " Cedar began to trail off oddly, her gaze lowering to the ground in front of her and, to Lydia's surprise, her green eyes began to glisten in the torchlight with unshed tears. " _We were mistaken._ "

Some of the females standing behind Cedar began to whimper quietly, those who still had small children squeezing them to their chests as anxious expressions appeared on their faces.

Lydia didn't like where this was going, and when Cedar proceeded with her tale, the human woman could swear her heart skipped a beat.

" _But they returned a month ago, weeks after abandoning us… Returned with the_ _ **soldiers**_ _!_ " The female chimp signed jaggedly, tears of rage spilling down her cheeks now as she lifted her gaze once again to face Caesar, a hideous grimace across her face. " _Red and the others brought them back to us! Made a deal with them!_ _ **He shot my mate! To please them!**_ "

A surge of horrified gibbering and outraged hoots filled the large cave and Maurice released an anxious rumble beside Caesar. Lydia herself resisted the urge to gasp, choosing instead to maintain a careful, neutral expression as she stared openly at Cedar, studying her.

Her rage seemed sincere enough. Her harsh breaths and the fire in her green eyes spoke of someone who felt wronged and betrayed – a feeling Lydia knew well.

Still, what if she was lying? Though Lydia held no friendly feelings towards Red, the claim that he was willing to go to the soldiers and strike a bargain with them to get rid of an opponent… It seemed farfetched. Had he _really_ fallen so far that he would turn to the apes' enemies as a last resort?

Beside the human woman, Caesar leaned forward, his elbows on top of his knees and eyes narrowing at the she-ape in front of him.

"How did you escape?" He asked inquisitively once the noise from the startled colony had died down once more.

Cedar's frown deepened.

" _I lead the females away as Grey and the other males fought. I am the lead female of these apes. It was my duty to get them away unharmed._ "

Looking over the small group of about twenty individuals, it was clear to Lydia that not all the females who had left with Grey all those months ago had managed to follow Cedar, a fact which had the cogs in Lydia's head turn. Had the missing females become casualties in the incident Cedar spoke of, or was this yet another part of an elaborate plot to retake the entirety of the colony?

The human woman decided to prod. Search for a reaction.

And she knew _just_ what would sting the most.

"You didn't manage to get all the females out of there?" She asked, unconsciously tilting her head at the ape in front of her. "If you fancied yourself a queen, shouldn't you have made sure everyone got away?"

Cedar's head whipped towards her and the she-ape's upper lip pulled back as she flashed her fangs at Lydia.

" _How dare you!?_ _ **You**_ _of all!_ " Cedar hissed as she signed, hackles raising, though Lydia was largely unaffected by the display of aggression. She knew she was safe – especially seeing as Tinker was putting on a similar front in retaliation beside her, a clear warning for Cedar to back off and show some respect.

"I dare," Lydia replied calmly, her expression giving nothing away, "because you've returned to us with fewer females than what you originally left with. I dare because I know you've always been critical of Cornelia's leadership of the females here, seemingly thinking _you_ could do better. And I dare because you've betrayed us once before, and I'm trying to determine if you're attempting to do so again."

 _Best to lay the cards on the table_ , Lydia thought as she tapped her finger against her knee, engaging in a stare-down with Cedar as she waited for a reply.

Waiting to see if she was going to take the deaths of the missing females upon herself. Waiting to see if she was finally ready to openly admit her ever-present resentment of Cornelia and her position in the colony. Waiting to see what her reply would be to Lydia's blatant accusation.

Though she was no longer showing her canines, Cedar's expression remained tight as she stared right back at the human woman, most likely weighing her options.

" _I… I could not gather everyone. The ambush happened without warning… and many did not want to follow… Did not want to leave their mates and sons to fight. Refused to be led by me._ " She finally said in a dejected manner.

"And why is that, do you think?" Lydia probed further.

She was very aware of the searching stares the rest of the Royal Ape Council discreetly shot at her, trying to figure out the meaning behind her questions.

It wasn't like she took any particular pleasure in Cedar's current situation, even if the two of them had never liked each other. She honestly couldn't care less about the female chimp on front of her. No, what Lydia wanted to see was whether or not Cedar was ready to let go of her pride. If she had truly come here seeking refuge for herself and the females she lead, Lydia figured that the she-ape would be ready to admit to her faults as a leader and take on the responsibility. True, even a good lead female would have probably lost a few members in a scenario such as the one Cedar had recounted, but to lose more than half of her charges because they weren't willing to follow her… There _had_ to have been something about her and Grey's leadership which had made their apes lose confidence in the pair and thus, choose to stay behind with their loved ones instead of following orders.

Even if that meant certain death.

And despite not liking each other, Lydia at least knew Cedar's personality very well. Had seen it at work for years now.

She was a prideful female ape, a diva, one might even say. Prone to causing drama and always thinking herself a better queen than Cornelia had ever been. She had never missed an opportunity to draw attention to every struggle the Ape Queen had faced during her reign. Lydia had even heard the other female apes talk about how Cedar had openly mocked Cornelia back when the they had been gathered in the forest during Koba's betrayal.

Needless to say, when the Ape King had, seemingly, returned from the dead to take back his throne, and succeeded in his endeavour, the drop to the bottom of the colony's hierarchy, as well as being ostracised for the act of treason, had left Cedar bitter and more resentful than ever before.

Cornelia's death had no doubt been a small consolation for her, Lydia was certain of that… But it hadn't been enough to make up for the humiliation and rejection the would-be lead female had suffered.

 _A false queen_ , Lydia thought as her frown deepened. _And a prideful and vindictive one at that_.

But if she was actually desperate enough to let all of this go and admit to her mistakes in exchange for being let back into the relative safety of Caesar's colony, Lydia would be willing to believe her story.

If not… Then the human woman was certain this was a ploy to trick them.

Because Cedar would never let go of her pride if she thought she had nothing to lose by doing so.

If they had the rest of their dissident group waiting somewhere, ready to strike when the colony had their guard down, Cedar wouldn't be ready to admit she had been a poor queen, Lydia knew. The female chimp would sooner fail her task of fooling the colony than lose face in front of them all.

And Cedar knew that Lydia was aware of this, the positively venomous look she shot Lydia proof enough of this.

" _I…_ " Cedar hesitated, pursing her lips as she visibly drew in air through her nose. " _I was… uncertain… In my leadership. The tension between Grey and Red was obvious and I-… During this, I could not bring calmness to the group… as I should have…_ "

Lydia nodded along as she observed the female chimp still, noting the slight quiver of her bottom lip and the way her shoulders hunched in what Lydia interpreted to be either embarrassment or shame.

" _I did not want to leave Grey either… And the others could sense my reluctance… my indecisiveness… We only just managed to flee when Red shot my mate… right in his chest…_ "

Silence had fallen over the colony at Cedar's heavy words and the tears now spilling from her eyes. Lydia herself felt a stab of sympathy in her own chest. She may never have been on good terms with Cedar, but she knew full well what it was like to watch a beloved mate die right in front of one's eyes.

And she was convinced that the sadness present in Cedar's eyes right now was no ruse. She had loved and lost, and that couldn't be easily faked.

The female chimp wiped her eyes and sniffled briefly before she managed to pull herself together once more and face Caesar, evidently trying her best to look tough when in fact she was falling apart at the seams – her posture too stiff, her fingers twitching and her eyes faltering as they met the Ape King's.

" _We have shared our story… Now, all I can ask is… Will you let us stay?_ " She signed somewhat shakily, and Lydia thought she saw Cedar's lip quiver.

Caesar pursed his lips and turned to his council, asking them their opinion on the matter before he made the final decision.

Tinker's nose wrinkled as she regarded the group, and Cedar in particular as she crossed her arms over her chest.

" _We can't turn away a group of females with young… It is not our way._ " Maurice signed, still with that thoughtful frown on his face. He clearly didn't like this whole thing, but his words made sense. Beside him, Luca nodded his large, heavy head in agreement.

Then Tinker spoke up, and Lydia was only slightly surprised at her words, knowing the relationship, or lack thereof, that her old friend had with the traitorous she-ape.

" _Maurice is right… But I don't think we should let Cedar stay._ " She signed in a serious manner. " _She always thought herself a better queen than Cornelia, and planned to take her place back when Koba took over… And she was leading the group that left together with Grey. Who is to say she will not betray again? It would be dangerous to let her stay._ "

Caesar, Maurice and Luca all shared troubled looks as hoots and gibbers of agreement sounded throughout the colony, many of the spectating apes, and the females in particular, remembering Cedar's behaviour all too well.

The she-ape in question said nothing and only looked on as the council continued to confer.

"I think we should let them stay." Lydia spoke neutrally before Caesar had even turned to her. " _All_ of them."

Tinker's head whipped in Lydia's direction, her face set into a betrayed expression which had the human woman feel slightly guilty. Still, she thought it was only reasonable.

" _How can you suggest that? After all she has done?_ " Tinker asked bewildered. She looked to the other council members for support but got none. Caesar, Maurice and Luca were all avoiding her gaze in favour of staring at Lydia, waiting for her reply to the question.

"She hasn't done anything more than anyone else in this group, Tinker. All she did was lead them, which isn't a crime in itself. She might have lead them, but we know from Stone's recount that it was Red who planned it out like that."

" _She left us! Betrayed us!_ " Tinker continued, obviously ignoring the dirty look Cedar shot at her.

"So did every single member of this group." Lydia countered gently. Out of the corner of her eye, she could tell that they seemed surprised that she was arguing in their favour. "They're all guilty of the same crime, Tinker. Including Cedar. We can't make exceptions based on personal relationships."

" _She will bring us all trouble. Including you. Just as she did to Cornelia._ " Tinker warned, crossing her arms over her chest once more as she finished her sentence.

"I didn't say it would be without certain countermeasures." Lydia answered, turning to Caesar then. "I suggest we let them all stay, but keep an eye on them, as well as refrain from training them to fight like we have done the females in our own group. If they try anything, we all know how to defend ourselves now, after all."

" _You have trained the females to fight?!_ " Cedar piped up with a confused hoot. Behind her, the group she had brought reacted in much the same manner, looking quite baffled.

"Yes. Desperate times call for desperate measures." Lydia replied curtly, now eyeing Cedar with a warning look.

" _And you want to leave us defenceless? What if someone here attacks us in retaliation?_ "

Lydia sighed irritably and reached up to pinch the bridge of her nose. Honestly, she was arguing in Cedar's favour here and the she-ape chose to focus on the fact that she was being discriminated against?

"They won't, because unlike _some_ , these apes are loyal – so as long as you behave and don't cause trouble, you should be quite safe, right?" The human woman spoke acidly, shooting Cedar yet another warning glare now rather than remaining neutral.

Challenges and bitchy attitudes seemed to be the only thing this female understood.

All around, various members of the colony were already discreetly signing amongst themselves about how they didn't want to be the ones who would have to defend any of these apes in case of an emergency, while others commented that it just wouldn't be fair to banish one and take in the rest, and others again pointed out that there were innocent children among these apes.

Children who shouldn't be condemned for a crime their parents had committed.

Cedar, though she looked offended at Lydia's tone, held her tongue after that, choosing instead to put on a sour expression as her gaze swiftly turned to the Ape King, who had risen to give his final verdict on the matter.

The look he wore was as severe as ever and everyone fell silent as he drew in a slow, calculated breath.

"We cannot turn away defenceless females and children." He spoke gravely, his features tightening at the mere thought. "But we also cannot pretend nothing has happened. As if everything is as before…"

The cave was filled with murmurs and all around them Lydia saw heads nodding in agreement at Caesar's words.

"I think… Lydia is right. We cannot turn away one ape and not the others as well for the same act… Cedar and her group will remain here." He then directed his gaze at the small band of apes in front of him, speaking directly to them, even though his words were orders for all to hear. "You will stay within the colony, where others can watch you, but you will not be trained like the other females. In exchange, you are accepted back and will be protected if we are attacked."

The group collectively nodded in agreement to Caesar's terms, some more readily than others, Lydia noted, but they probably figured it was better to enjoy the protection of a large group rather than face the forest and its dangers alone – a smart choice, considering what was now lurking out there.

Then Caesar's gaze fixed onto Cedar, his eyes intense and his frown deep as he stared down at her.

"And you will respect me _and_ my council. _All_ of it. Understood?"

The female chimp shot both Tinker and Lydia sour looks, but nodded nonetheless, sealing the deal.

Contrary to her recount and the desperation and sadness she had displayed earlier, the nod of agreement she gave now didn't seem particularly sincere to Lydia. She had no doubt Cedar would cause trouble no matter what, as it seemed to be her nature to do so, but she was still confident in her decision.

It would be terribly hypocritical of the human woman to advice turning away someone solely based on the fact that she didn't like them.

 _If the apes had done that with me all those years ago, I wouldn't even be here_ , a stray thought resonated through her mind as Caesar dismissed the colony, assigning a trusted group of capable females to help Cedar and her apes find a suitable place to sleep. Everyone went their separate ways after this… eventful gathering, going back to what they had been doing

But the Royal Ape Council remained seated, as per Caesar's request, and Lydia bit her lip as he moved to sit down with them again.

"This is… worrying." He commented gruffly, followed by a heavy sigh. Then, he turned to Tinker with a soft look in his eyes. "I know you do not like it… And neither do I, in truth… But-"

" _You don't have to explain, Caesar._ " Tinker interrupted, shaking her head dismissively. " _I understand the reason behind, and your decision is final, after all. I just don't like it._ "

He nodded, obviously still feeling torn in this matter.

"Still, we now need to have some groups to watch over them, so they will not be able to plan against us a second time." The Ape King spoke lowly, eyeing the individuals in front of him in turn.

"I don't think it's Cedar and her apes we should worry about…" Lydia commented seriously, feeling how a look of concern crept across her features. "If what Cedar said is true… Red and the apes he's with… they know where the colony is as well."

Everyone stared at each other with increasingly alarmed expressions, realising that what Lydia had said was true. Red and his followers had been here… which meant they could lead the soldiers to the colony as well, if they chose to do so.

Compared to Cedar and the group she had led, who may or may not be a threat, this was _far_ more disturbing.

"We cannot move the colony again." Caesar shook his head, putting his hands together in front of him. "There are very few other places we can go."

Everyone in the council nodded.

" _And if we move to a new home, Rocket and the others will have a difficult time finding us when they come back. They could be ambushed._ " Maurice signed, his movements heavy and slow as always. He wore a deep frown of worry on his dark face and gave a distressed rumble at the prospect.

" _But if we stay here, we will be an easy target._ " Luca replied with urgency. " _Red has betrayed before. Now we know how far he is willing to go._ "

Lydia saw how Caesar pursed his lips, a crease appearing between his brows as he frowned. She understood his dilemma perfectly, even if she wasn't a leader like he was.

Though they had managed to relocate the colony's members fairly quickly the last time, it had still been a logistic challenge to get everything and everyone settled properly, as well as building the wooden walkways, hidden outposts, stables and all else that the colony needed. Even now, there were still areas around the colony that needed to be reinforced or completely redone, given how hasty the move had been and how quickly the soldiers had arrived afterwards.

To do so again would be… impractical.

Then, a thought struck Lydia.

"How long did Cedar say it had been since Red had led the soldiers to her group?"

" _A month, I think it was…_ " Luca commented, his dark face contorted into a look of confusion. " _Why?_ "

Caesar, Tinker and Maurice looked equally puzzled by her inquiry.

"It's just… Wouldn't they have attacked by now? If they had been told where we are?" The human woman tilted her head, looking at her fellow council members for an explanation.

Maurice rumbled again, this time in understanding, and nodded his large head.

" _I agree that it seems… odd, that they haven't attacked. Why keep a stalemate going in the forest with us, then?_ " He elaborated, looking to Caesar now.

Silence fell over their small group as the Ape King gathered his mind, examining all the information and speculations from his council. Lydia imagined she could hear the figurative cogs turning inside his head as he regarded the group with an intense, thoughtful stare.

"We will remain here, for now, and post scouts around the colony. Groups of two and three to make sure no one will get caught alone." He finally decided, shifting his gaze between each of his trusted advisors in turn. "I will trust Lydia and Luca with this task. Everyone else continue as always… But do not let your guard down."

Lydia noticed how his eyes seemed to linger on her for just a little bit longer than the others but did her best to ignore the slight quickening of her heartbeat.

Now was not the time.

Everyone nodded at the Ape King nonetheless, including Lydia, as she took yet another task upon herself.

And like all the other times, she didn't even stop to consider if her shoulders could handle the weight of her ever-growing responsibility.


	49. The Catfight

**Author's Note:**

Fashionably late posting today but you know - 'tis the season, and I haven't been anywhere near a computer for most of the day so... Here goes :)

NOTE: This is the last chapter of 2018, as I will be taking a short break next week to get back on track with my chapters, which are coming on exceptionably slow right now - and, of course, to spend some time with my family :) Christmas cheer and all that.

And seeing as this is the last chapter of 2018, I'm ending the year on a grand note by introducing an entire chapter featuring a brand new POV: Tinker's

Hope you enjoy it and thank you all so much for reading and all the wonderful feedback on my story! I'm looking very much forward to continuing with it in 2019, starting on January 4th :)

Merry Christmas and happy New Year, everyone!

* * *

 _ **Tinker**_

The forest had plenty of food to offer now that the greenery had begun to return with renewed vigour, and Tinker was happy to note how the woven baskets they all brought on this trip were more than halfway full at this point. The last couple of months had been meagre and due to the fact that this had been the apes' first winter at their new location, they had only just begun to figure out exactly where the best places for foraging were at this point.

But about a month and a half ago, around the time Cedar and her flock had come crawling back to the colony, the trees and bushes and ferns had begun their regrowth, steadily returning the forest to the glory of spring and summer.

Ash had always loved this time of year, when everything was new, and the sun's warm rays would bring life to the forest and all its inhabitants.

A lump formed in the female chimp's throat at the thought of her deceased son, murdered by someone they had all trusted and respected. Even if it had almost been a full year, it still sparked a vicious flame of rage inside her chest just thinking about it.

And she knew that, had she actually been there when it had happened, Koba would've been dead before Caesar, Rocket, or anyone else would have ever gotten a hold of him.

The loss of her son back then had hurt Tinker like nothing else ever had and in the aftermath, she had fallen into a state of depression, angry with the world that had taken her beautiful child from her.

And resentful of those who still applauded Koba's actions… Who still thought he was right, even with everything that had happened since then.

Even if they had seen what he was willing to do to his own kind.

Tinker was convinced that had it not been for the fact that she'd had Rocket to shoulder her sorrow, she would have remained in that state even now. Many thought him gruff and simple, but Tinker knew there was so much more to her mate than that, at least when he was with her. When alone with Tinker, he was thoughtful, kind and gentle, wiping away her tears and holding her close when thoughts of Ash's death crept into her mind.

Goodness, how she missed her little boy terribly – and her husband as well these days.

Truthfully, Tinker had feared that she would finally crumble back when it had first been announced that Rocket would go on this journey to find their new home. In the privacy of their home, she had protested vehemently, arguing that he couldn't leave her now when she needed him the most.

" _It is not just you, Tinker, but all the apes who need me._ " He had signed solemnly back then, his dark features apologetic and pained all at once. " _There is no one better suited for this task. You know this too._ "

She had wept, opposed and denied, even if she had known that what her mate had said was true. Rocket had been so patient with her then, facing her distress with calmness and giving his wife the space she had needed until she had been able to calm down.

And once she managed to do that, Tinker had been able to admit that he was right. There really was no one better suited.

Caesar couldn't go – he was the colony's leader and had to manage the battle with the soldiers. Maurice, while being the smartest ape in all of the colony, wasn't exactly the one best suited for long, physically straining journeys, and besides, his brilliant mind was needed here. Luca couldn't go either, as he was the commander of the Gorilla Guard and therefore needed to manage the colony's defences. Then there was Lydia, of course, and Tinker had no doubt that the dark-haired woman would probably have gone if it wasn't for Caesar specifically asking her to stay to perform other duties. She would most likely have done well on such a journey, Tinker had mused, seeing as the human woman had undertaken something quite similar once before. But her hunting had become a crucial backup for the colony to rely on, and her responsibilities had only mounted since Malcolm and his group had happened upon Ash, Blue Eyes and Orion that fateful day almost a full year ago.

Then there was Tinker herself, and while the female chimp had no doubt she could handle such a journey, she knew that she, as the only she-ape on the council and Cornelia's closest friend, had to take on the task of leading the colony's females.

Even so, she still hadn't gotten completely used to the thought of being all alone by the time Rocket had left with the two younger apes. Truth be told, she probably never would.

" _You and Lydia should take comfort in each other, then._ " Rocket had said the evening before the departure. " _She is a good friend and your situations are very similar._ "

And so, Tinker had taken her mate up on his advice.

It had helped immensely with easing the loneliness she had felt since Rocket's departure. Lydia, together with Cornelia, had been one of Tinker's closest friends for years now, and these last ten months had only strengthened that bond. Lydia understood what it was like. She was as alone as Tinker was with this sadness and longing. With the pain of losing one and saying goodbye to the other for goodness knows how long.

Which was why Tinker had felt that much more betrayed when Lydia had voted for letting Cedar, Cornelia's constant adversary back when she had been alive, stay in the colony. Truthfully, it had felt like a punch in the gut at first, seeing as Lydia knew of her friend's history with this traitorous she-ape as well as Cedar's overall problems with her attitude and lack of respect for authorities.

Deep down, however, Tinker knew that it had been the right thing to do, even if she strongly opposed it to this day. Cedar's crime was no greater or any more severe than any of the other females' deeds. A group needed a lead female, after all, and seeing as Grey had led this band of apes as they had left the colony, Cedar had been the obvious choice.

 _And Cornelia would have let her stay too, I'm sure_ , Tinker thought. Her dear, late friend had always been better at seeing the bigger picture. Better at setting her personal feelings aside when strife had occasionally occurred in the Ape Village.

It was one of the reasons why Tinker felt quite inadequate acting as the lead female in her friend's absence. Most commended her for doing a good job, actually, praising her ability to diffuse conflicts among her charges and the ease with which she handpicked groups of females to perform the different tasks that needed completing around the colony.

She was good at that. Knew she was and took pride in it, as many said she should.

But in situations like this, she just couldn't put aside her dislike for Cedar. She just couldn't leave her personal feelings out of it and at least _try_ to look at the situation objectively. As she _should_ have done.

There was too much history between them. Too much animosity.

Just too much bad and not enough good for Tinker to see the bigger picture and help Caesar judge fairly.

She shook her head at herself as she sighed, her shoulders slumping with the action. She should probably be glad that the likes of Lydia and Maurice were also on the Royal Ape Council in situations like this to counter such ill-willed inputs as the one she gave that day. She still didn't like the fact that Cedar had been allowed to stay, even now, and she knew very well that several of the other apes in the colony agreed with her on this matter… But even so, Tinker accepted the decision, knowing that it was only fair that those who had committed the exact same crime received equal punishment.

That still didn't mean she had to like it, though… Because Tinker most definitely did _not_.

Just then, a group of females Tinker had sent out to forage returned to their rendezvous spot at the forest's edge and she nodded at them in recognition as she made eye-contact before signing to them that they could take a break as they waited for the remaining groups to return as well.

And as if the mere thought of her had managed to summon her, it just so happened to be that this was the group Cedar had been assigned… Or rather, _they_ had been assigned to keep an eye on _Cedar_ , as well as a few other deserters.

She, as was her custom nowadays, maintained a few feet's distance to her… well, babysitters, as it were, and Tinker couldn't quite tell if it was because she was being kept out by them or if it was the other way around.

She seemed out of place. Both her and those who had followed her lead.

But when Cedar spotted Tinker, she swiftly turned on her heel and began walking in a beeline towards Tinker, head held high and with an air of superiority about her as she reached her destination. It made a sense of silent dread swell in Tinker's chest and she tried to school her features as the other chimp got nearer, though she knew she didn't quite manage to ease the tension in her posture as Cedar came to a stop in front of her, a bored frown on her face.

" _I have finished picking roots with the others as you asked._ " She signed indifferently, though Tinker could tell that the she-ape in front of her struggled with her next sentence. " _What else am I to do?_ "

" _You can find someone to escort you back to the colony._ " Tinker answered curtly, doing her best to keep the interaction as brief and neutral as possible. Normally, they would wait until everyone had returned before going back to the colony – but Tinker knew that Cedar was much too impatient for that, and decided that it might be prudent to have her do something else in the meantime. " _I'm sure there are kills from today's hunt that needs to be gutted and skinned._ "

The female chimp in front of her continued to frown all the same, looking quite unimpressed by Tinker's words.

" _I don't need to be looked after every moment like a child. The colony isn't far from here and I'm quite capable of walking there myself without causing_ _ **trouble**_ _for you._ "

 _Here we go again_ , Tinker thought as she resisted the urge to roll her eyes in exasperation. In spite of the supposed horrors Cedar had endured in her time away from the colony, the she-ape had managed to maintain her defiant, hissy attitude. In fact, as soon as the dust had settled after her group's arrival, she had gone straight back to her old habits of complaining, nagging and especially low-key opposing the female in charge – meaning Tinker herself, now that Cornelia was gone.

Tinker did a sigh as she regarded the other female chimp, steeling herself for yet another discussion.

" _I don't care how close or far away the colony is. Caesar has decided to have you watched and you know exactly why. I am not going to go against his orders._ "

" _Humph_. _No wonder how you ended up with_ _ **Rocket**_ _. You're both blind to any fault in Caesar's leadership._ " Cedar scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest once she was done signing, her lips pouty and her stare still unimpressed.

Tinker felt her hackles begin to raise ever so slightly at the mention of her mate. The blatant critique of both him and Caesar. How _dare_ she? Especially after having practically crawled back to them, begging to be let back into the safety of the colony!?

Tinker did her best to remain calm, however. Snide remarks were nothing unusual from Cedar and the lead female should really have been expecting it by now. This she-ape could never just follow an order without complaint, nor leave well enough alone when the situation called for it. She always had to have the last word, no matter the discussion and no matter if she was right or not.

But this time Cedar, perhaps catching on to Tinker's already mounting irritation, chose to take it a step further.

And what a step it was…

" _A shame he did not accept_ _ **me**_ _when he had the chance. I could have given him strong children, capable of defending themselves._ " Cedar signed with a slight, but no less malicious smirk on her face all of a sudden, challenge clear in her green eyes.

It was true that back at San Bruno all those years ago, Cedar had indeed been vying for Rocket's attention, trying with all her might to gain his favour and become his favourite. It had been back when the apes had not chosen a single mate to stay with, but rather had one male divide his attention among several females – and yet Rocket had never as much as looked Cedar's way back then, choosing Tinker over everyone else, much to the opposing she-ape's aggravation.

It was how the animosity between the two had started, though Tinker had never before given in to Cedar's games and low blows. Not that she wasn't quite capable of delivering the same sort of scorching remarks and acidy looks as the other female was – she had just never felt the need to lower herself to that level.

Not until now, that is. Tinker had just had enough right about now. The reference to their old rivalry, if one could call it that, was bad enough, but her so brashly implying that Ash had been a weak child was the last straw after many months of her little tantrums and backtalk.

" _And how many children were you able to give Grey in all your years together? Please remind me._ " Tinker shot back with a raised brow in turn, Cedar's attitude and obvious challenges to Tinker's authority only fuelling the fire of her retaliation.

The opposing female looked slightly taken aback at first, clearly not expecting Tinker to react like this and especially with a comment so scathing.

But once the initial shock had passed, an indignant look took over Cedar's features, and her eyes flashed with anger at her long-time rival.

" _That is a matter between Grey and I. Besides, my point is that it could have been different with Rocket, had he not been so blinded with how…_ _ **manageable**_ _you are. He did always like the meek ones the best._ " She countered, and the lead female noticed how her opposer's hands clenched ever so slightly at her sides once she finished signing.

Tinker herself resisted the urge to bark out a mock-laugh at Cedar's poor attempt at a jab. Anyone who knew her was aware of the fact that, while she did have a gentle and compliant personality in general, Tinker was by no means meek, shy or indeed _manageable_ , as Cedar had put it. She had clearly just needed to throw something to make Tinker feel inferior, as well as put forth her own traits of defiance and crassness as something desirable.

" _It would never have been. My mate tolerated you, no more than that. And you never loved him, Cedar – you loved his position. His power. And had Caesar not already had his eyes firmly set on Cornelia when he took over Rocket's position, you would have thrown yourself at his feet as well for the chance to feel important!_ " Came Tinker's reply, acidy and on-point as she noticed how Cedar's fur began to bristle further and further with every word the lead-female signed.

Tinker was clearly hitting a sore spot and felt a tinge of satisfaction at the fact in spite of how a small voice inside her mind continued to insist that she shouldn't stoop to Cedar's level. That she should not succumb to the urge to retaliate. That she should instead make an effort to show how she was clearly better than that.

But the way her long-time adversary's face contorted in distaste and poorly-hidden offence was just too pleasing right now.

" _Careful now, Tinker, you know nothing about my motivations! Besides, love is not necessary to be a great leading pair. Decisiveness and strength is. And I still made for a far greater lead female than both you and Cornelia!_ "

Tinker immediately noticed how Cedar didn't rush to deny anything else she had said, and now it was her turn to give an unimpressed stare.

" _I see. Was it your decisiveness and strength that made the females in your group refuse to follow you? To lose faith in your ability to lead?_ " Tinker jabbed, just as riled up as Cedar by now, and that little, reasonable voice inside her mind completely drowned out.

What was it Lydia always called it when women disagreed strongly like this? A catfight?

Yes, that was the term – and this discussion was turning into a catfight very quickly by now.

" _And you are in no position to criticize my leadership or Cornelia's, when you yourself have admitted to everyone here just how poorly you handled the responsibility yourself._ " The lead female added, her nose wrinkling in distaste at her opposer.

And even more so once she saw Cedar's signed reply.

Or rather, the poor attempt at defending her failure.

" _If only they hadn't refused to be led, it would never have come to that!_ " Cedar signed angrily. Indignantly. As if her now dead charges had been errant children or stubborn horses who had refused to yield to her commands.

As if Cedar and her indecisive, passive leadership had had nothing to do with it. Had not made them lose faith in her.

Oh, Tinker had overheard plenty of talk from the other females from Cedar's group – if for nothing else than to try and subtly confirm if their stories about the massacre matched up or not, which they actually did, to Tinker's surprise. But besides the descriptions of the terrible attack, one thing everyone kept talking about was how Cedar had seemed insecure and doubtful whenever a decision had had to be made. Oh, she would act high and mighty and order everyone around as she saw fit, alright, but whenever it had become time to make an important decision, many had discussed how Cedar had seemed almost afraid of the prospect of making them.

Which was why Tinker now had to scoff and roll her green eyes at Cedar's words.

" _If you had had the courage to lead them in the first place, and yet I'm told it was not exactly the strength and decisiveness that you talk about which you showed in your brief time as queen._ "

By this point, Cedar's ears were as red as the tomatoes the apes used to harvest from the garden back at the old village, and her face was contorted into an angry grimace which Tinker could easily see that she was desperately trying to mask with a look of indifference.

It didn't work at all.

" _You know nothing of that time and_ _ **you**_ _have no right to criticize_ _ **me**_ _! Look at yourself, you're not even a real queen, your child is dead, and your mate probably is too because you let him leave on Caesar's orders! Everything you've ever lost, you've lost because of_ _ **Caesar**_ _, not Koba, or Grey or_ _ **me**_ _._ "

At that, Tinker's posture stiffened, and her lips tightened, rage welling up inside her chest.

The nerve of this she-ape!

" _You are wrong._ " Tinker replied, her green eyes suddenly narrowing dangerously at Cedar, which seemed to catch her off-guard as she took a step backwards. " _It was not Caesar who threw my son to his death. It was_ _ **Koba**_ _. And you supported Koba. Supported what he did to my son and all other apes who did not agree with him. Supported an ape who killed apes._ "

Tinker knew her hackles were raised considerably by now. She also knew that her eyes were piercing, and her upper lip was pulled back ever so slightly, showing Cedar just a hint of her formidable canines to warn her that she meant business by now. To tell her that she had crossed a line and that if she didn't back off soon, if she continued to aggravate Tinker, mere words would not be her only consequence.

" _And I know plenty of that time from others. I know that you failed as a lead female._ " Tinker signed further, wanting to make it clear to Cedar what she thought of her once and for all. " _That you are a false queen who failed to protect her group, and now you must deal with the consequences._ "

It had been Tinker's intention to end the exchange here, but Cedar, true to her nature, even when faced with an enraged and clearly superior female in front of her, _still_ had to have the last word. Like in _any_ other conversation she had ever had with anyone.

" ** _You_** _failed to protect your own_ _ **child**_ _. Your own blood. I would say that's far worse._ " Cedar retaliated, though she had clearly lost some of her previous bite after Tinker's demeanour had changed.

She still seemed determined to defend herself and her actions from the past, but now looked unsure and reluctantly submissive in the face of Tinker's quiet, seething rage.

Adding to that, she visibly flinched at the lead female's next words as well, and Tinker felt another small surge of satisfaction go through her chest at the sight, knowing for a fact that she had the upper hand in this little battle of theirs.

" _At least my son died with his dignity intact, staying loyal to our_ _ **true**_ _leaders and daring to speak against Koba's actions, which is more than anyone can say about Grey._ " Tinker countered, going along and continuing their back-and-forth of low blows quite effortlessly – more so than she had ever thought herself capable of, really, which was beginning to leave a bad taste in her mouth.

Just then, as Cedar's upper lip began to pull back to reveal her canines in a display of aggression towards her superior, a low, warning rumble sounded, and both she-apes quickly whipped their heads around to look for the source of the sound, coming face-to-face with Maurice.

" _Forgive my interruption, I could not help but notice the... tension, as I approached… Is there a problem with our newly returned colony member, Tinker?_ " The elder orangutan asked pleasantly, though the look in his eyes as they regarded her told Tinker that he had witnessed most of the exchange by now, if not the entirety of it.

But at this point, though she immediately calmed down at the sight of her fellow council member, Tinker really didn't care that he had seen it.

And what was more, part of her wanted to answer the orangutan's question in the affirmative just then, especially when she saw how Cedar visibly blanched when she realised what this little scene she had triggered might mean for her continued stay in the colony.

She _did_ promise not to cause trouble, after all.

It was one thing for Tinker to run to Caesar and tell how she acted – it was a well-known fact that the two didn't like each other.

But if both Tinker and Maurice reported on how she had acted, especially with how she had so blatantly disrespected and even defied Tinker when she had given her word not to do so in front of the entire colony, Cedar was sure to be thrown out immediately, lone female or not.

Tinker knew this very well too. Knew that she had a chance to get rid of Cedar for good and get back at her for everything that had ever happened between them to boot. Especially for her critique of Rocket and Ash just now.

It would've been so easy to just answer in the affirmative, have Cedar disappear from her life and never again as much as think about the she-ape or of what could potentially happen to her alone out in the forest. Out of sight, out of mind.

But a little voice inside of Tinker, the same voice that had continuously told her not to give in to Cedar's taunts and lower herself to her level, reminded Tinker that doing just that would make her no better than the opposing female in front of her. Or Koba, or Red…

Apes who didn't care. Apes who just got rid of those who happened to oppose them, by any means necessary…

Tinker drew in a deep breath before answering, noting in the process how Cedar flinched once more, most likely expecting her old rival to finally take her chance to get rid of her for good.

" _Not at all, Maurice. I was merely explaining a few things to her, that's all. She's going to find a female now to escort her back to the colony._ " Tinker signed as amicably as she could muster right now, as rage at Cedar's words from before still flowed through her veins.

Cedar looked at her like she couldn't believe what she had just said. Couldn't believe that Tinker would pass up an opportunity like that when she herself would have jumped at it headfirst. There was little to no gratitude to be found on her face, however. Only confusion, followed quickly by embarrassment as Tinker eyed her warningly when she didn't leave immediately, and Cedar began skulking back towards her foraging group, shoulders hunched and steps quick as she left at last.

The two council members stared at her retreating form before Maurice turned to Tinker with a raised brow, obviously expecting some sort of explanation. He knew better than most how the two females loathed each other

Tinker merely shook her head at her old friend, silently telling him that she didn't want to discuss it right now – if ever.

She patted him on his shoulder as she walked past, bidding him goodbye as she prepared to lead all the females back, seeing as everyone had returned by now and were waiting for her to hand out more tasks.

Maurice hooted at her before she got that far and Tinker, polite as ever, turned around to face him, only to be met with a searching expression on his dark features.

" _Are you alright?_ " He asked concernedly in sign, arms heavy and the hairs on them swaying with every subtle movement.

A lump formed in Tinker's throat, but she managed to smile softly at her old friend.

" _I am fine, Maurice._ " She replied before turning her back to him once more and completely missing the doubtful look in the wise ape's eyes as he silently regarded her.

* * *

Later, as Tinker was sitting in her cave, preparing to go to sleep after such a long, trying day, it became apparent that she had in fact lied to Maurice.

She was most definitely _not_ fine.

While she had become used to Cedar's snide remarks and low verbal blows over the years they had known each other, and even more so during this last month and a half that she had been back in the colony, today's quarrel had been worse than any other that had ever occurred between the two.

And as opposed to all the arguments the two females had had in the past, this time, Cedar had managed to get under Tinker's skin.

Her comments about Ash and the way he was killed. How she had said it was Tinker's fault for not protecting him. That she had let her own son die…

Tinker knew it wasn't true. She had been in the forest with the other females at the time, just as scared and confused as everyone else, and hadn't had any way of knowing what had even happened.

But even so, as a mother, such an accusation was bound to hurt. It reopened deep wounds that had barely managed to heal enough for Tinker not to cry herself to sleep every other night and stung worse than any jab that awful human back at San Bruno had delivered with that horrible device he had always carried to torment the apes.

And then there was the subject of Rocket, and Cedar's words about him probably being dead by now, a possibility Tinker knew existed, but hadn't dared to dwell on.

But now, after today's argument with Cedar, the thought just wouldn't leave her. She sat in her nest, as she had done for the past hour or so, thinking about it. Her shoulders were slumped and her usually vibrant and mischievous, green eyes staring dully at the flickering flame of the torch fixed to her cave wall.

What if Cedar was right? What if Rocket was actually gone too, like Ash? Was she the only one left now? The sole survivor of her little family, destined to face the rest of her days alone?

Tears welled up in her eyes and her bottom lip quivered as she clenched her fists in her lap.

It wasn't true… It just couldn't be! She knew what her mate was capable of, and what was more, he had promised to return to her. He had given her his word and Rocket always kept his word.

 _Always…_

Just then, before Tinker managed to wipe her tears away and school her features, she heard the tell-tale sound of booted footsteps that told her Lydia was approaching her part of the caves.

The human woman pulled aside the skins acting as a makeshift door, already in the middle of a inquisitive request before stopping dead in her tracks once her eyes landed on her best friend.

"Hey Tinker, sorry to bother you this late, but I was wondering if you could help me with-…"

It was clear what she was going to say and despite her current state of doubt and distress, Tinker almost cracked a smile at the sight of Lydia standing there, holding her brush in hand and with her long, dark hair loose from its braid and dishevelled around her head.

"What happened?" Her human friend asked immediately, serious all of a sudden, and ready as always to spring into action when she sensed something was amiss.

She was beside Tinker in less than a second, taking just two steps with her long legs before she dropped down unceremoniously in Tinker's softly padded nest, her deep, blue eyes fixed on the female chimp, looking for answers.

Tinker was slightly taken aback by Lydia's forwardness, even though she honestly should've been expecting it by now. They had known each other for years, after all, and Lydia's eagerness to help those she cared about was all too familiar to Tinker by now.

The small female chimp shook her head and waved her hand dismissively, though she knew that Lydia would persist until she got an answer – the human woman was nothing if not stubborn.

And sure enough, her friend crossed her arms over her chest, pursing her lips as she stared expectantly at the she-ape in front of her.

"Tinker…" Lydia said impatiently, sounding very much like a mother prying for answers after her child had caused mischief.

It had been a very, _very_ long time since anyone had ever made Tinker feel like that.

The female chimp sighed and reached up to rub her arm as she avoided eye contact with the human beside her.

" _I had another… dispute with Cedar this afternoon… An ugly one._ " She finally signed in a subdued manner, hoping Lydia would realise that she wasn't keen on discussing it just yet and hopefully have her change the subject to make Tinker feel better.

She did not, however, and the ape found herself resisting the urge to groan in a frustrated manner at her friend's persistence.

"About…?" Lydia urged further, leaning forward and staring ever more intently at Tinker's face, and the chimp found herself compelled to elaborate under her friend's continued scrutiny. There was just something about the way Lydia stared at her… The way her eyes were kind and firm all at once.

As a mother's eyes should be. As a _friend's_ eyes should be.

And then, as she stared into the searching eyes of her best friend, the kindest, most fiercely loyal human Tinker had ever met, she knew it was no use trying to avoid telling her what was wrong. If anyone here knew _exactly_ what Tinker was going through, her worries and her fears for her loved ones and the pain she carried because of it, it was Lydia.

And so, she began signing, telling her friend everything that had happened and described today's exchange in great detail as a lump began forming in her throat and tears started glistening in her bright green eyes.

After that, it didn't take long before she felt Lydia's arm wrap comfortingly around her shoulders and saw a look of empathy on the human woman's face once the female chimp managed to lift her gaze and look her in the eyes once more.

A look of empathy… and guilt.

"Tinker, I'm so sorry for this. It's all my fault for suggesting she should stay in the first place…" Lydia spoke once Tinker had finished signing, her hands dropping heavily into her lap immediately afterwards.

Tinker shook her head at her dear friend. While she had felt betrayed by Lydia after she had said that she thought Cedar should be allowed to stay, she would never dream of blaming Lydia for incidents like the one that had happened today. Never.

" _It isn't your fault at all. You made fair points while I let my animosity towards her affect my counsel._ " She answered reassuringly, the tears now beginning to dry on her cheeks.

Lydia sighed, biting her bottom lip in thought.

"I know you don't blame me, Tinker. But _I_ do… You're my best friend and it pisses me off that you're subjected to this because of a decision I helped making…"

" _We all took part in making this decision. If you are to blame, then Caesar, Maurice and Luca are as well, and I don't want that. We're on the Royal Ape Council, Lydia, which means that sometimes, we will have to make decisions that we don't like. We cannot avoid it. We have to judge everyone fairly, and you did that better than I that day._ " The female chimp reasoned, though she gave her friend's hand a quick squeeze after she had finished signing.

It didn't seem to ease Lydia's guilt, as she still wore a slight frown on her pale features.

"Still, you shouldn't have to put up with this… It's not right, Tinker." The human woman countered quietly, looking quite disheartened.

" _Few things are in these times, Lydia…_ " Tinker sighed tiredly, feeling old beyond her years all of a sudden. Then, she reached over to lay a reassuring hand on the human woman's, which rested atop her clothed knee. " _It's just that… Sometimes, I really do wish we did not have to be the ones to do the right thing…_ "

Lydia nodded in understanding and squeezed Tinker's shoulder after a brief moment of silence, biting her bottom lip once more as she thought on those words.

"Yeah… Me too, Tinker…" She said at last as the she-ape leant against her side, and the human woman put her head on top of Tinker's, rubbing her shoulder comfortingly. "Me too…"


	50. The Secret Tryst

_**Author's Note:**_

So, I'm back after the holidays and it just so happens that we start this year off with quite a milestone - chapter 50! :D  
When I started writing this story, I quite honestly thought that this would be the number of chapters that it would take to finish it, but evidently, it kind of took on a life of its own :)

I don't know how many chapters are left before it's done, but I do hope you guys will continue to enjoy it and stay for the entirety of this crazy ride :)

Also very fitting, since it IS the first chapter of 2019 AND chapter 50 to boot, we're starting off with a smut-filled chapter and quite a milestone for two of our dear characters (which some of you might have already guessed by the title ;) )

 **WARNING: This chapter contains smut. It will be clearly marked and is skippable (though this is not recommended).**

Happy New Year, everyone!

* * *

 _ **Lydia**_

"Cold?" The Ape King asked concernedly, eyeing her with those intense, green orbs of his.

They were once again sitting in the secluded cavern they both frequented on those nights when sleep wouldn't find them, while Cornelius had gone off to sleep with Tinker for once.

Lydia and Caesar had been in the cave for some time now, enjoying the quiet of the night when it had suddenly begun raining, a torrential downpour beating against the earth and the surface of the river just outside their secret shelter, drowning out the sounds of the forest.

Aside from creating a steady drumming all around the little cave, the rainfall had also caused a sudden drop in temperature and now, Lydia was sat in her thin top, barely suppressing the shivers that fought their way along her chilled skin. She chuckled good-naturedly in reply to his question, rubbing her upper arms. She regretted not taking her hoodie, but this wasn't something she couldn't handle, honestly.

"Just a bit. Nothing to worry about."

It didn't seem to convince Caesar, who raised an eyebrow at her as he continued to study her slightly shivering form. He looked to be contemplating something, and Lydia almost felt naked under his scrutiny as he kept staring.

"Come here." He suddenly spoke with a serious look on his face, lifting his right arm for her to be able to scoot closer, under the crook of the large limb.

Even if it seemed to be an invitation at first, he didn't wait for her to decide on the matter as he promptly wrapped his long arm around her shoulders and pulled her flush against his side, forcing Lydia to brace a hand against his pectoral muscle and release a soft yelp of surprise. His fur was thick and soft under her fingers and she barely managed to resist the urge to card her slender digits through it the moment she touched it.

Lydia was flooded with his warmth the moment he pulled her close and felt the certain heat of a mild blush creep across her cheeks at his proximity. It had been ages since she had been this close to him…

"Better?" He asked, rubbing her arm gently. It felt amazingly warm against her chilled skin.

There was a soft, barely-visible smirk to be found on his gruff features, a certain mirth present in his eyes as he took in her startled expression and Lydia rolled her own, blue orbs in mock-exasperation. Still, it was nice to see that, despite everything that was going on, Caesar hadn't lost his humour. It had been uncommon for him to show it even before the war had started, but nowadays, it was as rare as finding a precious jewel in a pile of freshly burned charcoal.

Lydia nodded in reply to his question, adjusting herself against his side to get more comfortable. This _was_ better, alright. Warm and safe – a feeling Lydia hadn't enjoyed in a long time now. Not since Orion had left with Blue Eyes and Rocket to find the colony's new home, the nest as well as her heart feeling so much colder with her son's departure.

She couldn't blame him for it, though. He was a grown ape by now and needed to follow his own path. One Lydia knew she could not always join him on, as she had told him before he had left.

But the fluttering sensation in her stomach and the urge to lean closer… _That_ was something she hadn't felt for even longer now. Not since Roy had died…

It had to be about a year ago now. A year since that dreadful night it had all spiralled out of control.

Lydia had no idea how long they sat there, with her pressed against Caesar's flank and his arm draped around her like she belonged there as the hammering of steady rainfall sounded against the earth outside their little hidey-hole. It could hardly be called a cave, the roof little more than an outcrop of the cliff that made up the foundation of the ape colony, but it was cosy to Lydia all the same.

"This is nice…" She commented quietly, laying her head against the Ape King's broad shoulder and pulling her legs half-way underneath herself, leaning further on him as she did so.

"Mhmm." He rumbled in confirmation, placing his own head on top of the human woman's as they stared out between the overhanging roots and across the river, the thick raindrops disrupting the surface of the water as it flowed past.

The scenery in front of them, coupled with the warmth radiating off the large ape male beside her and the slow movements of his torso as he breathed lulled Lydia into a rare state of blissful tranquillity. Truthfully, the only thing keeping her from actually falling asleep right now was the simple fact that it was _Caesar_ who was holding her like this, making her heart flutter with every beat.

And then she felt it. Caesar gently nuzzling her hair, inhaling deeply as he took in her scent – she had felt it enough times with Roy to know that that was what he was doing.

Scenting her.

Lydia shivered ever so slightly with the action but did nothing to stop or question him – the move, however subtle and brief, had managed to stir something forgotten inside her. Something she hadn't thought she would get to feel again.

That slight tug at her heart.

The sweet, barely-there tingle running up her spine.

The smouldering heat rising in her abdomen from between her thighs.

A stuttering breath left Lydia as this realisation struck her. She had been attracted to the Ape King for years now, but her love and devotion to Roy had kept her from acting on it in the past. Her feelings had been too strong back then, and she knew it had been the same for Caesar regarding Cornelia.

And so, they had both buried their feelings deep within, choosing instead to remain the best of friends even after that night at Caesar's childhood home when they had finally talked about it – at least in vague terms.

Then, Roy had died a few nights later, bleeding to death in Lydia's arms and marking the beginning of an agonizingly long period of mourning for the human woman. It had taken her the better part of six months to get even remotely over the death of her first love, crying herself to sleep on those long, cold nights in the nest, without his love and warm embrace to remind her that she was not alone.

And then there had been that talk with Caesar, in the very cave they were sitting in right now, when they had finally admitted their attraction to one another – properly – but agreed that it had been too soon for the both of them.

Ever since then, every time there had been a moment between them, it had been like that. The feeling of lust spiking in her gut only to be extinguished moments later by sorrow and guilt. It had been too soon for so long that Lydia hadn't known if the time would ever come. The time when she could indulge in the desires of both her heart and her body. Which was why it startled her that now when, for the first time since that dreadful night, her body's reaction to Caesar's advances were not drowned out by thoughts of guilt and betrayal towards her lost love.

It hadn't gone away _completely_ , and Lydia doubted it ever would, but…

Now, a full year later, Lydia felt that she could move on. That she was able to act on those feelings for the Ape King which had been stowed away so long ago, deep within the recesses of her mind as well as her heart.

And with that thought, Lydia turned her head and reciprocated Caesar's gesture by nuzzling her own face into the thick, greying beard lining his jaw, inhaling his scent as well. He smelled like the forest, fresh pine and dewy moss mixed with… something else… something entirely _him_.

She sighed against his neck, stirring the fur there with her warm breath and making him shiver ever so slightly.

"I have still not forgotten my feelings for you." He informed her in that gravelly, baritone voice of his, so close to her ear that it sent a pleasant thrill down through her body and had her do a subtle but sharp inhale against his throat.

It did not go unnoticed by the Ape King, who pulled her closer and buried his nose in her dark tresses, breathing her in and letting her scent completely flood his senses.

"Only, I needed… time…" Caesar spoke lowly into her hair, the barest hint of apology in his voice.

"I know…" Lydia answered quietly. "I did too…"

"And now?" He questioned, his lips barely brushing against the shell of her ear.

"Now…" She trailed off as he moved back a few inches to look at her, and she turned her head to meet his green-and-golden stare. "Now, I think I can manage… that is, if you still… _want_ me…"

They stared into each other's eyes for the longest time, their faces so close she could feel Caesar's warm breath against her mouth. His parted lips were no more than an inch away, so tantalizingly close...

His arm tightened around her upper back, pressing her further against him before Caesar tentatively reached his free hand up to her face, almost as if he feared she would flee if he moved too fast. When the warm, calloused pads of his fingers finally touched her smooth cheek, soon followed by the entire palm of his large hand, Lydia released a stuttering, barely audible sigh onto Caesar's lips and clenched her fists against his solid chest.

She could feel her heart hammering furiously inside her ribcage, the beating so unforgivingly vicious it was almost painful.

"Lydia…" Caesar's low, baritone voice sounded almost huskily.

Then, the Ape King leaned forward, his rough lips _finally_ pressing against Lydia's full ones, soft and gentle, as if testing out the sensation. Seemingly liking what he found, he used the hand on her cheek to bring her closer, deepening the kiss as his lips started to work against hers. He closed his eyes then, all his focus directed at the feel of her mouth on his. She hadn't imagined that the act of kissing would be so natural to him, but then again, he _had_ grown up with humans and had probably witnessed this particular behaviour before.

Lydia reciprocated all the same, letting her lids slide shut over her eyes as well.

They turned to face each other as their kiss grew deeper and hotter, and Caesar pulled her impossibly close to his warm, unyielding body, groaning into her mouth as he felt her fingers sift through the thick hair on his chest.

Soon, a daring impulse took hold of Lydia as she felt Caesar's raging heartbeat under her palms, and she let her tongue venture out to run softly across his bottom lip, making the Ape King draw in a quick breath of surprise before he growled lowly at the sensation. He must have enjoyed it, Lydia concluded, for it took him only a moment to open his mouth in turn and meet her tongue with his own, his hot, heavy breath leaving him in harsh bursts as the kiss grew more heated.

After what seemed like an eternity of their lips working against each other, Caesar pulled away slowly to stare at Lydia with half-lidded eyes, the golden flecks highlighted by his lust-darkened, green irises.

His face was no more than a fraction of an inch from her own, and still Lydia whimpered quietly at the loss of his lips. His touch, his scent and his intense stare had ignited a fire in her that she long since thought had been put out for good, and now that it was back, she couldn't get enough of it.

That teasing, flickering flame of desire that she knew would burn white-hot and roaring inside her.

She had damn near forgotten that feeling.

"Don't stop…" Her voice was small and needy, barely a whisper as it left her.

 **(Smut Begins Here)**

Lydia would have cringed at her own tone, had she had half a mind to care anymore. She had abandoned her inhibitions the moment Caesar's lips had touched hers and now, she needed this like the air they both breathed.

Needed his rough lips on her sensitive skin.

Needed his arms to lock tightly around her and keep her close.

Needed his large, impossibly warm hands gliding up and down her body, branding her with his passionate touch.

Caesar only took a brief moment to stare searchingly into her eyes, as if trying to find any hint that she didn't want this, even now, before he obliged her and captured her lips with his own once more.

There was a renewed urgency in his touch now, and it didn't take long for Caesar's lips to begin trailing from Lydia's mouth to her jaw and throat, the hand on her cheek skimming down her neck, shoulder and flank, barely brushing against her clothed breast before settling on her hip, where it began kneading gently through her thin top.

She could feel the heat of his palm through the fabric, and Lydia moved her hands up to rest at the base of Caesar's skull, pulling him ever closer as she moaned and sighed in pleasure, completely lost in the way his mouth lavished her neck with attention.

Soon his hand found its way underneath her clothes, and he began tenderly running the rough pads of his fingers along the soft, pliant flesh he found there. She gasped quietly against his ear as she felt it, her skin tingling wherever he touched her.

His hot mouth left her neck as he moved to pull off her top, sliding his large hands with agonizing slowness up her sides until Lydia was forced to lift her arms. She wasn't wearing her leather chest guard, which she usually used as a bra underneath her shirts, and so, her breasts were exposed to him the moment he pulled off her top and her arms came down to rest around his neck.

The Ape King did another sharp intake of breath at the sight, tossing her top aside as his intense gaze fixed onto her chest. A tingling spark went up through Lydia's gut from deep within her abdomen at his stare, making her rub her thighs together discreetly in an attempt to ease her spiking desire.

There was a certain reverence in his expression and the way he reached out to run a gentle hand up from her hip to cup her breast from underneath, kneading ever so softly once his hand had completely engulfed her soft mound. Lydia responded with a shaky moan, tightening her arms' grip around his neck and pushing her torso forward, seeking more of his touch.

The cold air of the rainy night sent a chill across her pale skin now that it was completely exposed, and Caesar was quick to take notice, pulling her flush against his body with his free arm once more. His hand on her breast never ceased its ministrations, however, and Lydia found herself gasping against his throat as his thumb strayed experimentally across her pert nipple.

Fuck, it felt good to be touched like this again.

"You like this?" He asked huskily as he put his mouth against her ear, brushing his lips slowly over the shell. It would have been such an innocent question, had his tone not been so dark and his voice so gravelly and thick with arousal.

"Mmhmmm… I do…" Lydia managed to whisper, biting her bottom lip when he gently pinched her hardened bud between his calloused fingers.

She knew he was hyperaware of her reactions the entire time as he continued to explore her flesh, his gaze darting back and forth between her face and what his fingers were doing to her, clearly testing out what worked best.

Soon his hand left her breast and Caesar pushed forward with his torso as he held her firmly around her upper back, leaving Lydia with no choice but to lean backwards further and further until she laid flat against the cold stone floor beneath them both. She didn't mind the unforgiving surface, however, only too happy to finally feel his bulk on top of her as he settled his hips between her legs.

The tell-tale nudge of something hard against the inside of her clothed thigh sent a wave of heat straight to Lydia's core, and she clenched her hands at the back of Caesar's head, suppressing a whimper.

The Ape King pinned her down with his weight as he leaned over her, the raw power that was inherent in him so much more obvious as he covered her smaller body with his own. His hand brushed a stray, dark lock of hair out of her face before it trailed down to continue the task of kneading her supple breast, his movements still tender despite the obvious, dark hunger for her in his eyes.

His mouth lowered to meet hers again, traveling down to her throat, where his blunt teeth began nipping at the skin and making Lydia groan rather loudly when he coupled the move with a firm stroke of his thumb against her sensitive nipple.

He growled into her throat when she bucked her hips against him, making his stiff member press tightly to her core, which was, regrettably, still covered by her deerskin pants.

Goodness, she wanted them off right now.

Still, it had the desired effect as Caesar, seemingly needing this just as much as Lydia did, began gently thrusting his pelvis against her centre, his large arms both circling her body and almost lifting her bottom half entirely off the cave floor and onto his lap as he bent over her. He buried his face into the crook of her shoulder as he did this, grunting quietly against her skin with each forward movement of his hips.

Lydia flung her arms around his shoulders and held firmly onto the Ape King, thoroughly enjoying the delicious friction his rutting provided against her aching heat and mewling contently all the while.

This felt so damn good, even with her pants still in place! The bulge of his erection put exquisite pressure on her covered clit and she dug her nails through his fur and into his skin in response.

"Lydia…" He panted her name again, his voice deep and dark as he kept licking and nibbling at the side of her neck.

She had just kicked off her boots and was about to wrap her legs around his back when he suddenly stopped her with a hand firmly placed on her hip, holding her down to still her movements against his pelvis as he lifted his torso from hers.

Lydia groaned at the loss of friction as he held still above her, staring down into her eyes with heavily lidded, golden-specked orbs.

It seemed a struggle for him to keep his hips from indulging her, but he managed to hold firm, even if his eyes told her that he wanted nothing more than to continue.

Damn the restraint this ape possessed!

"What is it, Caesar?" Lydia panted, trying her damn best to keep the impatience and pathetic need out of her voice. "Is something wrong?"

He shook his head before he spoke, the barest hint of a pant to his words.

"I want to know now… Before I will be unable to stop… Do you want this? Truly?" His voice was deep and gravelly as always, though with an intimate tone to it that Lydia sensed was entirely reserved for her and her alone.

Goodness, how could he ask something like this _now_? She was already half naked and panting for him, basically grinding herself against his cock and letting him grope her chest for the better part of ten minutes now – _of course_ she wanted this!

"Yes…" She answered truthfully, staring him straight in the eyes as she spoke.

Right now, she craved this more than anything. She wanted him so much it was almost painful, and every second he delayed was bordering on agony for Lydia as the ache between her legs was left unattended.

She was even pretty confident she could have come undone just by the dry humping they had done so far, so great was her need in this moment.

"Yes, Caesar… I want this… I want _you_." She emphasized, her voice breathless and begging. "Now _, please_."

The sharp intake of breath he did then, coupled with the burning hot desire present in his gaze told Lydia that she had gotten her point across, and she had fully expected him to return to their previous activities right then and there.

Only he didn't. Not entirely, anyway.

Instead, a lustful, yet mischievous look crossed his features and Caesar leaned down over her once again, his lips a fraction of an inch from hers and his breath hot across her mouth.

"You want to **mate** with me?" He asked, his voice lust-darkened and growly as he slowly began pulling her pelvis against his crotch once again. It wasn't even a thrust – just a slow, steady increase in pressure as his hard member jutted at her clothed mound once more.

"Yes…" Lydia whimpered, biting her lip as his mouth skimmed down her jaw. He sucked her earlobe between his teeth once he reached it and she grabbed fistfuls of the fur on his back as the pressure continued to increase between her legs.

"To let me **take** you?" He persisted, swiping his hot tongue up her jugular.

"Yes!" She tried desperately to wriggle her hips against his hold in an attempt to finally get him to begin thrusting again – instead, he just kept increasing the pressure and soon, she could go no further, his entire member now lying flush against her clothed slit as her hips lie cradled in his firm hold.

"To be **mine**?" His formidable canines dragged leisurely against the side of her throat, immediately followed by a tender caress of his warm, wet tongue.

"Caesar!" Lydia exclaimed at last, no longer able to take his teasing – it had her dripping with desire, true, but it didn't relieve the ache he had caused as it pulsed through her abdomen.

Finally, _mercifully_ , he relented and released his hold on her hips, moving his hands to her front as he began dealing with the remainder of her clothes, an incredibly tender look overtaking his features as he pulled back from her throat.

His large fingers worked the strings at the front of her pants like he was unwrapping a precious package, and when the deerskin clothing was finally loose enough around her hips to be pulled down, the Ape King did so with agonizing slowness, seemingly drinking in the sight of her smooth thighs as they were revealed to him.

Since he had leaned back from her torso, Lydia was no longer able to have her arms around his shoulders, so instead she propped herself up onto her elbows, breathing heavily as she took in the sight of the Ape King as he kneeled between her legs, his erect member now fully visible to her for the first time.

It was… well, _larger_ than what she had been used to in the past – or maybe it had just been so embarrassingly long since she'd had the pleasure of having sex that she had forgotten how it was? Right now, she could hardly remember what it felt like to be stretched good and proper, in all honesty, yet she knew that she needed it more than ever as she stared the Ape King up and down.

He was truly a magnificent male, his frame wide and strong, his gold-flecked eyes smouldering with passion, and his jaw covered in a thick, coarse beard, the first grey hairs already appearing here and there, even if he was only just about to enter his twenties.

Once her pants and panties had both been discarded, Lydia was lying before Caesar starkly naked and vulnerable, her legs spread invitingly towards him.

His scorching gaze roved across her body with such an intensity that Lydia didn't even feel the chill of the rainy night air on her skin anymore. They travelled up her slender legs, her stomach, her breasts and then, at last, they settled on her heated core, his nostrils flaring as they did.

In the past, she might have been embarrassed by being this exposed to a male like Caesar, and the feeling of his eyes on her like that would most likely have made her feel compelled to close her legs and shy away from him with a prominent blush on her face.

Now, however, she had no such inhibitions and felt only a welcome, tingling sensation across her skin as he continued to admire her body. She had been with a male like this before – had felt that same kind of stare a hundred times over and learned what it truly meant in the process.

It was not critical scrutiny or an assessment of any sort – it was pure, undiluted lust, egged on by her own, obvious willingness for him.

And Lydia welcomed it. It felt good to be desired again. To feel that appreciative, raw stare and know that _she_ was the cause of her partner's aroused state. Knowing that his hazy look, panting breath and the eager member standing at attention between his legs was _her_ doing.

He looked up at her face then, green eyes meeting deep blue ones, both pairs lidded and misty as they connected. The Ape King reached forward, settling his large, impossibly warm palm flatly against her sternum as he pushed her gently backwards, indicating that he wanted her down on her back once more.

Lydia complied and lied back down, her arms stretched along her sides as she felt his hand glide heavily through the valley of her breasts and across the smooth expanse of her stomach before it came to rest her abdomen, _just_ above the place where she wanted him the most.

The familiar ache between her trembling legs was now practically _begging_ to be soothed by his fiery touch and Lydia canted her hips ever so slightly upwards against his heavy hand. It had been so long since anyone had touched her like this...

"Show me how…" He suddenly spoke, his voice husky as he bent to loom over her once more. His fingers dug ever so slightly into the skin spanning across her lower stomach. "I want to know… how to please you."

* * *

 _ **Caesar**_

Caesar knew he had been relentless in his teasing of her, drawing it out and going all too slow, even by his own, usual standards.

It wasn't like he hadn't _wanted_ to move things along at a quicker pace. Quite the opposite, to be honest. But somewhere in the back of his mind he knew that humans usually approached such things at a much slower pace than his own species did. It had taken his adoptive human father, Will, ages to come clean about his feelings for Caroline, Caesar remembered. Even after the ape himself had helped get things moving between them.

And while he had never witnessed them in... _this_ kind of situation before, the Ape King imagined this slower pace also translated into the physical aspect of human relationships.

So, based on that knowledge, Caesar had decided to bide his time with a slower approach than he'd usually employ – and found that he quite liked it.

Also, in truth, he had wanted to savour this moment with her. Their first mating – something he had not imagined would happen a mere year ago. He wanted to map out her gorgeous body and test which touches drew the strongest responses from her, storing the information away within his mind for a later time, when he'd have her again.

And again.

And _again_.

He had realised, however, that while she had seemed to enjoy his ministrations so far, Caesar really had little experience with how to please a human woman physically. Having grown up in a human home himself and being exposed to things like television, and all it had to reveal on the subject, he knew that human women were quite different from ape females – but the memories he had from those days had mostly been discarded when he had made his new life with his apes in the forest and now, he felt oddly limited as Lydia lay spread out before him at last, her body practically begging to be touched.

And so, Caesar had done the only sensible thing – he had asked her to show him. Who else would be better to instruct him in pleasuring her, after all, than Lydia herself?

Her breath had hitched in her throat when he had first uttered his lascivious request, her mouth falling slightly agape in what seemed like a mixture between raw lust and pure astonishment.

Then, a thoughtful expression, tainted with just the barest hint of mischief, found its way across her face and she reached up to cup his cheek tenderly within her palm, running her thumb across his lips.

"Okay, Caesar…" She agreed, sliding her hand down to his chest and pushing him backwards, much like he had done to her only a minute or two ago. "Sit back against that rock over there for me, then."

A confused frown appeared on the Ape King's face at her words, and he looked over at where she had directed him to go, a somewhat flat area with a large boulder he could lean back on, before his gaze returned to her once again for an explanation.

"Why?" He asked, arousal still very much present in his baritone voice, though it was laced with deep puzzlement now.

"Just trust me." Was all she was willing to say, but the imploring look in Lydia's beautiful, blue orbs was what finally made him comply with her request.

He moved away from her, a difficult task in and of itself, as every fibre in his body screamed to get _closer_ to her, and he sat back against the boulder further back in their secluded little cavern, waiting with bated breath for her to reveal her intentions.

Lydia wasted no time at all and slowly crawled up on all fours along his legs until she was able to straddle his lap, his aching erection painfully obvious as it stood at attention between their stomachs once she sat on his strong thighs.

Her hands slid from his hips and up along his stomach and pectorals, against the grain of his dark fur, and Caesar groaned lowly in his throat at the wonderful sensation of her slender fingers on the skin she found underneath the hair.

Then, her hands travelled down his shoulders until she could grab hold of his thick, powerful forearms, and she began to slowly guide his hands across her soft, pliant flesh – her thighs, her sides, her shoulders and neck – her hands took his own anywhere they pleased as his breath grew steadily harsher through his flared nostrils.

This woman… This human woman, sitting on top of him, guiding him, with not even an ounce of self-consciousness about her as her body was on display…

She was gorgeous. There was no other way the Ape King could word it.

"I like it when you touch me here." She whispered then, as she pulled his right hand towards her plump breast, encasing his much larger hand in hers as she made him cup the soft mound with his calloused, rough palm. She guided his fingers to knead her exactly how she liked it best and had him tease her perked, hard nipple between his large digits, drawing soft, pleasured moans and sighs from her.

Seemingly satisfied that his right hand was doing a good job, Lydia then took a gentle hold of Caesar's bearded jaw, pulling him towards her as she stared intently into his eyes.

"I like to feel your mouth on me too…" Her words sounded in a cracked voice before their lips met in a searing, passionate kiss. She pulled back sooner than he would have liked, though he didn't mind all that much when she began directing his face down her neck, silently urging him to kiss and nip along the tender flesh.

"Your tongue…" She whispered against his ear. It sent a chill through him and made the hairs on his body stand straight like quills. At the same time, she guided his left hand up along her thigh, his blunt nails scraping along her skin.

Caesar took the hint and let his tongue slide along her jugular, leaving a hot, wet trail behind as he went.

When she pulled his face further down, past her collarbone and towards her other breast, the evolved male ape paused and looked up at her with hazy, questioning eyes.

"Here as well?" He rumbled quietly against the mound, not daring to break the intimate atmosphere by speaking too loudly. Lydia nodded and arched her back, presenting him with the area she wanted him to attend to with his lips.

And when the Ape King's mouth began leaving hot kisses and unhurried licks across her chest, he found that he could not stop once he had begun. Soon his tongue was swirling hotly around the sensitive bud and his sharp teeth left subtle marks all over her pale, tender skin as he opened his maw wide to engulf the plump flesh within his eager mouth.

Lydia whimpered above him, a weak, keening sound that sent jolts of pleasure straight to his groin as soon as it left her throat.

Oh, how he wanted to plunge into her then, to finally feel her sink onto his aching, unattended cock and relentlessly fuck her until they were both completely spent. The mere thought was enough to make his groin tighten with the suppressed need for release – but he had to keep his restraint for now.

He still had things to learn, and this was turning into a very interesting lesson indeed.

"Mmmm… And I like your hand here as well…" Lydia hummed against the thick hair on his scalp, having lowered her face to kiss the crown of his head tenderly while he pleasured her.

She guided his left hand around her hip to grab hold of her round buttock as she spoke, pressing his thick digits against the globe of her ass to let him know she wanted him to squeeze it. Caesar followed her silent instruction with little hesitation, and Lydia released a pleasant hiss above him in response.

She let go of his left arm after that, leaning back to stare him dead in the eyes as she reached down between their bodies, grabbing a firm hold of his weeping member. It made Caesar let out a guttural groan and lightly press the points of his canines into the soft flesh of her breast.

The next words to leave Lydia were low and sultry as she tilted his face up from her chest and put her forehead against his own.

"And I _really_ like it when this -" She positioned herself above his thick cock, making Caesar release a low, pleased rumble. "- touches me here…" She finished her sentence as her hand guided the head of his member between her folds, coating it with her slickness as she did so.

The Ape King gasped at the sensation, his erection twitching in Lydia's soft palm as her heat teased his tip.

And then she began pumping it, her hand sliding slowly up and down his agonizingly hard shaft with firm, steady strokes as she teased her slit over it, and Caesar had to lean back against the boulder behind him and shut his eyes in concentration as he tried keep his composure.

It felt… absolutely amazing!

Honestly, when he had told her to show him how to please her, he had only ever expected her to perhaps guide his hands to the areas she liked to be touched or even just straight up tell him – but he truly hadn't expected for her to steal his control like this. To have him follow her lead.

To thoroughly rob him of his dominance.

It _should_ probably have bothered him, being who he was, but the thing is… it just didn't.

Not at all.

In fact, the Ape King thought this was a rather nice change of pace, and what was more, it gave him a great opportunity to simply observe her as she sat there, so wonderfully naked in his lap, indulging in her most primal desires with him.

This was a completely new experience for Caesar. He had never had his partner take control before. _Ever_. He had _always_ been the dominant one in all his previous couplings and to have Lydia suddenly take charge like this had his desire for her spike to new, unexpected heights.

She hadn't lowered herself onto his member yet, contenting herself with merely hovering over his straining cock as she stroked it, the tip still only _just_ breaching her slick folds as she moved her hips back and forth.

Caesar grit his teeth in barely-contained frustration. It felt good alright – it felt _wonderful_ , but the urge to just grasp her hips in a vice-like grip and plunge up into her warm, waiting core was almost unbearable at this point, and the Ape King was beginning to doubt his ability to keep his restraint.

"Lydia…" The male ape groaned, pinching her nipple insistently between his large fingers as he panted against her mouth only inches away from his own.

It seemed to be the reaction she was looking for – a verbal one, that is, as she draped her free arm around his broad shoulders and _finally_ began to slowly lower herself onto his throbbing member, sinking down inch by delicious inch until he bottomed out inside her, completely buried in her tight heat from tip to hilt.

They both groaned in deep satisfaction once her hips met his own, and Caesar's hand on her rear kneaded the resilient flesh underneath his fingers appreciatively.

And then she began moving on top of him, rolling her pelvis against his own in drawn-out, smooth thrusts. The hand resting on her breast went down to wrap around the bottom of Lydia's thigh, pulling her towards him. It made her release a soft 'ah' and throw her head back as she felt him slide further up inside her. Stretching her to accommodate him.

Caesar's mouth watered at the thought, and he couldn't help but move his hips up against her in return, releasing subdued grunts and groans as he held on to her ass and thigh.

She was still sliding herself languidly up and down his shaft when she took hold of his right hand and brought it slowly up to her face.

He had thought she wanted him to grab hold of her or caress her, but instead she guided his index and middle finger towards her lips, kissing them softly at first before she slid the digits into her hot mouth, her full, feminine lips stretching across the rough skin as she did so.

Caesar's grip on her rear tightened ever so slightly as her actions registered in his brain, and the Ape King stared with half-lidded eyes and panting mouth slightly agape as Lydia began licking, sucking and laving at his fingers, swirling her tongue around them as they went in and out of her eager mouth.

It was an obscene display that had the large male ape groan low in his throat with unbridled desire for the woman currently moving up and down in his lap.

Her other hand moved down his furred chest, her nails gently but firmly digging into the skin before she moved it up to rest on the back of his neck, finding purchase there as he filled her core with his cock and her mouth with his fingers.

And still she licked them, moaning as she alternated between slowly thrusting them in and out of her mouth and sticking her tongue out to show him how she lavished her attention at his digits.

Then, she slid them out of her mouth a final time, giving one last, appreciative lick of her hot tongue before she guided his hand down between their bodies, her smouldering eyes never leaving the Ape King's as she did so. When his hand came down to rest by her abdomen, she turned it so that the wetted pads of his fingers faced upward and guided them to her clit.

The reaction the contact provoked from Lydia was instantaneous as she bucked her hips firmly against his touch and Caesar felt the barest hint of her walls convulsing in response around his hard member still buried inside her.

And let it never be said that Caesar was not a quick study.

Until now he had been observing her. Following her lead and learning from her as she took her pleasure, guiding the Ape King through what she liked to have done to her and putting on a show for him that he would _never_ forget.

He had received ample instruction and now, he felt confident he could please her exactly how she wanted him to. How she _needed_ him to.

Caesar began taking control of his hand, creating his own rhythm of languid strokes against her clit with his fingers and Lydia removed her hand from his wrist to let it join the other on his shoulders once it became clear that he was doing a perfect job at it.

At least he suspected it was perfect, seeing as her moans got considerably louder and her fingers dug into his skin with renewed strength.

The evolved ape didn't mind it at all.

"C-Caesar…! Mmmmh, oh fuck, right there! _Please!_ "

The sound of his name falling from her lips. The sweet pleas and filthy curses she uttered as he pressed her sensitive nub between his deft fingers while she rode him… It all had his member swell even further and his breath completely take leave of his lungs.

Her eyes were trained on his face through heavy lids and thick lashes, pupils so dilated he could hardly see the blue of her orbs anymore.

Then his hazy, lidded gaze fell on her breasts, right there in front of his face, moving in time with her heaving breaths and sensual thrusting and he just couldn't help himself as he leaned forward to slide his tongue along the curve of one of her mounds, circling the nipple once he reached it.

It drew several stuttering moans from Lydia and she arched her back to get more, even as he drew back to heave ragged breaths of air back into his lungs.

Caesar stared transfixed as she moved against him, not quite knowing what to focus on by now. Everything she did seemed so wonderfully enticing and erotic, from the smooth roll of her hips to the way her breasts swayed in time with her movements.

The way her fingers gripped the fur on his shoulders possessively and the look on her face as it contorted in exquisite pleasure as they mated.

That last thought sent Caesar's mind into overdrive – he was _mating_ with her. At last, he was with this lithe, beautiful female he had wanted for so long but could never have.

Not until _now_ , that is. And have her he did, wholly and truly.

The hand grasping her rear pulled Lydia closer as Caesar began to fuck her in earnest, helping her increase the force of every downwards thrust her hips made, and bucking his own pelvis up against her in return to firmly bury himself to the hilt within her tight, slick heat again and again.

It had never felt this good before, _ever_ , and it had definitely never lasted this long either.

His fingers against her clit pressed more firmly now, trapping it between the two digits and smearing it with her wetness.

"Caesar! Oh yes, that's it! _Yes!_ Ah!" Lydia encouraged him passionately, her entire body quaking with every downwards thrust she made.

And suddenly, Lydia's body was pulled taut and her core tightened impossibly hard around Caesar's member as she let out a loud, keening moan that reverberated against the cave walls. Her eyelids fell shut and her lips pushed into a subtle o-shape as a series of lower, but no less obscene moans followed the first one.

Caesar was awe-struck by the sight she made on top of him. It was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen – the way she came completely undone by his hand, riding his cock and grinding against his digits with vigour as she drew out every ounce of pleasure when her orgasm washed over her.

And even as it began to ebb away, the Ape King's fingers continued to work her over-sensitized nub, holding her in place with his other arm around her lower back when she began to try and draw away from his touch – he wanted to see that look on her again. Wanted to drink it in and savour it for just a little while longer.

"Caesar…" Lydia protested weakly, her muscles having lost most of their strength now as she pushed half-heartedly against his pectorals. He paid it no mind – she would be okay. "It's- Ah! I need to- Ooooooh, _fuck!_ "

It had only taken a couple of firm, well-placed strokes to have her reach her peak a second time, this one not quite as strong as the first, but equally pleasing to witness for the Ape King nonetheless. She came undone beautifully and he relished in the knowledge that _he_ was the one to make her feel _this_ good.

He removed his hand from between her legs after that, taking pity on her as she struggled to catch her breath and he saw how her eyes watered from the intensity of it all. A flicker of concern ran across his face then, and he stilled the movements of his hips underneath her completely. Had it been too much too soon for her?

"Are you well?" The Ape King asked in a gritty, panting voice, surprising even himself with its rawness.

"Yes… Yes, just give me a moment…" Came her breathless reply as she leaned her forehead against his own, heat coming off her in waves once their skin connected.

Caesar stroked her lower back with both his hands as she calmed down, only now noticing how a thin sheen of sweat covered her pale skin and how her legs seemed to quiver beneath her – her knees must have been killing her by now, grinding against the unforgiving stone beneath them as she moved.

Perhaps it was time _he_ showed _her_ something?

The Ape King trailed his hands further up her back, pulling her closer as he slid one around her middle, while the other went up to rest at the back of her head.

She let out a sweet, little sigh of enjoyment onto his lips as he pulled her flush against his hard body, her full breasts squeezed enticingly to his solid pectorals. Her breathing was more even now, less strained, and the pleasured little moans she made when he experimentally moved his hips upwards told Caesar that she was about ready for him to continue.

She had calmed down now.

And it was high time he reasserted his dominance over her.

He lurched forward then, and Lydia released a rather undignified yelp of utter surprise when Caesar knocked her backwards as his raw desire for her, so thoroughly built up by her rolling hips and salacious instruction, completely overtook him. He made sure to brace the back of her head and her spine with his arms as she hit the floor underneath them with a soft 'oomph', and immediately went about pounding into her core with deep, thorough thrusts.

It completely shifted the dynamics of their lovemaking as he took back his control, and Lydia was helpless as she lied beneath his broad, solid frame. All she could really do as the Ape King began sheathing himself mercilessly into her heat was to claw feverishly at his shoulders, back and scalp, moaning wanton words of encouragement into his ear all the while.

"Oh, yes!"

"Harder!"

"Please!"

"It feels so good!"

Caesar grunted and groaned with unrestrained need above her in response, purposefully pressing her down with his weight and letting his eyes roam across her features as he sheathed his girthy cock within her again and again.

And she was as beautiful beneath him as she was above, eyes heavily lidded and chest heaving as he knocked the air out of her lungs with every powerful jerk of his hips.

He had thoroughly enjoyed having her ride him – it had been the most erotic and sensual experience he'd ever had – but _this_ position… This position was still his preferred one, as he was now able to give her all that he had to offer _and_ let his instinct to dominate reign supreme.

Also, Caesar wouldn't have felt it appropriate to have let Lydia do all the work – she was his female now, and he had to take care of her needs. Had to see to it that her desires were sated.

A deep rumble erupted from within his large chest at that thought. He let his head drop to the crook of her shoulder and gritted his teeth as she began sporadically convulsing around him once more, the urge to bite and mark her as his growing steadily stronger as he got closer to his own release.

With this pace, it was sure to get him off soon – though he really didn't mind it. This was the longest Caesar could ever remember lasting during a mating and it had been the best time he'd ever had.

His mouth instinctually opened against her shoulder, preparing to seal their union with blue and purple bruises. A mark that would let everyone who saw her know that she was spoken for – that she was _his_.

But the Ape King knew he had to keep himself from leaving that mark, no matter how much it pained him to do so. Caesar just hoped she would understand once this was over.

He growled in a frustrated manner as he drew back, slipping his arms out from underneath her as he straightened up his posture, still on his knees between her legs and still ruthlessly rutting into her as he grabbed hold of her bucking hips and hoisted them against his own. It left her completely without leverage as he lifted her lower half off the cave floor and had her release a long, drawn-out groan of pleasure at the new angle of his thrusts. Her hands could do nothing except claw pathetically at the stone beneath her as his pelvis grinded against her own in a raw, primal rhythm that set both their bodies aflame with longing.

Want.

 _Need_.

He was almost at the peak of his pleasure now, so tantalizingly close to losing it all and gushing his hot release into this beautiful woman as her quivering core threatened to pull him over the edge.

His grip on her was so impossibly tight as he slammed his cock into her that Caesar was sure she would sport several dark bruises along her hips and thighs once this was over – but better there than on her neck – at least this was a place no one would see.

Suddenly, Lydia's slender legs locked around his waist and her back arched as she spread her arms wide for leverage, her chest heaving as she called out his name.

"Caesar! Oh! That's _perfect!_ Keep going, _please_ , keep- Ah, ah – Aah!"

She reached her peak then, writhing and squirming in his hold while still keeping her legs around him in an iron-clad grip. It was just as beautiful to behold as it had been before, yet Caesar barely had the wits about him to admire her this time around.

The possessiveness that surged through the Ape King at the ragged, wanton cries escaping Lydia's throat, so raw and pleading to his ears, was what finally had him lose himself entirely.

A mixture between a groan and a roar erupted from deep within his gut as he came, and he held her pelvis flush against his own as he emptied himself within her tight heat with a few more, uneven thrusts.

It was the purest feeling that washed over him then, so raw and powerful that he trembled at its intensity.

They held that position for a few, blissful seconds, their bodies pulled taut against each other before the pleasurable haze began to slowly dissipate from their minds.

When it had ebbed away completely, the Ape King fell forward, bracing his hands against the hard, unforgiving cave floor on each side of Lydia's shoulders and staring deeply into her eyes as they both heaved and struggled to regain their breaths. She untangled her legs from around his waist then, groaning quietly as he carefully pulled out of her and laid down on his back beside her.

 **(Smut Ends Here)**

When she rolled over to lie against his side, resting her head and hand on his chest, Caesar couldn't help but drape an arm around her and pull her close. She would need his warmth now, as the heat of their lust was bound to leave her soon. He didn't want her to be cold.

Lydia hummed appreciatively with the action as the male ape stared up at the cave ceiling in thought.

Honestly, Caesar had expected to feel guilt at this point. When the haze had worn off, he had imagined he would be left with the feeling that he had done something bad. Like he had committed some kind of betrayal. Against his late wife, against his people, against himself and his own principles.

All he felt, however, was a deeply rooted sense of contentment and peace that he hadn't felt for so long it almost seemed foreign to him now.

Until Lydia's voice broke the silence, that is.

"You didn't bite me." She stated quietly, sifting her slender fingers gently through the thick fur on his chest. "You didn't leave a mark."

The arm now around her back tightened its hold at that.

Goodness knew he had wanted to lay a claiming bite to this delightful creature in his arms, her skin so soft and delicate a surface that the urge to disrupt its uniformity had been almost impossible to resist.

But he knew he shouldn't do it and a deep sigh left him as he began to explain why.

"The other apes cannot know of this… Not yet." He spoke in a manner that seemed almost apologetic. "They would expect me to take an ape as a mate… And we are at war. I do not want to cause tension-." She put a finger to his rough lips, hushing him as she lifted her head from his chest to stare into his green-and-golden eyes.

"You don't have to explain, Caesar…" She spoke reassuringly, not a trace of hurt or blame in her voice or on her face. He had always loved that about her – her ability to understand what he meant, even when he, despite being so good at speaking, had trouble wording it.

A sudden, teasing smile flashed across her face, perfectly accentuated by the blush of exertion still present on her cheeks.

"But you know… I spent over five years hiding such marks…" Her fingers traced his lips. "I'd gladly do it again… For you this time."

"And if it is discovered?" He challenged weakly, his resolve to deny her request never really having taken a firm hold of him to begin with. He wanted this, after all – and he was thrilled to know that she did as well. That she had _expected_ it.

"It won't be." She promised, gently pressing her index finger between his rough lips and tracing one of his formidable canines with the pad of her digit. He let her do so without protest. "Trust me…"

And how was he ever supposed to have refused her after that?

He moved her onto her back and propped himself up on his elbow to loom above her, reaching up to gently run the backs of his calloused fingers across her soft cheek.

"Are you sure?"

She looked straight into his eyes and nodded, not a single hint of hesitation to be found in her gaze.

Caesar lowered his mouth to her neck then, and ran it down to her right shoulder, softly moving his lips over her smooth skin before he finally settled on a suitable spot. Then he opened his maw wide over the area and gently began to press his teeth to the pliant flesh beneath them.

Lydia hissed softly as the pressure and pain increased, but otherwise did nothing to shirk away from his touch, choosing instead to place her hands securely onto the back of his neck. Caesar guessed it was to keep him in place in case he decided to draw back and not go through with it – thought at this point, there was really no way of doing so.

His teeth were well-settled against her flesh now, and he was more than certain that they would leave prominent bruises for her to remember their bond by.

And she had taken it so well too, without the distraction of a heated coupling to take away her focus from the pain.

There could be no questioning her commitment to him after this, Caesar knew.

"I love you." He heard her sigh breathlessly against his ear, the words sincere and heartfelt as she let them slip between her soft lips.

His heart soared at the utterance, and he peppered the area he had now marked with tender, apologetic pecks once his mouth released her shoulder, whispering his gravelly reply as he nuzzled the crook of her neck.

"I love you too…"

It was only then that Caesar realised that the pounding rain had stopped.


	51. A Good Word

_**Lydia**_

In the following months after that first night she and Caesar had shared in the cave, Lydia felt as if she was balancing on a knife's edge, wobbling between feelings of blissful, all-consuming love and dreaded anxiety on a daily basis.

It was the strangest state of mind, really.

On one hand, she felt almost giddy with excitement at finally being able to give in to the feelings she had nurtured for him for so long, relishing in the love they shared with one another and how very natural it felt to be with the Ape King.

The fact that the nights they spent together often led to passionate lovemaking didn't hurt either, but mainly, Lydia was just happy to finally be able to let go of her grief and give in to her heart's desire. To let herself love again.

On the other hand, though, it wasn't as easy as either of them would have liked.

They still had to keep their relationship a secret to the colony, so as to keep a semblance of stability and order. In a time with so many changes and so much uncertainty, it wouldn't do for Caesar to suddenly announce that he had taken a human as his new mate. Sure, Lydia was well-liked among the apes and now held a position of power by being on the Royal Ape Council, but Caesar didn't want to push the goodwill of his people too far.

It was a strain on their relationship, having to hide it like they did and limiting their interaction to stolen moments of passion away from the colony and its potentially prying eyes.

Good thing that either of them getting up and wandering off during the night had never been an uncommon occurrence, even long before the apes' lives had been turned on its head. It was a well-known fact that Lydia sometimes had problems sleeping – even more so nowadays – and so, the Gorilla Guard on patrol at night usually just nodded at her in acknowledgement if she happened upon them on her nightly walks, letting her wander as she pleased, unsupervised.

It was much the same story with Caesar, who often brought Cornelius to sleep with Tinker now if the he found himself unable to get some rest. The ape child wasn't even woken by the rustle anymore.

And naturally, nobody questioned the comings and goings of the Ape King.

Lydia sighed, running her fingers absent-mindedly through the fur on Cornelius' back as she sat in front of the cookfire together with Tinker and Maurice.

She hadn't told either of them what was going on between her and their leader. Hadn't known if she even should. She hadn't discussed doing so with Caesar yet and besides, she wasn't even sure _how_ or _when_ she would bring it up anyway, or if it would even be appropriate.

 _What am I even supposed to say?_ Lydia pondered as Cornelius gibbered merrily whilst sitting in her lap, toying with her long, slender fingers.

 _Hey, Maurice and Tinker, you know how I sometimes can't sleep at night? Yeah, I found the perfect alternative in shagging Caesar._ The human woman continued her train of thought, imagining the mortifyingly humorous scenario inside her mind.

She almost immediately had to resist the urge to grimace at her own tactless thoughts. Surely, she could come up with a better way to handle it?

 _It's not like now is the right time to speak about it anyway… or the right place, for that matter._ She decided, returning her mind to the conversation at hand instead and finally paying attention to what was going on around her once more.

They were in the main cave, quietly discussing matters of concern as the fighting apes began to come home from the forest.

Caesar himself had yet to return.

" _It's strange that they haven't struck yet. It has been months._ " Tinker commented with a soft, worried frown on her delicate face, looking at Maurice as if he might hold the answer. " _If what Cedar and her group said was true, then surely Red must have told the soldiers where we are by now?_ "

The large orangutan heaved a deep sigh and shook his large head, his cheek flaps swaying as he did so.

" _I don't know, Tinker._ " He signed with heavy movements. " _I do believe Cedar and the other females' story to be true. You saw how frightened the children in the group were… But as you say, it's odd that Red has not directed the soldiers to the colony yet if that's the case. Surely he would gain the favour of the Colonel from this?_ "

The female chimp's lips formed a thin line as a nervous look came upon her face. It was always unnerving when even Maurice was uncertain about such a grave matter.

"Or he would cease to be useful to them." Lydia pointed out, finally catching up with the subject of the conversation. "No doubt the Colonel and his soldiers are aware of how well the apes know this forest and want to use it to their advantage. As long as they still need to find us, it'll be worth it for them to keep Red and his apes alive."

The apes in front of her pondered on this with uncertain expressions on their faces before Maurice nodded at Lydia's theory. It was honestly the only plausible reason Lydia could think of by now, after months of them expecting an ambush that never seemed to come.

And the time that had passed, still more and more soldiers and apes had gotten injured or killed when the two factions had clashed in the forest, and Lydia couldn't for the life of her imagine why the humans would continue to let that happen if they already knew the apes' location.

So she had, in her own mind, come to the conclusion that Red and his apes were biding their time, keeping themselves alive by keeping the valuable knowledge they possessed to themselves for as long as possible.

But the human woman did not entertain any illusions about Red and his follower's compassion for their own species. According to Cedar's group, these traitors had killed apes before, and Lydia wouldn't put it past them to do it again.

" _That is probably true, though I wonder how long they would be able to keep that sort of scheme up before the Colonel will demand results in exchange for their lives. So far they have shown little mercy for apes._ " Maurice said with a concerned frown on his dark face.

Lydia could only shrug at that as the Ape Prince in her lap began to hoot and pull excitedly at her fingers, prompting Lydia to lift her gaze and direct it towards the cave's entrance as the barest hint of excitement and relief filled her heart.

And sure enough, it was Caesar who had just entered the large cave, hauling himself up onto the plateau behind the waterfall with Luca and Spear in tow.

She couldn't help but note how tired he looked, though she knew that this time, at least, it wasn't _her_ fault. They hadn't been down in their secret cave for the past four nights.

 _Maybe that's actually the reason_ , Lydia wondered as he approached, doing her best to school her features so that the smile she shot at the Ape King didn't seem too… _friendly_.

Goodness knew she wanted to get up and go to him. Lay her arms around him… To greet him with a loving embrace and to bury her nose into his shoulder, breathing in his now familiar, musky scent.

She barely managed to keep from shaking her head at herself as the thought passed through her mind. Perhaps later, she would be able to do so. In the night, in their cave, where no one would witness it.

But not _now_ and definitely not _here_.

 _How many times have those words gone through my mind this week alone?_ The human woman pondered further, nodding in greeting at the three apes as they came to sit down with her, Maurice and Tinker by the fire.

" _Father! Father!_ " The ape child in Lydia's arms signed enthusiastically with clumsy hands, though he refused to let go of Lydia when Caesar came over to greet his son, choosing instead to reach out and grab his parent's hand, nuzzling his face into its hairy back.

Lydia couldn't help but smile fondly at the child and shoot a brief, knowing look at Tinker, with whom she now shared the responsibility of raising Cornelius in his mother's absence. The human had to admit she thought they were doing a pretty decent job at it, given the circumstances. The child was, as a one-year-old, already beginning to do basic signing, which Lydia especially found quite impressive.

When Orion had been that age, back when Lydia had found him, he had barely been able to sign a single word despite having a mother already capable of sign language. Then again, at that point nobody had actually taught Orion in the way Lydia would do after she had adopted him, and especially not in the structured, purposeful way Maurice was teaching the ape children in the colony.

" _How many injured today?_ " Maurice asked seriously once Caesar had had time to properly greet his young son, worry evident in his wise, green gaze.

Though a frown appeared on his rugged face, Caesar shook his head as he replied.

"None today. It has been quiet." Came his tired, gruff voice, which would have sent pleasant, electric thrills down Lydia's spine, had the subject of conversation not been so grave.

It made her briefly wonder if she had ever been like this with Roy.

But like so many times before, she quickly came to the conclusion that it was no use to even try and compare the two relationships with each other. She had loved Roy in a different way, him being her first and, at the time, only love. Also, their situation had been entirely different from what Lydia and Caesar had now. They hadn't had to hide it from anyone in that first year, when their union had still been new, and while she had longed for him back when they'd had to keep it low-profile within the colony, she had always known they would be sharing a nest at the end of the day.

With Caesar she had no such luxury, having to resort to stolen glances and rare brushes of fingers during the day, if he was even within the colony at all. That, and their irregular meetings in the cover of darkness down in their secluded cave. And even then, it wasn't even a certainty that he would be there on any given night that she would find herself sleepless and venture down there.

Synchronising two individuals' insomniac tendencies was a lot harder than it sounded, honestly.

And yet, in a way, it was exciting and even liberating for Lydia to have this with him. This thing that only they knew of and could shape any way they pleased, with no sideways looks or outside opinions as to what their relationship should be – or what ought to come of it.

But on the other hand, it was such a strain to keep up pretences, even after only a few months. She missed Caesar during the day, and worried for him immensely while he was gone, even with all the tasks she had to attend to that kept her mind busy.

But Lydia had no one to talk to about all of this.

She shot another sideways glance at Tinker, her best friend and greatest support since Orion, Rocket and Blue Eyes had left. At the moment she was signing with Luca, Spear and Maurice, while Caesar nodded along at her words about food storage and foraging – her area of expertise.

Even if she was following the conversation closely now, Lydia could almost feel Caesar's searching gaze seek her out every now and then, though she knew he hid it well by pretending it was Cornelius he was looking at, seeing as the Ape Prince was still sitting in her lap, babbling merrily.

Lydia bit her lip, doing her best not to give anything away about what that stare did to her.

What would Tinker say if she knew that Lydia was having a secret relationship with their old friend's widowed husband?

 _Well, of course it sounds bad when you say it like that, for goodness sake!_ Lydia thought, pursing her lips as she let Cornelius run his fingers against the edge of her fingernails experimentally. _But then again, that's how it is, really… No point denying it._

Among humans, Lydia knew that what she was doing would most likely have been looked badly upon, but what about the apes? It was a question she had never had to consider before, and now that she was at the centre of such a dilemma, Lydia began to seriously worry about how her best friend would react. Would she condemn it? Would she think poorly of Lydia for it?

Would she distance herself from her?

These unpleasant thoughts ran through her head one after another, distracting her as worry gnawed at her heart.

She only _just_ managed to detect that Luca had turned to her to ask about the hunting routes she was planning on using the upcoming days, though it did, thankfully, manage to briefly pull her from her troubled musings. She chided herself inside her own mind, and not for the first time that evening, for almost letting her private problems interfere with her duties as a council member.

"I'll roam around north of here on my next couple of hunts and I'll take Hillock with me. I was thinking we should send the other hunting parties in a western to north-western direction. We could use a bigger area with less of a risk of running into any soldiers." The human woman spoke clinically, to which Spear, Luca and Caesar all nodded with severe looks on their faces.

A couple of weeks ago, one unfortunate hunting party had stumbled upon a small group of scouting soldiers and had barely managed to get away unseen and report what they had found. The apes had quickly dealt with the threat by luring the humans into a different direction, but even if they had been nowhere near the colony, the fact that they had been roaming in one of the apes' hunting grounds, unknowingly bypassing the apes' defensive measures, had hit a little too close to home for Caesar.

Later that night, he had spent the whole time in their secret cave brooding and worrying to the point that Lydia had felt they were having a private council meeting rather than a secret midnight tryst.

"We could probably try sending one party south, just to check if we'd be able to hunt undisturbed now. I don't want to hunt the northern part of the forest to the point that there's nothing left, and-…"

At that moment, Lydia was interrupted by the sound of insistent hooting from below her face, and she, together with everyone else, lowered her gaze to see what it was the Ape Prince wanted as he wiggled in her arms. Maybe he was hungry? He usually made a bit of a fuss if that was the case.

But evidently, it wasn't that, because as soon as Cornelius' eyes met Lydia's, the small chimp gibbered excitedly and began signing, showing a new word he had learned.

And what a word it was he had chosen to display…

" _Mother._ " The little ape in her lap signed as he stared up at Lydia, his green eyes insisting and joyful all at once as he regarded her.

As for Lydia, her jaw went slack as her blue eyes widened in surprise at the young Ape Prince, who only seemed encouraged by her sudden change of expression.

" _Mother! Mother! Mother!_ " He began to shape the word repeatedly with his little hands, turning his head to look between his father, Maurice and Tinker interchangeably, pride and childish glee clear on his bright little face.

And every time he had shown it, as if to confirm _who exactly_ he was pointing out to the adults, his gaze turned back to Lydia as he hooted happily up at her.

In that moment, the human woman found it extremely difficult to come up with an expression that would fit the situation as what little colour her skin held completely left her face.

Part of her felt proud of the little prince learning to sign a new word and reasoned that this achievement should somehow receive praise. He shaped it perfectly, after all, and was clearly expecting some positive reaction from the adults all around him.

Then there was another part of her which felt that this was somehow a betrayal towards Cornelia, since Lydia had seemingly taken her place as a mother in Cornelius' eyes.

A stab of guilt went through the human woman's chest.

 _Please let him turn to Tinker and do the same_. A little voice in Lydia's head begged, though to who exactly, she didn't really know. Tinker and Lydia shared the responsibility of raising the Ape Prince, though they both knew he _did_ seem to prefer bunking in with Lydia rather than Tinker on those nights when he'd run off in search of motherly comfort. Why that was, Lydia had never been able to decipher.

And then, there was yet another part of her which felt ecstatic that the young Ape Prince had apparently singled her out as his mother-figure. It was a something that, despite the feeling of guilt towards Cornelia and her memory, made Lydia feel even more certain that what she had with Caesar was meant to be.

But she couldn't rightly show that as she was sitting there, so instead, Lydia alternated between staring, mouth agape, at the ape child in her lap and looking at the surrounding adults for help in handling this delicate matter.

And most of them looked as surprised as Lydia felt, honestly – and Caesar especially so.

It was Tinker who finally came to Lydia's aid after several seconds of the woman eyeing her friend with quiet desperation, and the female chimp reached over to pat Cornelius on his back with a gentle smile on her fine features.

" _It's a good word, Cornelius!_ " She signed encouragingly. " _Can you sign 'teacher' for Maurice?_ " She asked, and the elderly orangutan played along by looking expectantly at the child as he folded his large hands in front of himself.

The distraction worked instantly, and Cornelius happily took on the new challenge Tinker had presented him with, prompting Lydia to shoot her old friend a grateful look above the ape child's head.

It didn't work quite as well on Lydia, who was doing her very best to keep a straight face and pretend as if the youngest Ape Prince's use of that single word hadn't just made her heart do several somersaults inside her chest. To pretend that it hadn't made any difference when in reality, it had stirred up a storm inside of her.

And most importantly, to pretend that the subtle, but no-less intense looks Caesar cast her way every now and then didn't make her shiver with anticipation.

Oh, this was _definitely_ something they had to discuss… and Lydia didn't quite know if she was looking forward to it or not…

* * *

 ** _Tinker_**

" _You seem quite happy lately._ " Tinker couldn't help but comment later that night, after she and Lydia had retreated to the female ape's private little hovel and she had finished brushing her human friend's stubborn, dark tresses. As she so often did these days.

The woman turned her head and offered Tinker a startled look, having seemingly not even noticed that the she-ape had finished her task and put down the brush to sign at her.

"Huh? Oh, sorry, Tinker." Lydia replied sheepishly, reaching up to pull her fingers experimentally through her hair to double-check Tinker's handiwork. Her fingers ran smoothly through the fine strands. "I guess I got lost in my own thoughts there… You were saying?"

Tinker raised a brow at Lydia's tardiness, finding it odd.

It wasn't entirely unusual for the human woman to drift off at times with a far-away look in her deep, blue eyes, and especially so after a long day filled with duties towards the colony to tend to. Honestly, by now Tinker had become quite used to having to gently poke Lydia's arm to make her return from wherever her complicated mind sometimes decided to take her, and it wasn't like she minded either. She figured it was Lydia's way to calm her own thoughts – letting them drift wherever they pleased.

But lately, these moments of hers had seemed… different.

And Tinker had a suspicion that it had something to do with the woman's recently improved mood.

" _I said you seem happier than usual._ " Tinker repeated as she gave a friendly smile. " _And I was wondering why._ "

Lydia huffed a quick laugh at her as she pulled on her thin, grey hoodie. It wasn't really a cold night, seeing as it was in the middle of summer, but the interior of the caves was always cool, and especially so during the evening and night.

"I didn't realise I was that much of a grouch before." The human replied with much humour, rolling her eyes as she did so.

But it would take more than that to distract Tinker.

" _You know that's not what I meant._ " She pressed on, becoming blunter in her approach as she gave a soft frown. One needed to be like that with Lydia sometimes, as the woman was a master at avoiding or downright disregarding questions she didn't want to answer.

But Tinker, having known Lydia for so long, wouldn't give up so easily. There was something she wasn't telling her, she could just _feel_ it.

It wasn't something Tinker figured anyone who wasn't as close with Lydia would notice, since, apart from being an expert at dodging uncomfortable questions, Lydia also happened to be extremely good at hiding her feelings when she really wanted to.

Tinker knew what to look for, however. Knew all her little tells, which, when put together, amounted to a stark difference that the female chimp simply couldn't ignore any longer, even if it didn't seem to be something bothersome for her old friend.

The way Lydia would hum merrily to herself as she went about her daily tasks. The renewed vigour with which she performed her duties to the colony, be it gutting a deer or training would-be hunters.

And then there was the startled and skittish, almost guilty looks Lydia would sport when she was pulled from the deepest recesses of her mind – which happened more frequently than ever before.

And if there was one thing Tinker had never known Lydia to be, it was _skittish_.

In short, everything about her recently seemed to radiate cheerfulness, excitement… and also secrecy.

Something was up, the she-ape had concluded, and she was going to find out _exactly_ what it was.

And more importantly, she was going to find out why Lydia hadn't said anything to her about it. That was what really puzzled her at this point, as it seemed to have been going on for well over a couple of weeks by now, if not an entire month.

" _What are you not telling me, Lydia?_ " Tinker finally decided to sign when her friend only seemed to shrug at the ape's previous words.

At first, Lydia avoided Tinker's gaze entirely, biting her bottom lip as she stared down at the pelts that made up the female chimp's nest. Clearly, it wasn't something she felt comfortable talking about, which only made Tinker all the more curious. Lydia had always been somewhat brash and straight-forward, not afraid to state her opinion or point out harsh truths, however unwelcome they might be. This frankness was something Tinker had come to appreciate over the years, knowing that she could trust Lydia to be truthful with her, and count on her during difficult times.

The two had become such good friends that Tinker felt quite comfortable sharing her innermost thoughts, good and bad, with Lydia, and especially so after Rocket and Orion had left with the eldest Ape Prince in search for a new home.

True, Lydia had always had a habit of keeping her more personal feelings to herself, choosing instead to act as emotional support for everyone else, including Tinker, but the ape thought that her human friend had become better at expressing them over the past months. So much so that the female ape had honestly thought that by now, at least between the two of them, Lydia wouldn't feel the need to hold back anymore. To… what was the phrase? 'keep her cards close to her chest'? Yes, that was the one Lydia had taught her.

Tinker leaned forward, silently willing the woman to raise her head and meet her own searching, green gaze.

Surely, whatever it was, if it made Lydia act so cheerfully, it couldn't be a bad thing, right?

At last, Lydia sighed in an almost defeated manner and, strangely, cast a sideways glance at the entrance to Tinker's cave, which was blocked by two overlapping deerskins, much like the entrance to Lydia's own private chamber. Tinker followed her friend's gaze, puzzlement written all over her face at the human's strange behaviour.

"Alright, just… promise you won't be mad? And that you won't tell anyone else?" Lydia spoke in a voice which grew more and more hushed towards the end, trailing off into an urgent whisper.

Despite her obvious confusion, Tinker sensed that this was an important condition for the human woman, and she nodded seriously at her friend's request. At this point, she was too curious not to.

"Okay, erhm…" Lydia spoke awkwardly, biting her lips yet again as she scooted over inside the nest to sit with her back towards the entrance of the little cave. She directed for Tinker to sit directly in front of her, and briefly looked over her shoulder, as if to make sure no one would be eavesdropping on them, before she turned back to Tinker with a serious, yet awkward expression on her face.

Then, she began to sign, which wasn't really strange in itself. She still did that regularly when conversing with the apes, after all, even if she didn't have to.

No, what was strange was that she didn't speak simultaneously – something that had always been a habit of hers.

" _Now, listen, Tinker… I… I really don't know how to talk to you about this… I figured you'd be really, really mad if I told you, so…_ " Lydia began, her eyes darting from Tinker's face and down at the pelts they were sitting on as she struggled with her words.

To say that Tinker was intrigued at this point would be a gross understatement.

She was practically hanging on to every word, every gesture that Lydia was making.

" _I already promised not to be mad, Lydia. Come on, tell me already! I'm beginning to worry._ " She nudged with a slight streak of impatience to her signing. What could be so bad that Lydia would refrain from telling her about it? Did it have something to do with the soldiers? Or the apes she was training?

Honestly, Tinker couldn't come up with any scenario that would change Lydia's behaviour in this way and at the same time be so bad that she felt the need to take such precautions to keep it a secret, even from her best friend.

And so, it was with bated breath that she awaited her human friend's explanation, steeling herself for something she did not yet know.

But whatever Tinker had expected, whatever she had imagined her friend would confess to her, it surely hadn't been… _this_.

" _It's… You see, Caesar and I… We're… Well, we're 'together', as it is._ " The human woman signed, still gnawing at her bottom lip to the point that Tinker feared she'd pierce the skin. She couldn't remember the last time she had seen her friend being this uncomfortable.

The ape frowned and narrowed her eyes in confusion, thinking at first that she might have misinterpreted Lydia's signing, asking her to repeat it.

When the same words were shown to her, Tinker could do nothing but blink in surprise for the first couple of seconds before the message finally sank in and she managed a soft, questioning hoot.

" _You mean like… mates?_ "

Lydia nodded, looking for all the world like she expected Tinker to have some sort of fit. Shoulders hunched, hands fidgeting and the look in her eyes uncharacteristically uncertain.

And suddenly, it all made sense to the she-ape.

The far-off looks, the improved mood, the startled, guilty looks when she was caught daydreaming. Her friend was in love. Her friend was having a secret relationship and she was in love!

With the Ape King! Their mutual friend and leader – and Cornelia's widowed husband!

She understood now why Lydia had been uncertain about telling her, though Tinker quite honestly didn't think she could manage to be angry, given the circumstances. Cornelia had been their mutual, dear friend and here Lydia was, advancing on the mate Cornelia had left behind…

But it _was_ love in the woman's eyes, that much was clear to Tinker now.

Had it been anyone else, Tinker might have thought they'd be taking advantage of Cornelia's absence to make personal gains from being with the colony's leader.

But Lydia was quite obviously keeping this a secret and even if she hadn't, there probably wouldn't have been much to gain for her anyway by being with Caesar. At least not as things stood right now, with the war going on and all.

And just like that, she also understood now why Lydia had taken the precautions she had before telling Tinker – if anyone would have happened to pass by and hear such a confession…

Tinker didn't even want to think of the consequences… especially not if that someone, for whatever reason, happened to be Cedar or someone of her ilk.

" _How long?_ " She asked with a raised brow, though she had a pretty good idea of when this… _arrangement_ must have started.

" _A couple of months._ " Came Lydia's answer, confirming Tinker's suspicions. Then, a look of slight horror came over the human's face. " _Wait, you didn't think I would… I mean, that we would start something like that right after…?_ "

 _Cornelia's death_ , Tinker finished inside her own mind.

She shook her head at that. For a split-second after Lydia had confessed her relationship with the Ape King, the thought _had_ indeed occurred to her, though she had dismissed it just as quickly. She knew both Caesar and Lydia very well, being close friends with both for many years now. And because of that, she also knew that neither of them would start something like that so soon after having lost a mate.

After all, it wasn't just Caesar who had lost his beloved. The loss of Roy had been just as devastating to Lydia and Tinker knew it had taken her a very, very long time to shake off the grief that had hung over her like a dark, menacing cloud ever since Roy's death.

There was no way that Lydia would've been able to start something with another while being in that state, so this development with Caesar had to be a recent one, Tinker had quickly concluded.

" _I know you wouldn't… I just couldn't help but wonder, that's all._ " Tinker reached forward to lay a reassuring hand on Lydia's shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze before retracting her limb once more.

Lydia's mouth fell slightly open at that.

" _You're taking this a lot better than I thought you would._ " She commented with that peculiar tilt of her head, her expression one of mild surprise and… was it relief?

Tinker pursed her lips at that.

" _How exactly did you think I would react?_ " The she-ape asked perplexedly, crossing her arms once she was done signing. It didn't sit well with her that Lydia seemingly thought she would blow up a storm because of something like this.

Sure, it _was_ a huge deal, and Tinker might have reacted differently if Lydia had come to her and confessed this just a few months after Cornelia's death, but _now_ , so long after it had happened?

" _Well, I don't know… scandalized, perhaps? I imagined I'd get a scolding, at the very least._ " The human woman signed in a more relaxed manner now that she had realized Tinker wasn't going to react in the way she had expected. " _I mean, it's_ _ **Caesar**_ _, after all._ "

Tinker huffed a gentle laugh and shook her head at the notion.

True, it was strange to think of two of her dearest friends being together like that when she had witnessed them being with their respective partners for so long. In Tinker's mind, Caesar had always belonged with Cornelia and Lydia had always belonged with Roy – it had been like that for as long as she had known the four of them. It was hard to imagine it differently, she had to admit.

But Roy and Cornelia were both gone now, and Tinker could easily understand how Lydia and Caesar might be able to find comfort in each other. The two had always been good friends and given how both had experienced close bonds with the opposite species, it really shouldn't come as such a surprise that the two would come together like this, now that Tinker thought about it.

She offered Lydia a lopsided smile and an easy shrug as she replied.

" _It's a thought I will have to get used to, for sure…_ " Tinker signed, her gestures accompanied by an amused huff. " _But I won't blame either of you for wanting to regain some happiness after everything that has happened._ "

Lydia nodded at that, though the smile she offered still seemed somewhat strained.

" _To tell you the truth, part of me has been feeling really guilty about it… Towards Roy and towards Cornelia… especially after today…_ " She signed with soft movements, making it seem like a whisper to the female chimp.

" _You mean Cornelius calling you mother earlier?_ " Tinker inquired, though it was quite pointless to even ask.

Of course it was that – she had seen the look on Lydia's face when it had happened, after all. Brief as it might have been, before she had managed to cover it up, there had been that moment of utter astonishment, quickly exchanged for embarrassment and guilt, which had then hidden by a gentle smile as Tinker had distracted the child.

And with this new revelation in mind, Tinker could easily understand why Lydia had reacted like that.

" _Yeah…_ " The human replied, her shoulders slumping ever so slightly as she averted her gaze, as if ashamed.

" _It's only natural that he would think that. He sees other ape children with their mothers, doing the same thing with them that you and I do with him._ " Tinker tried to reassure her, though she could tell before she was even done signing that her friend was nowhere near being convinced by her words.

" _And yet he singled_ _ **me**_ _out, even though we're_ _ **both**_ _helping with raising him…_ " Lydia pointed out, a defeated look suddenly appearing on her face. " _I swear, I could barely look Caesar in the eyes, it was just so awkward… I feel like I'm imposing on his family life already…_ "

 _Well_ , Tinker thought, _that_ _ **does**_ _make sense._

" _Have you talked with Caesar about this?_ "

A sigh left the human at that, a tired, hopeless sound, really.

" _When would I have done that? We haven't had a moment to ourselves for four days now. For the last three nights Cornelius has slept either with Caesar or with me. We can't just leave him alone._ " Lydia explained in a dejected manner, a heavy sigh leaving her as she did so.

At that, Tinker rolled her eyes in exasperation, then leaned forward and flicked her finger once against Lydia's forehead, making the woman recoil instantly.

"Ow! Hey!?" Lydia exclaimed with a look of confusion and annoyance now on her face, but before she could complain further, Tinker began to sign again.

" _Then come to my cave and have him sleep here instead. He comes here too anyway, and you both know I wouldn't mind._ " The female chimp chastised in an almost motherly fashion, sighing when Lydia continued to regard her with uncertainty. As if she couldn't quite believe what Tinker was saying. " _You should have come to me with this before. I could have helped sooner. It would have made everything so much easier for both you and Caesar._ "

Lydia reached up to rub the place Tinker had flicked with her finger, a sheepish look on her face now.

" _Well, when you put it_ _ **that**_ _way… And sorry for not saying anything..._ " She signed after having nursed the now sore spot on her forehead. Tinker might have flicked her a bit harder than she had originally intended, and almost felt bad for doing so now… _Almost_.

" _Don't worry about it. As long as you don't keep such things from me next time._ " The she-ape answered after waving her hand dismissively, offering her human friend a brief, easy smile before her face once again became serious. " _And Lydia… I don't suppose I need to even tell you this but… Be careful, okay? Not everyone, no matter how loyal they are to Caesar, will take kindly to him taking a human for a mate…_ "

"I know." Lydia nodded, speaking out loud once more. She then tilted her head again as a curious, yet fond smile found its way to her face. "Really, you're a lot more supportive of this than I dared hope for."

Tinker scoffed in mock-offence at that, fixing Lydia with an unimpressed look before a fond smile managed to overtake her features.

" _You're both my friends. If this is something that makes you two happy, then I will help in any way I can – because I know you would do the same for me._ "

The two grinned knowingly at each other before Tinker gently reached over, grabbed a hold of the back of Lydia's head, and pulled her friend forward for their foreheads to meet in the intimate gesture the apes shared only with those closest to them.

It was brief, yet meaningful, and when they both straightened once more, the look on Lydia's face was one of relief and heartfelt gratitude, making a lump appear in Tinker's throat.

Years ago, the she-ape would have laughed in the face of anyone who might have suggested that she'd one day become the best of friends with a human, a member of the species which had caused her and her kind so much suffering and grief.

Now, though… Now Tinker was both older and wiser, and as such, she understood that the world wasn't just separated into good apes and bad humans.

Koba had taught her that there were bad apes as well. Horrible apes, even… And the wounds his actions had caused still haunted Tinker, as well as the rest of the colony, to this day…

And then there was this human. This _woman_ sitting on front of her… She had helped Tinker realise that there were good humans – wonderful humans - and at this point, Tinker couldn't imagine what she would've done without Lydia as her friend.

Now, the she-ape just hoped the Ape King and the human woman would be able to keep their secret.


	52. Knowing What To Say

_**Orion**_

" _So, it's settled. We're leaving tomorrow at dawn._ " Blue Eyes signed with an air of finality about him as he sat in front of the small campfire with Rocket and Orion, the two other chimps nodding in agreement to the Ape Prince's statement.

Orion leaned back, supporting himself on his long, hairy arms as he stared into the dancing flames in front of him. The night was cool and the sky clear and filled to the brim with twinkling stars above their little camp – right in the middle of paradise.

At least that's how Orion would describe what they had found.

They had trekked through the dry, unforgiving deserts for months now, only occasionally stumbling upon a small patch of trees and grass to resupply before they had reached the end of their search.

On the map of Nevada they had received from Ofelia's group months prior, this place was marked as Great Basin National Park – he would have to inquire about that name when they got back to the colony – and though the journey had been long and difficult, even downright dangerous at times, the three of them had all agreed upon seeing this place that it had been worth the trouble.

The soldiers would never think to follow the apes here, Orion was certain the distance and deserts alone would be enough to deter them.

And the land they had found was nothing short of perfect. Deep forests and rolling, grassy hills, high mountains and open plains, lakes and rivers with clear water full of fish to catch.

Honestly, Orion could only find one thing wrong with it – one very important thing.

But, starting tomorrow, he was going to ride all the way back to get that one thing and bring it here.

His heart soared at the thought of going back to them. To Mother and Ivy and everyone else waiting back home – for he knew they were still there, alive and waiting. He could feel it in his heart.

And he had no doubt they would love this place too.

The trio had found it a week ago and had stayed here since then to inspect the area more closely, making sure it was free of humans, hostile as well as friendly, and with enough resources to sustain the apes for years to come. By now they had all agreed that it was nothing short of perfect and that this would be where the apes would rebuild their lives.

Orion reached up and traced his left ear in thought… Well, what remained of his left ear, anyway. It had healed up rather nicely now, if he did say so himself, but he also knew that it was quite noticeable still.

 _Mother will probably be furious when she sees it_ , the young chimp thought with a subtle, amused grin passing over his lips. But in all honesty, by now he just wanted to hear her voice again, no matter what tone she would choose.

Orion had, despite the hardships and his now partially missing ear, thoroughly enjoyed this adventure with Blue Eyes and Rocket, and felt that he had really grown into himself with the experience. He had become more independent and truly gotten to explore the talents he possessed, be it his advanced speech, his great hunting-skills or his steadfast support of his young leader.

He had wanted to find his place in the world with this journey. To grow into a useful ape to his colony – and an ape his parents could be proud of.

Not that he doubted that both Mother… and Father had been and still were proud of him, but when he had left the colony with Rocket and Blue Eyes, he had felt that he still needed to find his… 'niche' as Mother would put it. His calling.

Something that would make him a valuable asset to the ape colony and give him a sense of accomplishment.

It was only fair, Orion figured. He had been given a second chance at life way back when Mother had rescued him and Father from the human military lab. More than that, he had been gifted with two devoted, loving adoptive parents who had crossed a distance far greater than Orion himself had just done, just to be able to give him a home among his own kind. He had pets, unlike most other ape children, great friends and elders to look up to, and now, he had a potential future mate waiting for him at home. A female who was beautiful, sweet and unwavering all at once.

Yes, Orion had been given much in his life, and he intended to make the most of it all. To become an ape worthy of all of this.

" _We should get some sleep, then. It will take a long time to get back… But hopefully less than it took getting here, now that we know the way._ " Rocket signed, looking quite tired himself.

No doubt he was longing just as much for home as Orion was. And Blue Eyes too, for that matter.

He didn't say much about it, always having been very private about such things, but the young chimp could tell that his childhood friend thought about home a lot – and probably also of what they could expect to find once they got back.

" _You two go ahead and sleep. I will go down to the lakeside and sit for a bit._ " The Ape Prince signed just as Orion had gotten up and begun unfolding the rolled-up skins he had slept on this entire journey.

Rocket was doing much the same but stopped dead in his tracks and shot Blue Eyes a wary look, nodding a few seconds later.

" _Just don't go wandering by yourself, okay? This is a wonderful place, but there are still predators here as well._ " The oldest ape signed as he sat down on his makeshift nest, looking imploringly at the young prince.

Orion nodded in agreement. They had seen coyotes already, as well as some mountain lion tracks just a couple of days ago. These hadn't been recently made ones, but it was enough to tell the apes that the feared beast did lurk around these parts as well.

Going alone in still largely unfamiliar territory was, therefore, quite a risk.

Before Koba's betrayal and everything that had followed, Blue Eyes might've scoffed at such a warning and, just to prove a point, wandered off into the night alone anyway, determined to prove that he could take care of himself and that he knew exactly what he was doing.

Now, however, he nodded seriously at his honorary uncle, accepting the warning for what it was – a show of concern and care.

" _I will just go down to the lake. If something happens, you will hear it._ " The prince replied and, seemingly to reassure Rocket, picked up the gun that the older ape usually carried.

An amused huff left the balding chimp at that, and he waved dismissively at Blue Eyes before lying down to sleep, obviously wanting to get as much rest as he could before they would have to set out the next morning. Orion couldn't fault him for it. They all knew it would be a long journey back to the ape colony and if he was honest with himself, despite the fact that he enjoyed riding, he wasn't looking forward to several more months in the saddle.

Actually, he would have liked to get some sleep as well, if truth be told, but the way Blue Eyes had then nodded at him and unceremoniously left after Rocket had pulled his deerskin blanket over himself and gone to sleep prevented him from doing so. He had lied down afterwards, stargazing with his hands resting on top of his stomach, as was his wont when going to sleep, but no matter what, his mind wouldn't let him find rest.

He didn't like that Blue Eyes had gone off alone, no matter how close he had said he would be to the campsite, and besides, there had been something in his eyes which had told Orion that being alone wasn't what Blue Eyes really needed right now.

So, after a long while of staring up into the twinkling heavens with sleep continuously escaping his grasp, Orion hurled himself onto his feet and began walking in the direction the Ape Prince had gone. He wasn't too worried about Rocket sleeping alone – the campfire was still lit, and predators feared the fire. The oldest chimp would be fine.

And with that reassuring thought in mind, he put the soothing, orange and yellow light of the campfire behind him and turned to the moonlit night in search for his childhood friend.

* * *

As it turned out, Blue Eyes had meant it when he had said that he wouldn't go far, and Orion had only had to walk few hundred yards through a field of scattered trees before he found his friend and leader, sitting against a tree near the shore of the lake, with the gun he had taken carefully laid on the ground just beside him.

The younger chimp made sure to make as much noise as possible with his approach to ensure that his friend wouldn't mistake him for a prowling predator, and quickly came down to stand beside the Ape Prince, receiving a nod of acknowledgement from him before sitting down himself as well.

The bark of the tree, which was large enough for them both to lean on as they sat beside each other, felt rough and unforgiving against Orion's back, but he paid little attention to it as he sat there, focusing on the soft earth and grass beneath him, the cooling breeze going through his fur as he waited for his friend to speak.

And, contrary to what Orion might have expected of him, it didn't take long for Blue Eyes to reveal what was on his mind.

" _Ash would have liked this place…_ " The Ape Prince signed slowly, carefully, as his pale eyes fixed on the reflected light dancing across the gentle waves of the lake's surface.

 _Ah yes, of course this would bother him_ , Orion thought, nodding in agreement. It bothered him too, that their friend was not here with them, and it was something the two had discussed at length already.

Even so, it was a topic that never really seemed properly resolved, no matter how often they spoke about it.

"He would have." The younger ape replied softly. "And he would have loved to come with us too."

Blue Eyes released a heavy sigh, his shoulders slumping with the action as his expression turned openly sad.

" _He_ _ **should**_ _have been._ " The prince replied, still with gentle movements. " _He should have been with us on this journey. He should have helped save the colony…_ "

Again, Orion nodded, folding his hands on top of his lap as he let his friend speak his mind. Blue Eyes had always been quite private with his innermost thoughts, often preferring to mull them over in seclusion rather than asking others for advice or to simply have them listen. But Koba's betrayal, Ash's and Cornelia's deaths and the war with the soldiers had brought on a change in the young ape's behaviour and ever since their talk right after his mother's funeral, Blue Eyes had opened up a lot more to Orion. He was still very discreet and subdued whenever they discussed something that troubled him, but he had gotten a lot better at accepting help from others.

Well, from Orion, at least.

"When you think about it, in a way, he _is_ helping." The younger ape replied thoughtfully, causing his older friend to turn his head to face him with a doubtful look.

" _How? He isn't here, remember? Koba saw to that._ " He reminded with a sharp edge to his signing, as if the mere thought of the bonobo and what he had done almost had the prince bristle.

Orion shrugged. He resented Koba just as much as Blue Eyes did, really. Had he not betrayed Caesar and taken over the colony, then Father might still be alive and the war with the soldiers would never have happened. And had he not taken over and completely destroyed the human colony, then Cornelia might have gotten the medicines she had needed to get better and would still be alive today too.

Directly or indirectly, Koba's usurpation had claimed a lot of lives already. Lives that were dear to both Orion and Blue Eyes. It was the very reason why they were even here, so far away from home. To stop this taking of lives. To keep the ones they loved alive.

And it was things like their childhood friend's death that had spurred them on to want to accomplish this.

"The reason we are here is that we do not want anyone else to get killed like Ash." Orion explained patiently.

His speech had become almost as fluent as Mother's during the past year, the result of him practicing it daily and coming to prefer it over signing, despite the fact that his two companions barely ever spoke out loud themselves. Adding to that, his voice had also become much smoother, and it was much less of a strain to speak over longer periods of time now.

"He is our motivation… and by remembering him, we keep him with us too."

Blue Eyes gave a soft smile at that.

" _He would have teased you endlessly about your ear._ " He then signed after a few moments of comfortable silence.

And Orion couldn't help but chuckle. Of course Ash would have done that. He had always been a jester.

"True. And he would have told you over and over to believe in yourself." The younger ape replied amusedly. "And teased you about Lake all the way here."

The two huffed out fond laughs and continued to come up with more and more things that their late friend would have done on this journey of theirs – most of them things that would aggravate the two but which they knew would always have been in that friendly, caring manner that Ash had never failed to communicate through his jokes and his teasing.

After a long while of this, their chuckles and reminiscing soon ebbed into an easy silence as they both quieted down and stared out across the large lake in front of them. The water's movements were relatively gentle tonight due to the light breeze, and had it not been for the large, bright moon and the billions of stars that accompanied it, the horizon would surely have melted into the darkness of the sky. Adding to the serenity all around them, the moonlight cast a silvery glow onto every little swaying blade of grass, and the smell of earth and fresh blooms permeated the night's air.

Yes, Ash would have liked this, Orion had no doubt about that.

A grunt from beside him pulled Orion out of his quiet reverie, and he turned to the Ape Prince to see what he had to say. Was something still bothering him?

There must have been, for the look on his face still seemed somewhat burdened.

" _Orion…_ _Do you… Do you think they will all still be there when we get back?_ " Blue Eyes asked, a sudden uncertainty in his pale stare that Orion hadn't witnessed since their clash with Ofelia's group of humans months prior.

The younger ape, still with his hands clasped in front of him, pursed his lips as he thought that question over.

"Not all of them… No..." He answered, feeling that he needed to be honest with his friend. There was no point in entertaining the illusion that every single ape of the colony would still be safe and sound by the time the three of them returned.

There was a war going on, after all, and some had already died when the trio had left to find the apes' new home. To think that it had stopped with their departure from the colony would be foolishly naïve.

Blue Eyes turned his head away to stare out across the lake once more, and Orion could, with the help of the pale light from the moon, see that the Ape Prince was biting his bottom lip with his blunt teeth.

"But-" Orion continued then, laying a hand on Blue Eyes' shoulder. "I am sure most will be. Your father and brother. My Mother and Ivy. Tinker, Maurice… and Lake."

He couldn't help but let a hint of a tease slip into his voice as he mentioned the Ape Prince's love interest – something that didn't go unnoticed by his peer and which earned him a playful shove in the ribs by Blue Eye's rather pointy elbow.

It didn't really hurt – it just threw him slightly off balance for a brief moment, before he managed to stabilise himself once more and grinned brightly at his childhood friend.

"I am sure they are alive, Blue Eyes." He spoke sincerely

" _How?_ " The older ape asked, obviously confused, but also with a barely-visible, curious smirk on his face." _How can you be sure? You sound almost as if you know._ "

Orion clasped his hands in front of himself again, lifting his eyes to the star-strewn sky with a pondering look. How indeed? It wasn't like Orion could know such things for certain, having been so very far away for so very long, but…

It was something in his gut. A calm, easy feeling whenever he thought about his mother, and what she might be doing right then. It had been the same back when they had been separated during Koba's betrayal. The young ape had been scared and worried for his mother, but even then, something had told him that she was alright, and Orion knew it had had nothing to do with Father's continued attempts to ease his worried mind at the time.

No, he was sure that, had she been in danger or the colony found and destroyed, his gut would not be calm, but instead a churning, uneasy mess as a dreadful feeling would wrap around his heart. Just like it had done during the fight between Caesar and Koba, when threats to her life had been all around. She could have fallen to her death, she could have been purposely thrown by the bonobo's followers, she could have been shot… So many threats so close had whipped up a storm inside Orion's chest until it had all been over and he had seen that she had been left largely unharmed, safe for a bruise or two.

Yes, the young ape male was sure he would know if something was amiss, even if he was not there himself – yet.

But how to explain all of this to Blue Eyes? How to make him understand, when Orion couldn't even properly word it inside his own mind?

In the end, he opted for the simplest reasoning in the hopes that Blue Eyes would somehow get it.

"I just… I think I would know… If something was wrong…" He spoke somewhat slowly, knowing that these words didn't quite make sense, even to himself – and yet, he was sure that it was the truth. "If something… bad had happened to Mother, I am sure I would feel it."

Then, he returned his green gaze to his childhood friend beside him, a crooked smile playing on his rough lips.

"I know she is looking up at these stars too. Maybe not right now… But sometime tonight, she will be."

It sounded incredibly vague and entirely too emotional, even by Orion's standards, but he honestly had no other way of putting it.

Blue Eyes nodded all the same and, to Orion's surprise, it seemed like he actually understood.

" _I like that thought._ " The Ape Prince signed, the barest hint of a wistful smile gracing his pale face. " _Perhaps my father is doing the same?_ "

"I would believe so." Orion replied easily, leaning back against the tree trunk behind the two.

Blue Eyes turned from him then, to look up at the starry sky, the billions of tiny lights reflected in his pale gaze.

The two young chimps sat like that for a long time, once again letting themselves be surrounded by the sounds of the night. Chirping of crickets, rustling of leaves brought on by the gentle breeze, and water softly lapping against the lakeshore.

It was a nice spot Blue Eyes had chosen for gathering his thoughts, quiet and tranquil, much like the clearing his mother had been buried in, where they had had their first true heart-to-heart about their lost ones over a year ago. And this was probably why Orion was all the more startled when he heard the Ape Prince's raspy, unused voice all of a sudden, piercing the tranquil air of the night.

"Orion." He spoke as softly as he could, though it still sounded loud in comparison to everything else around them.

The younger of the two apes quickly recovered from his initial surprise and gave a curious, questioning hum to indicate that he was listening, turning his head to look at Blue Eyes in case the prince chose to sign his next words.

He did not. Instead, Orion found that his leader was still staring up at the stars above with a solemn look on his face.

"When it is my turn... To lead the apes… After my father…" He rasped out as best he could, with less difficulty than months prior, but still clearly unpractised. "I would like you… On my ape council."

Honoured as he was, Orion still had to grimace slightly at this sudden declaration.

"Why?" He asked, perplexed.

Sure, he had known Blue Eyes since they had been children, and he was the closest friend he had, with this journey only bringing them closer still… But what qualifications did he possess that justified such a high-ranking position? What did Blue Eyes think Orion could contribute with?

Sure, Orion was a brilliant hunter, anyone who had ever lead a hunting party with the young ape in it would readily say so. But there were many good hunters in the colony, and quite a few who Orion still had yet to surpass.

He had been loyal to Caesar during Koba's betrayal and had, too, lost a parent during this difficult time. It was something which the two had bonded over, but was that really enough to warrant a future council position? Such an honour demanded more than just close friendship, after all.

Then there was his ability to speak, which was beyond that of most, if not all others in the colony. Well, except his own mother that is… But seeing as the apes still relied heavily on signing and were actively trying to get away from the only other species capable of speech, Orion didn't see how that would be a useful asset either.

What else was there, then? What other qualities did Orion possess?

It was then that Blue Eyes finally decided to turn his head and look Orion straight in the eyes and the younger ape barely managed to keep himself from inhaling sharply in surprise at the pale orbs' intensity.

"Because you always know… What words to say. When I doubt." Blue Eyes spoke grittily then, a serious look on his relatively smooth face. A face on which Orion could detect nothing but sincerity. "And you are not afraid. To say them either."


	53. A Hunt To Remember

_**Ivy**_

Gripping the bow firmly within her hand, Ivy followed Lydia through the forest's lush undergrowth, slow and deliberate as she felt the earth give way beneath her feet.

In front of her, Lydia was moving forward in much the same manner, though Ivy could easily tell by the way that the woman carried herself that she was far more experienced in the art of hunting stealthily. Her strides were long, but steady, and every movement she made was purposeful, yet smooth and unhurried.

Ivy thought to herself that the woman reminded her of a mountain lion on the prowl.

Her bow was drawn in front of her, lowered, but at the ready in case an unfortunate animal should cross her path, and her dogs, Storm and Blaze, were trudging along just as quietly only a few paces away, sniffing for prey.

Be it deer, duck or hare, they would fall to Lydia's arrows, Ivy knew that much. She had seen it happen plenty of times before by now.

The young female chimp had been with the woman on several hunts already, learning to put her newfound skill with a bow to use and to help Lydia carry the kills back to the colony.

She could still remember the excitement she had felt bubbling up inside her chest when Lydia had first suggested she come along, even though Ivy's mother, Juniper, had been hesitant to agree to it at first.

" _Come now, what good will all this practice do her if she won't get to use it?_ " Her father, a stocky chimp with his bottom left canine missing, had signed reassuringly to Mother. " _We both know our daughter was not made for weaving baskets all day, Juniper._ "

Her father was called Shale, so named for his grey, wiry fur, which was only a few shades darker than Ivy's own, and which contrasted greatly to Mother's smooth, black pelt. They had always been an odd pair, her parents. Opposites that fit perfectly well together, with Mother's gentle, careful nature against Father's gruff, pragmatic personality.

Ivy had beamed at Father for the support, the _faith_ he had put in her. While Mother had more often than not been concerned with Ivy's independent, adventurous streak, believing that it would discourage anyone from choosing her as a mate, Father had instead encouraged it, believing that it made her stand out from the rest of her peers. That it would not attract just _any_ mate, but the _right one_.

" _It is not a question about the number of suitors she will have, dear, but what kind of apes they are._ " He had often signed when the topic had come up late in the night, when Ivy had been sneaking peeks at her parents' signed conversations after they thought she had gone to sleep.

Needless to say, it was a subject the two had discussed often.

But as usual, Mother had been persuaded by Father's reasoning, and Ivy had been allowed to go with Lydia.

" _Not like I could stop her anyway._ " She remembered her mother had said afterwards with a huff. " _She is seven winters old. Almost an adult female in her own right._ "

And throughout this entire conversation, Lydia had just stood there, quietly observing the exchange while it had been obvious that she fully expected her suggestion to be accepted in the end. She had even winked knowingly at Ivy when Father had first interjected, making the young she-ape suppress a bright smile until her parents had reached an agreement.

Ivy could only chuckle at the memory now, several successful hunts later.

Returning to the present, she continued to follow Lydia along the barely visible trail some deer had left through the forest. The human woman had taught her that both she and the large hunting parties of apes followed these trails to find their prey, but whereas the apes set up a surprise attack and would chase herds of deer into an ambush, Lydia had to sneak up as close to her prey as possible and pick just one animal.

That knowledge had provided Ivy with a whole new level of respect for the human woman, because she knew that meant Lydia would have to hunt several times rather than just concentrate it all into one wave of chasing. She had often come home with more than one kill, which meant that she would have had to move on from area to area, building up every new hunt just as she had the previous one. Ivy had never thought of that before Lydia had taken her out hunting, always just assuming that she must have done it like everyone else, and that she only went to hunt on her own because she was human and couldn't keep up with the apes in the trees.

Ivy had never tried hunting like the ape males usually did, but she was pretty sure that she would prefer Lydia's method either way.

There was something meditative about this way of hunting. Being hyperaware of everything around you and controlling your movements so that they blended in with the forest. There was so much to think about and yet, it felt so natural that Ivy didn't feel like she was thinking at all.

She just _felt_.

Felt the breeze and the mossy forest floor. Felt her own breathing and the tightening and loosening of her muscles as she zeroed in on her target, step by step, breath by breath.

It was tranquil and riveting all at once, and she was only too happy that it was Lydia who was teaching her all of this.

She would welcome any opportunity to get closer to Orion's mother, really, and they _did_ seem to have a lot in common.

Suddenly, Lydia stopped in front of Ivy, and the young female ape immediately halted her movements behind her human companion, waiting for instructions. The dogs stopped too and crouched down to lie flatly against the grass, something Lydia had trained them to do when she raised her hand in a certain way. It wouldn't do for the canines to disrupt the hunt – they were tracking deer, after all.

Lydia waved Ivy forward and the chimp snuck up beside the woman as stealthily as she could manage, at once spotting the little group of five deer, all of them does, grazing in the small clearing a few yards in front of the two huntresses.

" _You take one, I take one?_ " Lydia signed, keeping her sentence simple as she still held her bow with her other hand. She inclined her head towards the deer, raising a questioning brow as she did so.

The she-ape's mouth fell agape at the question. Her? Downing a _deer_ with her bow?

Sure, she had managed to kill a few hares on her previous hunts with Lydia, but she had missed the shot plenty of times too. For now, more times than she had hit her mark in fact, whereas Lydia seemed to hit nearly every time.

Sure, deer were larger than hares and therefore easier to hit, in theory, but to Ivy, they just seemed so much more massive. With a hare, one just needed to aim at the body and the arrow would be almost certain to hit something vital, but on a deer, there was a lot more room for errors. Lydia often spoke about how it was important to hit the animal around its chest area, seeing as a hit in a hindleg or stomach would mean the animal could manage to run away. If that happened, Lydia had explained, it would only prolong the beast's suffering, as it could walk with such an injury for days, even weeks, before succumbing to the wound – And Lydia was a firm believer in treating animals with care and respect, even if they were going to end up as a meal.

Ivy suddenly felt self-doubt creep into her mind.

" _Really? A deer?_ " Ivy signed, excited and apprehensive all at once. " _What if I fail?_ "

There was also the risk that the prey would disappear if she missed, and then it would be harder to track once it understood that it was being pursued. It might mean that they would return to the colony empty-handed, and Ivy didn't want that either.

Truly, it was a thrill to be a huntress, but it also came with a lot of pressure. And a lot of responsibility towards both the prey and the colony it was meant to feed.

But Lydia would be shooting too, so at least there was that.

The human woman offered a lopsided smile at Ivy's uncertainty, instantly easing the tension the ape felt.

" _Then we consider it a lesson._ " She answered, blue eyes glinting with mirth. " _And move on to the next one._ "

The young she-ape appreciated her teacher's honesty. How she didn't try to pretend that there was no way Ivy would fail. No false reassurances that she would definitely down her prey when the chance of her failing was very real. Even so, Lydia still managed to be a very encouraging and engaging teacher.

She had once told Ivy how she had taught herself archery, without any form of guidance, and that thought alone had made the young female ape's jaw drop in wonder.

"My mistakes were my teachers." The human woman had explained. "If I had never made them, then I wouldn't have known what _not_ to do. That's why I'm not afraid of failing."

Looking at her teacher now, Ivy nodded with newfound resolve and took her stance.

The dogs remained where they were, eyes shifting between their master and the prey they had helped her track.

" _Which one?_ " Ivy asked before drawing her bow, turning her head to Lydia for a signed answer.

" _You pick._ " Came the woman's answer before her blue gaze turned towards the deer once more. " _The hunter chooses the target._ "

 _Right_ , the chimp thought, turning back to the task at hand as she examined the small group of animals in the clearing. They all seemed in good health, strong, slender and alert. So, she would just have to pick the one she thought would be easiest to hit, then.

She zeroed in on the doe closest to her, less than 20 yards away, and crouched gently to get better cover behind the vegetation surrounding the clearing. Given Lydia's position to Ivy's left, she would most likely take the one at the edge of the clearing, as it seemed to the ape to be the only one the woman had a clear shot at, with no branches obscuring the path of her arrow.

" _We shoot on three when you're ready._ " The human signed beside her before taking her stance as well, placing her booted foot just beside Ivy's so that she could feel the ape female's taps.

It was a system they had developed some time ago, as a way to signal to each other when they were ready to shoot, so that they could do it simultaneously. It was quite ingenious, Ivy thought, as it provided her with a way of silently telling Lydia when exactly she felt ready to take the plunge. It boosted her confidence to know that it was her who called the shots – a fact the young ape was certain Lydia was aware of.

Shifting the arrow from one hand to the other to knock it, Ivy raised her weapon and began to take aim.

 _Try not to try_. She repeated inside her mind like a mantra, as she always did when preparing to loosen her arrow. It was a sobering reminder for someone like Ivy, who always, _always_ strived to do her best. Who was used to have to _try_ , and sometimes so much harder than others seemed to do because of things like her gender and small stature.

Ivy fought to control her breathing as she steadied her bow. This was it, her first attempt at downing a deer.

And though Lydia would most likely ensure that they didn't go home without a kill, Ivy still felt the pressure mounting. Felt the thrill of the hunt. The desire to succeed.

She tapped Lydia's foot with her own, once. Twice. Thrice – and their arrows flew, almost completely in sync, from their hiding place among the thick vegetation that hid them.

A brief, whooshing sort of sound was the only warning the unfortunate deer had to alert them of the fact that something was amiss, and even then, they hardly got a chance to react before it was too late.

Too late for both Lydia's _and_ Ivy's targeted does, that is.

The remaining three bolted into the thicket opposite the huntresses as their two companions fell to the ground with a dull thud, followed by a short moment of thrashing. The sound was slightly muffled by the moss and grass beneath them, but soon, even that stopped as well, the animals now lying dead on the ground.

And just like that, Ivy had killed her first deer. Her very first doe and on her very first, real try to boot!

She practically beamed at Lydia as they emerged from their hiding place, her emerald eyes shining with excitement and pride as she neared her kill.

On either side of the two huntresses, Storm and Blaze bolted forward to inspect the fallen does as well, tails wagging, and ears perked with obvious interest. They were funny beasts, those two.

As she came close, Ivy saw that her arrow had hit true, right through the animal's heart – one of the best places to hit for an almost instant death, and the one Lydia had recommended her because of the large target area, ideal for a novice hunter. A hit such as this, while effective, did mean that some meat would be lost during the butchering later on, but with two kills being made, Ivy figured it wouldn't be an issue.

Besides, Lydia's arrow had hit her doe in the neck, piercing one of the carotid arteries and causing an instant, massive blood loss. The human had taught her that such a shot meant less meat would be lost, but that it was risky to make, and not recommended if one wanted to be sure to come home with a kill. The arrow could miss the arteries or the spinal cord, which in turn meant the animal might escape – now with a serious and rather painful injury.

But Lydia's many years of experience meant she could make such shots without having to worry too much about that – something which Ivy envied and hoped that she would one day master as well.

With a teacher like Lydia, she was already on the right track.

"That was a great shot, Ivy! You hit it right where you were supposed to!" The human woman praised her, making the silvery she-ape's ears go slightly red. It was always nice to know that you were doing a good job, and the fact that this came from Lydia, who Ivy had come to see as a mentor and who she hoped would one day be her mother-in-law, just made it all the more special to her.

She just couldn't help getting flustered because… well, because it was _Lydia!_ Her _mentor_ and _future mother-in-law_! The only human member of the Royal Ape Council and _Orion's mother_!

"Thank you, Lydia." The young she-ape spoke softly, something she had begun to do a lot more since Orion had told her that he liked her voice.

He had done so before he had left and since then, Ivy had practiced her speech every day, wanting to develop it as much as possible for his eventual return.

The human woman in front of her seemed to approve of this too

"Now, let's wrap this up and get back home, shall we? I think two deer ought to be enough for now." She spoke easily as she reached down to carefully pry the arrow out of the doe's tender neck, another gush of blood spilling forth with the action.

She then stowed the arrow away in her quiver before reaching for the crude rope that was slung around her shoulder and then began the task of tying the doe's legs together so that it would be easier to carry.

Ivy, who had seen this being done several times by now, mimicked the human woman and started preparing her own kill for the trek home to the colony.

At first, she hadn't liked this part of the hunt, coming face to face with a beast whose life she had just stolen away, but Lydia had been quick to teach both Ivy, and everyone else who received instruction from her, that it was just another part of the hunt, and that the animals they killed should be treated with respect.

"We take its life so that we can live – it's only fair that we look at the result and don't waste anything once it's all said and done." She would often say.

Ivy could see the logic in that and so, did her best to follow these instructions every time she went hunting now.

The young ape female tightened the rope around her doe's thin legs and helped Lydia hoist it onto a long, thick branch that the woman had found, and where her own kill had already been placed. When that was done, the two each went to opposite ends of the branch and lifted it to the point where their kills were hanging upside down, their heads bobbing gently as the ape and the human began to head back through the forest.

* * *

They had been walking for quite a while, having put about a third of the distance back to the colony behind them, when Lydia suddenly stopped dead in her tracks as her dogs began to growl menacingly.

Ivy had never seen them do that before and immediately felt a chill creep up her spine.

She hooted concernedly at Lydia when the woman put down the branch they were carrying and reached for the bow slung across her back. Her posture seemed strangely rigid.

Then, she looked back at Ivy, brows knitted together in a suspicious frown.

"Hide, Ivy." She ordered quietly, and though she wanted to protest, Ivy felt compelled by her teacher's tone to do as she was being told. It was urgent and commanding, but also laced with obvious concern. "Keep your bow ready until I give a signal."

The chimp dropped the branch with their prey attached and quickly snuck towards the nearest tree, a relatively young redwood, where she climbed up to sit, hidden, among the lower branches. From here, she could see how Lydia then ordered her dogs away into the thicket – an odd move, Ivy thought, if there was danger ahead – but she didn't dare question the woman's actions right now.

Something about the way Lydia had looked as she had ordered Ivy to hide had filled the young ape's heart with apprehension.

And soon enough, she found out why Lydia had acted so strangely, as Ivy, too, became aware of the rustling of vegetation and the sound of footsteps reached her ears.

And voices… _human_ voices!

"I told you, we're fucking lost, Hank!" One said, clearly irritated.

"You think the Colonel is gonna reward us for splitting from the division, huh?" Another followed shortly after with a hint of mockery. "Fuck if I know how you got me dragged into this shit…"

"He's gonna thank us once we find those damned monkeys and their base, I'll tell you." Came a third, more commanding voice. They were all male, Ivy could clearly tell that from the darker quality of the sound.

She did as Lydia had told her and pulled out her bow, knocking it with an arrow in preparation for what she now knew was to come.

Humans. Human males… and one of them mentioned the Colonel. The one the apes were fighting.

 _They are soldiers!_ Ivy realised with horror gripping her heart like an icy fist, squeezing it tight as the three men suddenly came into view.

And they had done so before Lydia had a chance to hide herself properly.

The woman raised her bow but didn't get to fire a single arrow before she was being held at gunpoint by the man at the forefront of the group, who had quickly raised his weapon to defend himself.

"Stay right there!" Lydia spoke harshly, aiming at the man with the gun – the obvious threat.

"What the…?" Said the man Ivy had first heard speak. He stood at the back of the group and looked a bit thin compared to his two, more burly companions. Apparently, he hadn't seen the need reach for his own weapon, as he stood with both arms down along his sides, a dumbstruck look on his face.

The man standing in the middle of the group had had the sense to take a defensive stance and keep a hand on the pistol strapped to his hip but seemed to wait for instructions from the man already aiming at Lydia.

Ivy slowly pulled back her bowstring, waiting.

Watching.

Listening.

"Oh my, what do we have here, boys?" The obvious leader of the group spoke leerily. The one with the commanding voice from before. He tipped his large gun slightly downwards, as if pointing with it. "Put that thing down, sweetheart, and nobody's gonna get hurt."

The woman didn't follow the order at first, keeping the bowstring pulled taut between her fingers.

"Better do as he says, girl. We've got the big guns here, after all." The thinner man in the back spoke, though not as menacingly sweet as his companion had done. It still wasn't a pleasant tone, though.

Lydia seemed to think it over for a second before she unceremoniously dropped her bow, and the soldier who had had his hand on his pistol stepped forward and grabbed her wrists harshly, twisting them around her back as he stood behind her.

"Look at this, guys." The thinner man, the one who had made up the group's rear, called as he crouched over the branch with Lydia and Ivy's kills tied to it – lying forgotten on the forest floor. "Looks like _someone_ has been out hunting. And got quite a large catch too."

He rose to his full height once more and shared a look with his two companions.

Not good…

The leader of the group pursed his lips and turned to Lydia once more.

"Now…" He spoke, still in that obviously fake, friendly manner of speech. "What's a pretty thing like you doing all the way out here - all alone and _vulnerable_?"

His tone made even Ivy feel bile rise in the back of her throat. It was sickeningly sweet and threatening all at once.

Lydia's disgusted scowl wasn't visible from Ivy's position in the tree, but she could very well imagine it.

"I don't see how that's any of your business." The woman answered tersely, a dangerous edge to her voice beneath a thin veil of cold indifference.

Ivy had never heard Lydia speak like that, and momentarily slacked her bowstring in surprise when she did. The human woman's voice usually had a warm, playful note to it, befitting her friendly and easy-going demeanour. It was rare that she got so angry that her voice lost that quality, and the bright spark in her eyes was traded for a cold flame.

Few within the colony had witnessed this change in the woman for themselves, and those who had maintained that it was indeed unnerving to behold, and that they were happy never to have been subjected to Lydia's fury.

But the soldiers surrounding her now weren't too affected by it, getting right into Lydia's personal space as they held her firmly in place.

"Then let me tell you why it _is_ , sweet cheeks." The lead-soldier replied almost mockingly. "See, the thing is, we've got someplace we need to find, and you look quite local to me."

He openly eyed her up and down with a raised brow, seemingly taking in Lydia's appearance. Her worn boots and deerskin pants, her hide jacket and thin, black shirt underneath. His gaze seemed to settle on her breasts.

Then, he licked his lips.

And Ivy felt sickened.

"So, here's what's gonna happen." He spoke, his face inches from Lydia's own. "You're gonna tell us where your companion is-"

"Companion? What the hell are you on about?" Lydia interrupted, and Ivy was amazed to discover that there still wasn't a trace of fright in her voice. "I hunt alone."

It happened in a flash, the fist that suddenly collided with Lydia's stomach, effectively making her upper torso launch forward as all of the air was pushed forcibly from her lungs by the impact.

Ivy's grip on her bow tightened, her entire body tense with anger and anticipation.

But Lydia had yet to give a signal, so the she-ape stayed her hand… for now.

"Shut the fuck up!" The leader of the three yelled, his demeanour changing in a split-second. "Don't you think we fucking know that your scrawny ass can't carry that thing?! _Two_ deer? You want us to fucking believe you need that much for just yourself?!"

He pointed at the bounty from their hunt as he yelled into Lydia's face.

"You fucking dumb bitch!"

Anger swelled further inside Ivy's chest, the flames of rage and indignation scorching her insides as she watched what was going on below. How dare they?! How dare they gang up on a defenceless female like that? Threatening her! Humiliating her! Beating her!

Had they no respect for a female's honour?!

Why wasn't Lydia fighting back? Why hadn't she given a signal yet?

 _Did I miss it?_ Ivy thought as a dreadful chill crept up her spine. _What if I have missed it?!_

What else were these men going to do?!

To Ivy's mounting horror, that question was soon answered by the soldier holding Lydia still from behind, as he slipped an arm around the woman's throat and forced her to straighten once more. He pressed his face into the side of her neck, soundly breathing in her scent.

"Come on, lovely. Just be honest with us and we're gonna be on our way before you know it… Or maybe…" The male human spoke in a sickeningly imploring manner. "Maybe I can show you a good time before that. You know, for being so _nice_ to us."

Though Ivy had only a faint, nauseating idea of what a 'good time' meant to this man, his tone and body language, the way he sniffed at her and pushed his pelvis against Lydia's rear, conveyed the message clearly enough. He would force a mating with Lydia first chance he got – even a relatively young, inexperienced ape as Ivy could see that.

Such an act was seen as a horrific crime among the apes and the chimp was pretty sure she had once heard that this was also the case among humans.

It only served to make her grit her teeth as her breathing got shallow, and she now had to fight to control her straining arms, which were beginning to tremble ever so slightly – whether with fury or fatigue, she honestly couldn't tell.

But she would keep the string taut. She _would_ be ready for Lydia's signal!

"Why don't you fuck off and suck a cock on one of your boyfriends here instead?" Lydia challenged, having now regained her breath and doing her best to tilt her head away from the man holding her. It seemed hard to do with his arm around her throat. "What the hell are you even doing here, anyway? What do you want?"

Ivy's eyes widened in realisation then.

Ah! So, this was why Lydia had yet to fight back! The reason why she had let these men go this far. She was trying to get information out of them! To get them to reveal how they had ended up here, so far past the apes' defensive lines.

Ivy couldn't help but think that Lydia was being reckless, risking her own safety like this to gather information.

Either way, it seemed to work, as the leader of the group took a strutting, proud step towards her and reached out to grab a firm hold of the woman's chin as he spoke.

"We're just out here looking for some monkeys, sweet cheeks. Some big-ass monkeys with spears and shit – maybe you've seen them around? They're good at hiding, I tell you. Real' good. But we thought we might find them easier if we went just the three of us. No whole division to fuck it up, you see." He explained, once again employing that friendly, bordering-on-leery tone of voice.

He reached up and took his helmet off, turning it in his hands and presenting the back of it to Lydia.

Ivy could easily read the simple lettering on the object from her elevated position above the group.

It read 'monkey killer'.

The human woman scoffed.

"They're _apes_ , asshole. Not monkeys." Lydia spoke coldly, and Ivy could practically hear the mocking smirk in the woman's voice. "And you guys made a big mistake by coming here."

And then, before the man in front of her had even retracted his arm halfway back in preparation for another punch to Lydia's stomach, the woman whistled.

A sharp, urgent sound, and Ivy knew exactly what it meant.

The signal she had been waiting for.

The she-ape released the string of her bow, and the familiar, brief whoosh of an arrow piercing the air reached her ears.

She didn't have the angle to aim at the chest of Lydia's assailant, and besides, both he and his companions wore thick, protective vests on their torsos.

But she _did_ manage to get a good shot into his unprotected thigh, and blood immediately soaked his pantleg.

And just as a shout of pain ripped from his lungs, Blaze and Storm came charging out from the bushes opposite the tree Ivy had been hiding in, immediately leaping at the man with his arm around their master's throat, and barking and growling as they went.

He instantly let go of Lydia and tumbled to the side, screaming and thrashing under the weight of the two large canines, who ripped and tore at his camouflaged uniform with their sharp teeth. The vigorousness as they yanked their heads from side to side made it seem to the she-ape as if they were trying to tear the flesh from his very bones – the man certainly screamed viciously enough for that to be the case.

And Ivy didn't sit idly by either as she slung her bow across her shoulder and quickly took out her flint knife from the deerskin belt around her waist. She then threw herself from the tree with a terrible screech as the third soldier, the thin one who had yet to be wounded, reached for his gun.

"Shit! It's a fucking ape, man!" He yelled, equal measures of surprise and terror present in his voice as he fumbled with his weapon.

They would be his final words as Ivy landed on top of him, effectively softening her own fall as the human male had his body slammed against the ground, her flint knife firmly embedded in his jugular.

She was too enraged by what they had done, what they had _wanted_ to do, to think about the copious amounts of blood gushing onto her forearms as the human man bled out before she grabbed her bow and turned around to see how her companion and her dogs fared.

She didn't need to worry, though.

The moment the one holding her had let go to defend himself against Storm and Blaze, Lydia had charged forward at the man Ivy had shot in the thigh just moments ago. He hadn't dropped down completely to his knees but stood crouched, grabbing onto his injured leg with both of his hands.

Which meant he had let go of his gun.

"Argh! You motherfucking beast!" He had roared just before Lydia came forward, her hand swiftly reaching for the large hunting knife strapped to her thigh, which she quickly thrust into the large man's throat.

The look on Lydia's face sent a chill through Ivy's pelt as she watched the man cough and gurgle on his own blood, which spilled thickly down onto the woman's gloved hands. Her blue eyes were cold and her face indifferent, though her nostrils flared with her harsh, huffing breath.

She maintained eye contact with the soldier for a few, brief seconds before she yanked the knife from his throat as quickly as she had shoved it in, and he fell limply to the ground, as dead as the deer Ivy and Lydia had killed earlier that day.

She then picked up her bow and turned to the last soldier as she prepared one of her arrows.

Ivy, still with adrenaline rushing through her, stepped up beside the woman, her own weapon at the ready, should they need it.

"You bitch! GEEAAARGH!" The last soldier left alive screamed at the top of his lungs before another wave of pained cries left him, seeing as Blaze and Storm were still on him, growling and biting, with their mouths now bloodied by the wounds they had inflicted on the man's arms and right leg.

His clothes didn't even _look_ like clothes at all anymore.

"Back!" Lydia gave a loud, firm command to her dogs, who immediately obeyed and, while still growling fiercely, retreated to Lydia's side.

The ape and the human woman looked on as the struggling man rolled onto his stomach and raised himself onto his hands and knees, heaving each breath with great difficulty.

Lydia remained completely still, ready to shoot at a moment's notice.

"You… you fucking…" The remaining soldier rasped suddenly, lifting his face to stare at Lydia with eyes full of hatred. "YOU FUCKING SAVAGE!" He shouted grittily as he suddenly got up and charged towards Lydia, clearly not caring one bit that the woman was pointing an arrow at his face.

He was hit through his left eye at a somewhat downwards angle, and when he fell, headfirst onto the ground in front of the pair, Ivy saw how the arrowhead protruded from the base of his neck.

The brief thrashing of his body had the young she-ape bite her bottom lip in discomfort, and she lowered her own bow with trembling hands.

And it only got worse as her gaze drifted away from the man, only to find the gruelling sight of his companions lying dead just behind her.

That man… The one lying furthest away. She had done that. _She_ had killed him. In a fit of rage and a rush of adrenaline, she had taken his life.

Ivy began to feel the blood on her hands now, sticky and warm, soaking her silvery fur and dyeing it an unsavoury reddish-brown.

"Shit…" She heard Lydia's voice, faint and disbelieving, and she turned to find the woman breathing somewhat heavily as she stood, bent over with her hands on her knees. "Damn…"

Blaze came over to Ivy then, whimpering quietly as he pressed his muzzle into her blood-soaked palm. He was no longer flashing his fangs in anger, but was once again the sweet, lovable pet that Ivy had come to adore.

"Are you alright, Ivy?" Lydia asked, having straightened and stepped over to check on the young she-ape.

But Ivy didn't react at first. _Couldn't_ react. She had killed a man and her hands were covered in blood and she was far from home and Orion wasn't there and her parents would never let her hunt again and _Lydia_ had almost _died_ and…!

"Hey! Hey, look at me, Ivy. Look at me." Lydia grabbed her gently by her shoulders, searching for eye contact.

The pressure of Lydia's fingers coupled with the sound of her voice was what pulled Ivy out of her stupor, and the ape turned her emerald gaze towards the human woman once more.

"Lydia… I killed. A human." Ivy answered in a small voice, shock and guilt overtaking her features.

"I know… Trust me, I know, Sweetie." Lydia spoke softly, and Ivy was only vaguely aware of the fact that Lydia had used a term of endearment. One she usually only reserved for Orion. "You did what you had to do, Ivy. You did good."

The female chimp released a trembling breath, calming herself down. Lydia was right, she had had to do this. If she hadn't done it, Lydia would have been… They might have…

And then she looked up into the woman's deep, blue eyes, now devoid of the coldness they had previously held. Now they were filled with emotion. Concern, relief, pride. It was all there, in those blue, blue orbs.

And Ivy couldn't help herself, then.

"Lydia!" She suddenly exclaimed, throwing her arms around the woman's shoulders. "They hurt you! They wanted to… They were. Going to…!"

"Shhh… Hey, easy there, Ivy." Lydia soothed gently, wrapping her arms around the young she-ape in a comforting hug. "I'm okay. Nothing's happened. I knew you had my back the whole time."

The ape pulled back from the hug and shook her head at the woman. She didn't understand.

Sure, Ivy was horrified at having killed a human, but they had been a threat to them both. They had been predators – nothing more – and their blood, though revolting, would be washed out of her fur.

No, what really had Ivy tremble and spill tears of regret was something else entirely…

"But I promised… I promised Orion. That I would. Look after you." Ivy sniffled, emerald eyes glistening with unshed tears. "I promised him. Before he left."

Lydia tilted her head at that, a confused frown briefly showing on her face before she closed her eyes and shook her head in… was that disappointment?

"That boy…" She breathed tiredly, rubbing Ivy's shoulders comfortingly with her hands. "I think he set you up for an impossible task when he asked that of you, Sweetie."

And just like that, without really meaning to at all, Ivy cracked a small, careful smile, huffing through her tears.

"Let's get out of here, shall we?"


	54. Someone To Be Soft With

_**Maurice**_

The anxious hoots coming from the edge of the colony's boundaries was the first thing which alerted Maurice to the fact that something out of the ordinary had happened that afternoon. It wasn't the usual, low hum of sounds that normally accompanied an individual's return to the apes' home, and besides, Caesar and his fighting apes had already come back an hour prior.

The only ones still out in the forest were Lydia and Ivy, who had yet to return from their hunt.

And it seemed to Maurice that the Ape King had been slightly agitated when he had come home to find the woman gone. In fact, whenever she wasn't in his immediate vicinity, Maurice's old friend looked to be searching for her, his green-and-golden eyes sweeping his surroundings every now and then, only resting when they finally landed on Lydia.

And then there was the look he would sometimes regard her with.

Maurice had seen that look many times before in his life, on apes young and old alike, and immediately recognised it for what it was. After all, the Ape King himself had regarded his late wife with the exact same look in his eyes in the not-too-distant past.

He hadn't deigned to mention it to Caesar, however, believing it to be a private matter of the Ape King. Besides, his old friend had seemed both happier and calmer as of late, despite everything, and in fact, Lydia had too.

The two of them had been through so much that the orangutan honestly thought that they deserved some happiness to light up their lives. To love and be loved in return once more.

They seemed to be quite capable of keeping it a secret too, which was why Maurice hadn't made any mentions about it to either of his friends. It was a private matter, after all, and he didn't want to pry.

He had always been more of an observer, anyway. Watching and learning, but not wanting to solve problems that hadn't even arisen to begin with. From what he could tell, nobody even seemed to spare the pair's subtle, lingering glances a second thought, so for now, Maurice deemed it unnecessary for him to make his opinion on the matter known to the Ape King.

That is, until he had seen his friend's face as Lydia and Ivy had come into view from beneath the colony's stone arch, covered in blood and with three guns slung across their shoulders.

He knew at once that something had gone terribly wrong on their hunt.

And he also knew that Caesar would have a hard time keeping his customary, stern façade in place. It was obvious by the way his face contorted into an expression of alarm and worry. By how his eyes immediately landed on the woman and grew soft with relief before he hauled himself onto his feet.

Some apes quickly came forward to relieve the two of the bounty from their hunt, while a member from the Gorilla Guard came forth to take the guns. Lydia was carrying two of them, one slung around each shoulder, while Ivy only carried one. Neither looked like they felt comfortable holding the deadly human weapons and seemed only too happy to be rid of them.

Ivy remained close to Lydia, her emerald eyes darting to her ever so often, as if to check if she was alright. The fine, silvery fur on her forearms were, much like Lydia's skin, coated in blood, which looked disturbingly wrong on such a small, kind female, no matter how fierce and spirited Maurice knew she could be.

Caesar was quick to stride towards the pair with hurried steps. Honestly, Maurice almost thought the chimp would go down on all fours and run towards them, judging by the urgency in his gait. It was like he was struggling to keep up a dignified display when all he wanted to do was rush over and make sure no one was injured.

Even so, it was the young female chimp's mother, Juniper, who got to the pair first, her worried hoots getting progressively louder as she got closer to her daughter. Unlike the Ape King, she had no need for keeping up pretences and rushed over on all fours until she was finally near enough to throw her arms desperately around Ivy.

The older female chimp looked more upset than her daughter, even without knowing what had happened yet.

 _Mothers will be mothers_ , Maurice silently concluded as his attention returned to his leader, who had now reached Lydia, standing in front of her as if he was unsure of what came next.

It didn't escape the elder orangutan's notice how the Ape King subtly began to reach out for her hand, though he caught himself before anyone could take notice.

Anyone but Maurice, that is.

Soon, Ivy's father, Shale, as well as the entire Royal Ape Council had come over to welcome the duo home, as well as listen to their report on what had happened. Most of the colony had also gathered in the immediate vicinity, curious and alarmed all at once by the pair's gruesome appearance.

All around was the quiet murmur of subdued hoots, chuffs and gibbers, creating a sea of noises all around until Caesar, at last, decided to lift his hand in a request for silence from his apes.

It was quiet within seconds and, despite the seriousness of the situation, Maurice couldn't help but wish that he could command such silence from his young, often rambunctious ape students.

"What happened?" The Ape King demanded gruffly and with a hint of urgency as he eyed the blood on Lydia's hands and arms, a severe frown on his face. One far more pronounced than what was customary for the chimp.

Then, he reconnected his gaze with the woman's, waiting, quite impatiently as far as Maurice could tell, for an explanation.

The elder orangutan couldn't help but rumble worriedly once she voiced her reply, shocking as it was.

"We came across a small group of soldiers. Three of them." Lydia spoke clinically, though she wore a tired expression on her face as she said it.

Beside Maurice, Caesar did a sharp inhale of air at Lydia's words and the orangutan thought he saw a flash of panic in his old friend's eyes as they once again travelled down to her hands, her fine, pale skin stained a gruesome red.

"And this blood… it is-?"

"Not ours." Lydia was quick to say reassuringly before the Ape King could finish his question. "We were on the way back when the dogs started to act up, and I ordered them and Ivy to hide when I heard someone talking in the distance."

Looking at the two canines, it was clear that they had joined in the fight as well at some point. Their muzzles were stained the same grotesque reddish-brown colour as Ivy's fur, though it was more noticeable on Blaze due to the dog's lighter colour. Despite everything, they were both wagging their tails as if nothing was amiss.

"And _you_ did not hide?" Caesar pressed, his tone suddenly hard. Demanding, even.

Maurice gave a gentle, appeasing rumble, though it didn't seem to do much good for Caesar's agitated state of mind.

 _Don't focus too much on Lydia in the presence of others_ , the red-haired ape wanted to say, though he knew there was no way he could without giving it all away. He could only hope that Caesar would behave himself. Keep his personal emotions contained so long as there were others to bear witness.

Lydia sighed heavily.

"I didn't have time to worry about that. I was just about to figure out something for myself when they appeared."

"You were caught by them _alone_?!" Came Caesar's voice once again, now more a growl than anything else.

At that, Lydia's face, which previously held a look of utter exhaustion, suddenly shifted into an annoyed frown, her eyes narrowing at the ape in front of her.

"First of all, I wasn't alone. Ivy was hiding in a tree nearby, waiting to shoot on my signal." She argued, and everyone's eyes briefly turned to the young ape female, who looked uncharacteristically bashful all of a sudden. "Second of all, I wasn't _caught_. I just-"

"They grabbed you. Lydia." Ivy suddenly piped up, looking at the woman with a pout. "They grabbed you. And hit you. And they would have… They said they would…" She didn't manage to finish her sentence, but Maurice could very well imagine what exactly it was the silvery chimp was trying to convey.

He imagined the rest of the colony could as well.

And evidently, so could Caesar, whose hackles seemed to rise just a fraction further with every word Ivy said, his gaze hard and his mouth set in a thin line as he returned his attention to Lydia.

"They hit you." He said, his words a mere statement rather than a question at this point. There was a dangerous edge to it, though. A subtle growl within the Ape King's words.

Maurice barely managed to keep from warning his old friend this time. To tell him to redirect his focus before anyone got suspicious.

He knew Caesar was concerned about _both_ Lydia and Ivy's safety, as well as that of the colony as a whole. If these humans had managed to happen upon Lydia and Ivy, it meant they had been on the apes' hunting grounds, having somehow bypassed the defences the fighting apes had set up.

It was much too close for comfort.

"Once." Lydia nodded in confirmation. Then, she spread her hands out, gesturing to her bloodied appearance. "But evidently, I got back at them for that, didn't I?"

"So, they are dead." Another non-question from the Ape King, though luckily, this one wasn't solely directed at Lydia and her well-being.

"Yes." Came the woman's curt answer, though she did nothing to elaborate on how exactly the soldiers had met their end.

Perhaps that was a good thing, as neither Juniper nor Tinker looked like they would be able to endure such details. Besides, the appearance of both Lydia and Ivy was more than enough to tell everyone that it had been a violent encounter indeed.

At least the Ape King seemed to be satisfied with _that_ little piece of information, as he gave a single nod at the human woman in front of him.

Then, thankfully, before Caesar could interrogate further (and let his protectiveness get the better of him), Luca stepped forward, concern clear in his green gaze.

" _Where did you encounter them? Exactly?_ " The large silverback asked with a serious frown on his dark features, imposing as ever, even if he didn't really mean to be.

It couldn't be helped, Maurice supposed. As the commander of the Gorilla Guard, he was in charge of security around the colony. If humans were close, he had to know about it.

"West of here, a few hundred yards from the stream that runs down through the cliffs from further north. That's where we went to hunt today."

Everyone was shocked by this knowledge, including the orangutan himself.

It wasn't all that far from the colony. About two and a half hours of trekking, if one didn't take to the trees like the apes.

Caesar turned to Spear, one of his most trusted fighting apes and the one mainly in charge of the colony's defensive lines around the forest.

"How could they have come this close?" He asked expectantly,

Before Spear could even lift his hands to sign, someone else from the crowd hooted anxiously as they stepped forward and a quiet murmur once again went through the colony, like ripples in otherwise calm waters.

It was Cedar who had stepped forward, a grim, foreboding look on her face as she signed.

" _It must be Red! He must have told them where we are! How to get past!_ "

Another ripple went through the crowd, everyone looking at each other in fear and alarm as Cedar revealed her theory.

Tinker, meanwhile, narrowed her eyes at her old adversary, an unimpressed look on her face.

" _Or maybe that's what_ _ **you**_ _want us to believe? To cause unrest, perhaps?_ " She challenged daringly, her mistrust towards every word Cedar had signed clear in her hard, green gaze.

" _Are you suggesting I had something to do with this?!_ " Cedar signed back with a hiss. Her face bore an expression of pure indignation, as if she couldn't quite believe Tinker would make such an accusation.

" _No. What I am suggesting is that you might be taking advantage of this by causing unnecessary panic._ " Tinker countered, her mouth set into a thin line as she regarded the other female chimp.

 _Oh dear_ , Maurice thought as a heavy sigh left him. _Here we go again_.

It was no secret that the two nurtured a passionate dislike for each other, and while Maurice could easily believe that Cedar might want to take advantage of a situation like this, he really hadn't expected Tinker to vent her suspicion so openly.

Luckily, Lydia quickly ended the escalating fight between the two females when she cleared her voice rather loudly and raised her hand in much the same manner the Ape King did when asking for silence from the crowd.

Maurice was quite surprised that everyone just went along with it, quieting down almost the same instant the woman's hand was raised into the air. He couldn't quite decide if it was because Lydia was now a member of the Royal Ape Council and thus commanded respect, or if was simply her bloodied, intimidating appearance which compelled the colony's members to pay attention to her.

Either way, Lydia seemed too exhausted to even take notice of it. She just looked like she wanted this over with as quickly as possible, so she could get cleaned up and rest – something Maurice honestly couldn't blame her for. She looked quite wrecked as it was.

"I don't think Red, or anyone else for that matter, has told the soldiers anything. The ones we met were quite obviously lost and before they came into view, one of them spoke about how his companion was trying to get recognition from the Colonel for being the one to find our home." Lydia spoke calmly, not sparing Cedar a single glance, choosing instead to direct her gaze at Caesar, Spear and Luca interchangeably.

The three apes nodded in unison at the information Lydia provided.

" _That doesn't explain why they were so few. Soldiers usually move in larger groups._ " Spear pointed out with a calculating frown. He had fought the soldiers for a long time now and had learned much about their ways of organising themselves. If he was puzzled by something like this, then it was more than enough of a reason to be worried.

Lydia, however, was quick to dispel his concerns, as well as those of everyone else, with her next words.

"It just so happens that one of them was enough of an idiot to explain that to me." She spoke plainly as she folded her bloodied arms across her chest. "He said they had split from their group because they thought it'd be easier to get past our outposts like that – which was obviously correct to assume, since they managed to get this far. Still, I'd say they were nothing more than a couple of glory-seekers. They had no idea where to even begin looking for us once they got past our defences."

Beside the aging orangutan, Caesar nodded seriously, eyes hard and lips still set in a thin line. It was obvious that the information Lydia had given didn't sit well with him, but at least they could take heart in the fact that their position didn't seem to have been revealed just yet.

It was a little glimmer of light in an otherwise dark and foreboding situation, Maurice thought.

He gave a deep rumble to gain his leader's attention.

" _Perhaps we should spread our forces thinner? Other soldiers might get the same idea, after all._ " The red-haired ape signed with soft movements, trying not to aggravate Caesar's already agitated state of mind. It was clear their leader was stressed, his patience stretched thin.

But it couldn't be helped, the orangutan reasoned with himself. Something had to be done, lest the incident should repeat itself – and this time with a tragic outcome for the apes.

" _If we spread out much more, we won't be able to hold our line of defence. The humans will break through._ " Spear argued worriedly, biting his lip.

" _But if we do nothing, our hunters won't be safe anymore. Other soldiers could slip past unnoticed!_ " Luca interjected then.

It continued like that for a while, and Maurice's head was beginning to swim with all of this arguing back and forth. It was a dire topic, no doubt, but the way this was going, they might not even talk about it at all, as nothing would come of it.

"I suggest we send out some scouts. Some of the females not out hunting." Lydia spoke up, then. "They wouldn't have to engage in any fights but could hide in the trees and go to warn the fighting apes if they discover a breach. That way, you don't have to spread everyone out all the time."

Caesar seemed to consider this very carefully as the murmur from before returned tenfold.

The chimp drew in a deep breath, almost as if steeling himself and at first, Maurice thought the Ape King would completely reject the suggestion. Like he had done back when the woman had first suggested training the females in archery. But it would seem that Lydia's words about the scouting females not having to actually fight managed to tip the scales for their disgruntled leader.

"Will you arrange this?" He spoke gruffly, almost seeming like he didn't really like asking her of this and Maurice realised then that this had been the main reason for Caesar's initial hesitance.

Lydia nodded, dutiful as ever, before she grimaced slightly and took a brief look down at her messed-up attire.

"Just let me get this cleaned off and I'll get right to it." She spoke, though Maurice could easily tell that the woman was in no condition to make any such arrangements right now, exhausted as she quite obviously was.

And apparently, so could Caesar, who pursed his lips and held a hand up before Lydia could even take one step past him.

"No." The Ape King's gravelly voice sounded, leaving no room for argument. "Rest and we will make plans tomorrow before everyone leave. We are done for today. All of us."

Lydia merely nodded in resignation and, after offering Ivy a gentle, reassuring pat on her shoulder and an apologetic look to the young female's parents, walked off towards her own cave, presumably to find a clean change of clothes.

The crowd quickly dispersed after that, each going back to their own tasks, though with a much more subdued bustle than before the human and young chimp had returned with the unsettling news.

Maurice, though impressed with Lydia's tenacity and dutifulness towards the colony, couldn't help but feel that the woman seemed strangely… detached, somehow. Like she was walking through a fog, her mind elsewhere entirely while she struggled to give everyone the impression that she was just fine.

It was a behaviour he had witnessed in her before.

And the orangutan had a sneaking suspicion that what had happened today had a whole lot to do with the reoccurrence of this behaviour. At the very least, he suspected that it might have forced her to recall some rather unpleasant memories, if the near-haunted look in her eyes was anything to go by.

To her credit, she made a great show of at least appearing unaffected in front of Ivy, and her concern for the young ape had been more than just a little obvious.

But Maurice knew all too well that Lydia wasn't invincible. Far from it.

And he hoped Caesar, in his still irate state, would remember this too, when the two would meet up later in the night, as the orangutan was certain they would.

Otherwise, Maurice just might have to remind the Ape King himself.

* * *

 ** _Caesar_**

"I only say this because I care, Lydia." Caesar spoke, not able to keep just a hint of a plea out of his voice. "It is becoming too dangerous for you to go on these hunts."

The discussion had started almost the moment he had entered the cave down by the river.

"We both know I can't _not_ hunt, Caesar. Food is getting scarcer as it is and the more apes we send to fight, the fewer we have here to help keep everyone fed." She answered resignedly, her hands lying limply in her lap. They were no longer covered in blood, though the image was still starkly clear in Caesar's mind.

What she said was true. Painfully so.

But he couldn't let what had happened today go. What they had done.

"They hit you." He repeated his words from when she had first come home with Ivy, an underlying, simmering anger still to his voice, right beneath the surface. He couldn't get over that fact. That they had grabbed her and hurt her. Had hurt his mate.

"And they would have done worse, would they not?"

He didn't need to ask her that. They _had_ meant to do more than hit her. The way Ivy had hinted at it had told the Ape King that much. He knew what the adolescent female had meant the moment he had seen the look on her face – as well as the disgusted frown on Lydia's. They had intended to force themselves on her. To have their wicked way with his mate!

 _His!_

Caesar went to her then, wrapping his long arms around her in a fierce embrace as he nuzzled his face into her dark, soft hair. He growled, low and possessive.

Who knows what else they would have done once they had had enough?

The Ape King gritted his teeth and drew a slow breath to keep his anger under control.

"Caesar…" Lydia spoke softly against his neck, to which he replied by squeezing her just a bit tighter. She sounded like she wanted to argue but had realised she couldn't, a tell-tale sign that something was still terribly wrong. Lydia never lost the will to push back.

The Ape King released the air inside his lungs in a slow, stuttering manner.

The way she had looked when she had first come into view after returning home was still embedded in his mind and Caesar felt his heart clench uncomfortably tight. He had been worried before then, when Luca had informed him that the woman and young chimp had yet to return. It was extremely rare that she returned _after_ the Ape King himself came home from the forest and though he had tried to hide it from his troop, Caesar had worried. A lot.

And when he had finally seen her, blood covering her hands, tiny spatters of it dotting her pale face, which had held an exhausted, ominous-looking expression, fear had gripped him. Like an icy rod piercing his heart as a thousand scenarios had raced through his mind. A million reasons for her to return in this state, each one more horrifying than the last.

It had only gotten worse with every answer she and Ivy had provided to his questions.

At the time, Lydia had seemed completely dismissive of the fact that she might very well have been killed and he didn't know if it was because she had been trying to repress the experience or if it had been because she was more worried about Ivy's reaction to it all. Lydia had been very attentive of the young female ape with whom she had formed a very close bond over this past year and a half. It had always been a habit of hers to take care of others before she could stop to even think about herself.

But Lydia _needed_ to take care of herself too. If she didn't… If she continued to disregard her own safety like this… If she continued to put everything and everyone else before herself, then…

"I cannot lose you." The Ape King stated firmly, squeezing his eyes shut as he buried his muzzle in her dark hair. "I cannot…!"

She leaned into his touch and released a trembling sigh, finally reaching her hands up to return the fierce embrace.

They sat like that for a very long time, arms locked tightly around each other, with Lydia's cheek against his hard chest and Caesar's chin resting atop her head.

It was the most peaceful he had felt all day. No worries, no horrifying surprises or war plans and, most importantly, no eyewitnesses forcing him to keep a respectable distance.

When he leaned back to look at her face once more, she wore a look he had only seen on her once or twice before in all the time they had known each other.

It was a haunted expression. Plagued, even.

It was the same look she had worn when she had first explained how and why she had left her human colony. The memory still stood fresh in Caesar's mind, as if it had only been yesterday and not seven years ago that he had seen it for the first time.

He remembered that she had looked down at her hands that day and until now, Caesar hadn't spared that little detail any thought. It had been her expression he had been focused on at the time, in his search for answers.

Having seen her hands after the incident today, however, he now understood why.

It was the feeling of blood that lingered on them. It was attached to that memory like a tumour, reminding her that she had had to kill another person in order to survive. And though she might have held no compassion at all for the horrible people who had attacked her, she still felt awful for having had to do it in the first place.

Having someone die at your own hands, be it intentional or not, always left its mark. Caesar knew that all too well.

 _How many times must Roy have witnessed this look on her?_ Caesar thought. _How many times must he have had to comfort her? Hold her like I am holding her right now?_

It was then that he remembered something.

Something that Maurice had told him earlier that night, just before he gone down here to be with Lydia.

* * *

He had just dropped off a sleeping Cornelius at Tinker's cave, briefly thanking the wife of his second-in-command before leaving for their secret spot down by the river. He knew that Lydia would be there tonight. There was no way she would be sleeping soundly after a day like this.

It was then that the aging orangutan had found him, walking along one of the many cave corridors, and pulled him aside, a knowing look on his dark face.

" _When you go see her, don't be too harsh on Lydia._ " He had said, and in that moment, Caesar had just _known_.

Known for certain that Maurice knew.

Knew about Lydia and him.

The chimp hadn't been all that surprised by it, really. He had suspected it for some time now, in fact. His orangutan advisor seemed to know everything there was to know – sometimes it even seemed like he knew Caesar's very thoughts.

Like in this moment.

" _I thought you might have learned of it by now._ " The chimp had signed, keeping the conversation silent so that no one would overhear them talking. He had ignored his friend's advice at first. " _I thought you would oppose it… Given how long you knew my wife._ "

The orangutan had shaken his large head at that, as if what Caesar had said seemed somewhat foolish to him.

" _It's true that I knew Cornelia longer than you, Caesar._ " He had signed gently, with his customary, slow movements. " _And that's why I am certain she would want nothing but happiness for you._ _ **Both**_ _of you._ "

Caesar had nodded at that, his lips forming a thin line before a heavy sigh left him. He knew in his heart that what the orangutan said was true. Cornelia wouldn't have wanted Caesar to spend his remaining years alone. That was just the kind of ape his wife had been, selfless and understanding.

But that didn't necessarily mean that Maurice would be forthcoming on this matter. In fact, Caesar had expected him to advise against it when he had first figured it out, given the… difficult topic of Caesar choosing a human rather than an ape. It was a taboo, after all. Something Lydia and Roy had had to keep to themselves for years, back when the ape had still been alive.

But the speech Caesar had expected to receive on the topic from his advisor had just never come.

" _I'm sorry I didn't say anything to you._ " The Ape King had signed back somewhat sheepishly, though he appreciated the honesty of his oldest friend. " _I didn't mean to keep things from you._ "

" _Who you take for a mate is hardly my business at all, my friend._ " Maurice had dismissed his apology quite swiftly, releasing an almost amused-sounding chuff.

" _It seems to me that my actions are everyone's business…_ " The Ape King had sighed tiredly in response to that, shaking his head.

He hated having to hide it. To go through the day pretending Lydia was just another hunter to him. Just another member of the colony. Just another member of his Royal Ape Council – when in fact she had become so much more.

Maurice had rumbled sympathetically at Caesar's words, briefly laying a heavy, comforting hand on his shoulder before he had retracted it to sign once more.

" _Which is why I would advise against revealing it to the colony just yet, but you seem to understand this well enough already._ "

The Ape King had nodded severely at these words.

" _Better than most, I think._ " He had placed a tentative hand on top of the place where Koba had shot him a year and a half ago, where he knew a pale, neat scar now resided right underneath his dark pelt.

It was a sobering reminder of what _could_ happen if his actions as a leader went too much against the wishes of any of his apes. If someone happened to find his relationship just too much of an affront to the apes Caesar was meant to lead.

He did _not_ need a second Koba right now. Not with this war going on with the soldiers.

" _At least there is that._ " The wise, elder ape commented drily, once more patting the Ape King on his shoulder. " _Now,_ _I think I will go get some rest, my friend._ "

The brooding chimp nodded and signed a polite goodnight to the orangutan. Their conversation had been brief, true, but it had been on-point and straightforward, just as Caesar liked to keep his discussions.

He had begun walking towards the main cave, where his nest lies. From there, he would go through a smaller, adjacent tunnel that lead to the path down to their secret meeting place. But before the king had managed to take even one step, however, Maurice had rumbled once more, drawing Caesar's attention back to him. The chimp had looked over his shoulder with questioning eyes.

" _And please remember what I said, Caesar._ " His advisor had signed, his small, green eyes drilling into the Ape King. " _Lydia has had a trying day. There is no meaning in making it worse for her with hard words._ "

Caesar had narrowed his eyes slightly at that, not fully understanding why Maurice was so persistent on this particular matter. The king had planned to speak with Lydia about the incident today in detail, as well as his worries and her dismissive behaviour when it came to her own safety. He had even planned on telling her that he thought it was no longer safe for her to be hunting.

And he had intended to be quite blunt about it too. He had been scared today, and he felt that she needed to understand that.

But as was so often the case, his elderly orangutan advisor had made the brooding chimp think twice about his approach.

" _She is a free, strong female. But you and I both know that even the strongest need someone they can be soft with, maybe even more so than others._ "

Maurice had disappeared into the caves after that, most likely making his way to his own nest and leaving Caesar to ponder on what he had said.

* * *

The orangutan's words echoed inside Caesar's head now, as he held his mate close to his chest.

Maurice was right.

It was quite easy to forget, due to her easy-going attitude and independent streak, that Lydia was just as prone to fear as anybody else was. She might hide it well most days, but she needed someone who she could show her emotions to. All of them – even the ones she tried to hide for the sake of others.

More than that, what Lydia needed was someone who could gently pry those feelings out of her and take them for what they were without judgement.

It was not something Caesar was too familiar with doing himself – hiding his emotions, that is. He might have had to restrain them at times, yes, but never hide or mask them.

His grip on her had eased somewhat, and he began stroking her back comfortingly as he continued to ponder.

He wanted to be that someone to her. Had thought he _was_ being that someone when he had tried to convince her that hunting was too dangerous now. When he had called her out on her seemingly lacking sense of self-preservation and told her about how much it worried him.

But none of those things were what she needed to hear right now. Quite the contrary. Caesar was now pretty sure it had only served to make her feel worse about the whole ordeal.

He sighed, frustrated with himself.

He would still let her hunt, of course. The welfare of the Ape Colony demanded it, no matter his personal feelings on the matter. She was one of their best and besides, Caesar was pretty sure Lydia wouldn't thrive living solely within the confines of the colony itself.

"You did well today…" He spoke quietly, though with his deep, gravelly voice, it still sounded loud as the words reverberated against the cave walls. "What happened was bad… But you did a good thing, Lydia. You did what you had to do to come home."

She lifted head from his chest to look up at him, those deep, blue eyes staring wonderingly into his own green-and-golden ones. There were no tears to be found in them and yet, to Caesar, they were brimming with emotion all the same.

The Ape King reached up, laying one of his large, calloused hands against her cheek and pulling her forward to press his brow against the human woman's.

 _This_ , this right here, Caesar realized, was what Lydia had needed all along. No painful reminders or hard, reprimanding words.

No, what Lydia needed was, indeed, someone to be soft with. Someone to provide her with comfort, acceptance and love.

Someone to tell her that what she had done today wasn't wrong.

And the Ape King, to his surprise, realized then that it was what he needed too. More than anything else.

"Thank you, Caesar…" He heard Lydia's gentle whisper, ghosting across his lips. "Thank you…"


	55. More Than You Know

**WARNING: This chapter contains smut from basically start to finish. The chapter is skippable (though this is not recommended).**

* * *

 _ **Caesar**_

Lydia hadn't shown up tonight at their usual spot down by the river, in what she had now jokingly dubbed "their own little corner of the world". Caesar had liked that idea from the beginning – them having a place all to themselves, where nothing and no one could question them. Where no one could _reach_ them. Not the damned fight with the humans or the internal problems of the Ape Colony.

Where nothing existed but the two of them.

That being said, Caesar still hated how they had to play pretend during the day, acting as if they were nothing but the best of friends when in fact, they had become so much _more_ than that.

A pleasant shiver ran through his pelt at the thought – they were much, _much_ more than friends nowadays. Ever since that night eight months ago.

One would think that the long days spent away from each other would make it easier for them to hide their bond, but it only ever served to make them long so much more for each other's touch when they each came back from a day packed with pressing tasks. His people demanded his attention and her duty as a hunter in the colony could not be ignored.

Oh, how it pained him that he could not go straight to her when they both returned to the safety of the colony, lay his arms around her in a fierce embrace and press his forehead lovingly against hers.

Like he did when they came down here.

At first, it had been the place they had both gone to for contemplation on those nights when sleep wouldn't find them, which happened much more frequently now than it had in the past. They were both stressed out, as the rest of the colony was, but had soon found comfort in each other's embrace rather than conversation.

In each other's touch.

The thought of her mouth against his had Caesar inhale deeply in an effort to calm himself. She was probably asleep by now, since she wasn't here, and he really should be glad that she was getting some much-needed rest for once.

That didn't make him pine any less for her. Her hands against his broad chest, her soft lips pressed to his own rough ones, her slender legs locked around his rocking hips.

Her soft pleas of his name as he took her for his own. Again and again.

Caesar's hands clenched on top of his thighs and his brow creased. Try as he might, he could not will away the image and his tranquil surroundings did nothing to soothe his burning desire.

The water lapping at the edge of the cave floor only served to remind him of that time she had bathed in front of him here, completely at ease with him seeing her naked, soaking wet body as she rinsed away the dirt and grime of the day. The moonlight peeking in through the overhanging roots and moss clinging to the cliff above him triggered a memory of her bathed in that very same, pale light as he had her laid out beneath him, the shadows dancing and making intricate patterns across her smooth skin as he had pounded into her core. He couldn't even revert his gaze to a damn _wall_ , as they reminded him of how he would take her against them, pressing her into the unforgiving surface with his own body, hooking his hands underneath her thighs when her legs finally gave out.

No matter what he did, his mind kept returning to her. To the woman he had come to adore. The female he had come to need like the air he breathed.

A growl resonated through his chest.

Yes, he needed her. It was no use denying himself what he craved so fiercely.

He had to go and find her. _Now_.

And he knew exactly where to look for her.

* * *

None of the sentinels and guards questioned him as he moved through the colony. He was their leader, after all, and he went wherever he pleased, whenever he pleased. Besides, they were used to him being up at odd hours, unable to find rest, so it wasn't like his nightly prowling was an unusual occurrence.

It made it all the easier to sneak down the cave corridor where Lydia's own little hovel was located – it wasn't much more than that really, a hovel in the wall, separated from the corridor by two well-fitted deerskins to shield her nest from prying eyes.

It would do well enough for what he had in mind. At least he hoped so.

When he finally reached it, Caesar discreetly looked up and down the corridor for any witnesses, before he nudged the pelt aside and slipped into Lydia's dwelling, making sure to put the skins back in place so nothing would seem amiss from the outside.

The Ape King turned around and was faced with the warm light of a torch fixed to the wall – one he knew she kept burning at night ever since Orion had left. She hated sleeping alone in the dark, she had told him.

The dogs had both been roused by his entrance and had lifted their heads in curiosity at him. They were lying a bit away from the nest itself, on the small floorspace which was left outside the sleeping area – it really _was_ a small dwelling.

Storm and Blaze quickly settled down again, however, realising it was an ape they knew well, and went back to sleep rather easily.

 _Smart creatures indeed_ , Caesar mused, thinking about how Lydia usually referred to them.

His eyes finally found her in a nest which seemed much too large for her frail-looking human form, covered in pelts to keep warm in the cold, moist cave she resided in.

 _She would not need those pelts if I could be here to keep her warm through the night_ , the Ape King mused ruefully, his gaze trained on her like a hawk's, studying her as she slept.

Lydia was lying on her side, her bare arms resting in front of her face and chest. Caesar could see she was wearing a top with thin straps, providing him with a great view of her shoulders and neck, the slender curve enticing him, beckoning him to come closer and run his lips against it.

It was a call he could not refuse.

He only had to take two steps to reach the edge of the nest, leaning down to position himself over her smaller frame and looming above her as he followed the contours of her face.

Lydia was an attractive woman, there was no denying it. Her brows curved gently above her closed lids, her nose was straight and her lips full and feminine. Right now, they were slightly parted as she slept.

Caesar reached his hand up to brush some of her loose, dark hair behind her ear, looking on as the stray locks fell back from her shoulder to reveal more of her neck. She didn't even stir at his touch, prompting him to lean down and nuzzle his face against her hair and take in her scent. It was as intoxicating as always, the distinct smell of the forest clinging to every inch of her.

He moved his lips to her temple and from there, he began trailing gentle kisses down along the side of her face, across her cheek and jaw, down to that delicate neck of hers.

That seemed to be enough to pull her from sleep and Caesar reasoned that he really should have felt sorrier for it than he did at the moment. He just couldn't keep away anymore.

He _needed_ her.

The soft moans she released upon waking did nothing to quell his thirst for her either, groggy and impossibly erotic as they were to his ears.

By now, those only served to fuel his desire for her.

As did the sound of his name on her lips.

* * *

 _ **Lydia**_

Lydia had been woken up at the feeling of something trailing against the side of her face and neck, starting out as a tickling sensation which soon transformed into a sensual drag of lips down the curve of her throat. It should have startled her, it really _should_ – no one was supposed to be in here but her and certainly no one was supposed to be looming over her, pressing their mouth to her skin in such an enticing manner.

The moan that left her as she woke only seemed to make the kisses more intense and she involuntarily bared her throat to provide better access, moving to lie flatly on her back.

She knew who it was before she even opened her eyes, the feel of his lips and the smell of his body so familiar to her by now that she instinctually recognized it even while she was only half-awake.

"Caesar…?" She spoke softly, confusion at his presence evident in her voice.

"Shhhh…" He hushed her gently, his breath hot against her ear as he lowered himself onto her with his hard body, pinning her down to the soft nest underneath her. His hand reached up to cup the side of her face, the thumb brushing along her jaw, gently but firmly directing her face upwards to give him more room to lavish her throat with even more soft licks and kisses.

Her own hands reached up to wrap around his neck, pressing him further against her exposed flesh. She still hadn't quite woken up and the only thing her groggy mind could register right now was how impossibly _good_ the Ape King's hot, wet tongue felt as it trailed up and down against the column of her throat.

Caesar let go of her face to reach down and remove the pelts covering her, exposing her bare legs to the cool air of the cave before he brought that same hand up along her flank, slipping it underneath her top in the process.

That was what finally woke Lydia up, the feel of his large, warm hand slowly inching up from her hip towards her breast.

They were in her cave… _her cave_ … in the very heart of the colony!

"You shouldn't be here…" She whispered worriedly, though she couldn't stifle the quiet moans leaving her as he pressed his hips down against her own and she felt his warm, straining member rest heavily against her inner thigh.

"I could not wait." He spoke in an urgent whisper just below her ear, stroking her hair with the hand that wasn't currently making its way across her ribs. "I could not stop thinking about you. About _this_."

That voice. That deep, baritone voice and the things it did to her!

Still, this should not be happening, not _here_ , at least…

And yet, there was something thrilling about the thought of letting him have his way with her here, in her own nest, where anyone could barge in if they thought something was amiss.

"Caesar… We shouldn't. If anyone hears us- _Oh!_ If-if anyone sees us like _this_ …!" His hand had finally reached her breast, his calloused palm moving over the supple flesh insistently. Lydia couldn't help bending one of her legs, rubbing it up along his own in response to his ministrations.

His hips pressed forward against her own, making his cock jut impatiently right against her clothed core. Caesar swallowed the pleasured groan that left her with a hungry kiss, exhaling sharply when their lips finally met and savouring the feeling just as much as Lydia did.

His eyes were positively feral-looking when he pulled away from it.

"I need this more than you know…" He said lowly against her mouth, gravelly and possessive as he kneaded her breast.

As if to underline his statement, Caesar reached the hand in her hair down to take hold of her hip, keeping her in place with an iron grip as he thrusted his pelvis forward once again. It made Lydia bite her lip to keep back the pleasured moan threatening to spill from her mouth. He was so wonderfully hot and hard against her already!

The Ape King himself lifted his head away from Lydia's, his lips pressed into a thin line and nostrils flared as he drew in a sharp breath, obviously struggling to keep himself in check.

Her hand reached up to take a gentle hold of his jaw, her slender fingers sifting through the thick, greying beard lining it. Lydia found it immensely attractive on him, the grey strands on his chin only serving to amplify his rugged good looks by making his strong jaw even more prominent.

Caesar looked down at her once again with those intense eyes of his, his breathing heavy by now as it danced warmly across her face.

"I…" She began, struggling to find the words as she got lost in his gaze. The light of the torch cast a warm glow on his handsome features, highlighting all the little creases in his skin, as well as the golden flecks within his green irises.

He was truly a wonderful sight to behold. Especially with that lustful gleam in his stare...

It sent a pleasurable jolt through her abdomen and had that familiar, aching feeling occur between her legs.

But what to answer? She wanted this just as much as he did, the tingling heat running through her body a testament to that fact, but the risk of them getting caught – the consequences that were sure to follow – were impossible to ignore.

Or they _would_ have been, had his heavy body not been dominating hers so thoroughly, pinning her down as he felt her up with warm, eager hands. Her top had been pushed up above her breasts by now, letting Lydia feel Caesar's stomach and chest press flush against her sensitive skin.

It was too enticing a feeling to ignore.

"I-I want this too…" She finally admitted in a breathy whisper against his mouth, arching her back up to feel more of the Ape King as she hooked a leg around his hip, begging him to get closer. "Please, Caesar…"

He shuddered above her as the whimpered plea left her lips, his blunt nails beginning to dig softly into her flesh with the effort of his restraint.

He slowly moved his head down to lay his cheek against Lydia's, his mouth just above her ear.

"You must stay quiet." He whispered darkly, blowing hot air against her ear and neck, almost as if to test her ability to do as he bid her.

The sensation sent a tingling rush of pleasure down across her skin.

His warm breath, his hushed, baritone voice, his unyielding body bearing down on her – It was almost enough to make Lydia quiver with pent-up desire already.

She nodded in agreement and from then on, Caesar wasted no time lowering his head down to resume his hungry licks and kisses along the tender flesh of her neck, going steadily down towards the dip between her collarbones. Once there, the Ape King reached up and grabbed hold of her top, pulling it off her body with relative ease to clear the path to her breasts.

A shuddering breath left Lydia's throat as Caesar scraped his blunt teeth down over one of the mounds, stopping at her pert nipple to take it into his hot mouth. She had long since let go of his face and neck, choosing instead to grab hold of his biceps as he made his way down her body. She could feel how his muscles rippled underneath her palms, straining with the effort of keeping his full weight off her.

It was already a struggle for Lydia to keep quiet when she felt his warm, wet tongue drag across her entire breast, and she knew he was keeping a keen eye on her as he did this, scanning her face and soaking up every little pleasured sigh he could elicit from her.

This was a game, she realised then. A game intended to test her self-control, taking advantage of their precarious location.

Lydia didn't know if the Ape King had planned this from the beginning, but she wasn't about to ask questions now when his mouth was moving so seductively against her supple flesh.

Soon enough, Caesar trailed further down his lover's body, skimming his hands across her midriff with his tongue following suit only moments later, down, down towards…

She couldn't help letting a small moan escape when she felt one of his large, calloused fingers hook around the waistband of her panties and pull them down across her mound. Lydia was convinced he let the digit rub against her mound on purpose as he went about ridding her of her last piece of clothing, but she wasn't about to complain as the fabric slid down her thighs – she was just happy to finally have the barrier separating them removed, eager to get what she knew they both craved right now.

And yet, her blue eyes went from lidded and lustful to wide with shock once the garment had been removed and Caesar settled back into position, not on top of her, as she had expected him to, but between her spread thighs, his face so close to her core she could feel his hot breath against it.

"C-Caesar…?!" She couldn't help the startled utterance of his name.

"Shhhhh…. Relax." He urged gently, quietly, as he settled his broad shoulders between her thighs, effectively blocking her from closing them and giving him a perfect view of her most intimate area.

His intentions were clear in his keen gaze and Lydia was left breathless at the sight before her.

Caesar, the Ape King, her secret lover, lying flat on his belly with his head between her opened legs, staring up at her with eyes full of dark, sinful promises. She bit her lip for the umpteenth time that night, anticipation rippling through her entire being as she felt his hot breath against her slit.

His hands snuck around her hips to keep her in place and, knowing how eager she got during intimacy, that was probably a smart move on his part.

Still keeping his eyes on her face, Caesar lowered his mouth onto her core and began tentatively running the tip of his warm tongue along her folds, paying special attention to her clit by circling it once he reached it.

Lydia closed her eyes and let her mouth fall agape in a silent cry at the sensation, so sensual and oh so deliciously warm and wet that she could barely remember to keep quiet.

Caesar repeated the action several more times, each push of his tongue more insistent than the last and each of them making Lydia squirm with pleasure underneath his impatient mouth. After that, his licks became slower, more languid as he eased his tongue further still between her sopping wet folds.

It was so tantalizingly close to being the penetration Lydia's body was screaming for at this point, and yet it still wasn't quite enough. She needed to be filled, _properly_ , and even if his tongue, so incredibly hot and greedy, dipped into her aching core, it didn't nearly reach far enough to satisfy the empty feeling inside her.

She let a pathetic, keening whimper slip between her lips as she attempted to buck her hips against his iron-clad hold, desperately seeking more of his touch.

After a few more, torturous swipes of his tongue, he fixed her with a searching stare. Lydia guessed there must have been something in her gaze which had told him what she needed, because he let go of her hip with one hand, sliding it firmly down her leg as he continued laving at her centre. Then he twisted it around to ever-so-slowly trail it up her inner thigh.

He temporarily removed his mouth to slide a single, rough finger up and down her slit, staring down at it in what seemed to be a mixture of quiet contemplation and fascination as it became soaked with her essence.

At this point, Lydia was on the verge of begging, her chest heaving and her bottom lip sore from her biting it as he continued to tease her.

She threw her head back and panted harshly once Caesar _finally_ decided to plunge the large digit into her heated core, reapplying his lips to her clit and sucking relentlessly at the same time. Her hands gripping the animal skins underneath her to stifle the groan threatening to spill from her throat as pleasure shot through her.

She could feel the Ape King's eyes on her, drinking in the myriad of expressions flashing across her face once he began to slowly pump his finger in and out of her heat, all the while holding her down with his other hand to make sure she did not buck her hips too much.

To make sure he was still in control.

When he added a second digit moments later, Lydia's hands shot up above her head to grab hold of the edge of the nest as she spread her legs further for him. Using her newfound leverage to her advantage, she pushed herself down onto his hand and mouth, a subdued, broken moan leaving her lips as his fingers slipped deeper into her, stretching her in the most wonderful way possible.

Caesar tightened his hold around her hip and squared his shoulders against her inner thighs in response, growling lowly into her heat.

 _Oh, he is such a goddamn tease!_ Lydia thought as she closed her eyes and brought a hand down to run it feverishly across the side of her face, brushing her dishevelled, dark locks away as wave after wave of pleasure shot up through her body from deep within her core.

He _knew_ this would make her whimper and moan and he chose to do it to her in the _fucking middle of the goddamn colony_! In the caves, no less, where sounds and their echoes travelled much further than, say, in the safety of the forest…

He was _so_ going pay for this later…

That is, if she could even remember to be angry about it by then. The mounting pleasure rising from her centre _might_ just be enough for her to forget about it altogether.

When she looked down at the scene playing out between her quivering thighs once again, Lydia was met with hungry, green eyes boring into her own, so impossibly intense and lustful that she almost forgot to breathe. In that moment, he used the hand on her hip to pull her towards his mouth, his nostrils flaring as he took in a sharp breath in preparation before he began sucking tightly around her clit.

Coupled with the slow, knuckle-deep thrusts of his fingers, it was more than enough to send Lydia careening over the edge of orgasm and she eagerly canted her hips up to meet his touch as pleasure overtook her.

Her hand flew up to cover her mouth to try and stifle the moan she released then. She just couldn't help it. He had worked her up so expertly that keeping quiet had become an impossible task for her. She had _needed_ to voice her pleasure, whether she wanted to or not, and he damn well knew this.

It took quite some time for her to come down from her high, especially since he had managed to prolong it by continuing to pleasure her with his mouth throughout her orgasm. It only made it that much more intense and she felt absolutely boneless once it had passed completely. Lydia's entire body slumped gracelessly on top of the soft padding of her nest, every single nerve ending tingling with the aftershock of her reaching that pleasurable peak and her harsh pants the only sound to be heard in the room.

She shuddered at the loss as he withdrew his hand from her heat, pulling his fingers slowly from between her legs – ever the tease – and placing loving kisses across her abdomen before he moved up to loom over her again.

His green gaze was as intense as ever, but Lydia noticed that there was also a deep, loving affection to be found in those wonderful, gold-specked orbs of his, as there always was when he looked at her after having brought her to orgasm. He seemed to relish in the way she looked as she came down from her pleasured high, chest heaving, eyes lidded and her hair all dishevelled around her head.

Caesar leaned down to brush his lips gently across her cheek, speaking in that deep, breathy whisper once he reached her ear.

"You did well."

Lydia didn't know if she should smack his shoulder or laugh at his unexpected sass. Not two minutes ago, he had been eating her out like he had been starving for it and now, he had the gall to tease her in the midst of her afterglow – never mind that he had seemed to enjoy doing it to her quite much as well if his dilated pupils and deep intakes of breath were anything to go by.

In the end, she decided to humour him – after all, it wasn't often these days that Caesar indulged in his more playful side, so Lydia would enjoy it while it lasted. She loved that side of him.

She released a quiet, breathy laugh against his ear and neck, reaching up to lay her arms around his broad shoulders and running her fingertips gently though his fur. It was nice and thick under her slender digits and even if it _looked_ coarse, it was actually relatively soft to the touch.

The parallel to the Ape King's personality did not go unnoticed by Lydia – coarse and unapproachable on the outside, but soft and gentle once you got close to his heart.

"You didn't make it easy…" She informed him breathlessly, her voice nothing more than a gentle whisper against his greying beard.

"I know…" Was all Caesar said as he reached over to brush the back of his calloused knuckles gently against her cheek. She could literally hear the satisfied smirk in his voice – that impossible ape!

Before she had a chance to reply, the Ape King lowered himself onto her once again, as he had done when he had first entered her little cave, and Lydia now felt his hard member, hot and heavy against her over-sensitized core, pressing forward insistently.

The sensation served to fan the embers of lust remaining after her peak, turning them back into a roaring flame inside her once again – he was still very much aching for her.

Lydia hooked her legs around Caesar's hips, pushing him further against her body to indicate what she wanted him to do. What she _still_ craved, and Caesar wasted no time obeying her silent command.

His hard cock slid inside her with ease and he released a low, strained growl above her at the feeling, burying himself to the hilt in her soaking wet heat. Lydia herself uttered a satisfied hum at the sensation of being filled once again, so very pleased with how his body seemed to completely encompass her own with the action.

There was nothing quite like having a large, dominant male like Caesar have his way with you, so tender and loving while at the same time so intense and all-consuming in his actions.

His weight was heavily pressing down onto her as he set an agonizingly slow pace, his hips making stroke after languid stroke against her body, though he always ended on a firm note as he bottomed out between her legs. This move ensured that his pubic bone rubbed against her clit with every single thrust, making Lydia dig her nails into the skin beneath the fur on his shoulders with the effort to keep quiet.

It already felt too good!

He kept his face close to hers, his warm huffs of breath dancing across her cheek and ear as he moved with her, so very slow and calculated, almost as if he was savouring the feeling of dragging his girthy member along her slick inner walls with each thrust.

It seemed to go on forever, steady and deliberate, and it struck Lydia that their lovemaking had never been this leisurely paced before.

Most times it consisted of them being utterly caught in the throes of passion, eager to touch, feel and please all at the same time. It was most often frantic and needy, desire sweeping over them both like a thunderstorm sweeps across the land, wild and untamed as they were in their passion for each other.

This… _this_ was different, however.

What they were doing right now was more akin to a slow trickle of rain, calm, even and steady, but surely building itself up into a torrential downpour as time passed. She wasn't quite sure what had caused this change, be it the intimate setting of her small, firelit cave or the risk of getting caught prompting them to go slower to keep down their pleasured grunts and moans.

Lydia loved it all the same and buried her face in the crook of Caesar's neck as wave after wave of pleasure shot through her in time with his deep, languorous thrusts. By now, he had wrapped his long, muscular arms possessively around her shoulders and pressed his muzzle against her neck, baring his fangs as keeping quiet became more and more of a strain.

He had never been overly vocal during sex, the sounds he made usually amounting to low, pleased hums, sharp hisses and deep grunts from time to time. Until he reached his peak, that is – by then he would groan loudly and grittily into the night, the sound gushing forward from his throat in time with his release.

"Oh, Caesar…" Lydia uttered against the crook of the Ape King's shoulder, muffled but no less passionate as he slid into her repeatedly, heightening her pleasure with every stroke he made against her inner walls.

"Shhhh…" He hushed gently into her ear in reply, though he seemed to be having a hard time staying quiet himself right now, his breathing laboured against her throat, verging on the edge of a pleasured grunt.

The intimacy of all of this, his large bulk pinning her down, dominating her, his arms wrapped around her so tightly, keeping her in place, and his slow pace as he thoroughly fucked her, had that familiar coil in Lydia's abdomen tighten further and further.

It still wasn't enough, though – despite their closeness, the deep, primal bond they shared in this moment.

Lydia needed him to go faster. Harder. Deeper.

She needed some control over this – and she was pretty sure she knew _just_ how to get that:

By challenging his dominance over her in a way he had never experienced before.

 _Let's see how well_ _ **he**_ _can keep quiet_ , Lydia thought smugly, remembering how he had driven her over the edge earlier, doing everything he could to elicit noises from her when he damn well knew he shouldn't.

It was payback time.

Clutching his shoulders with her slender fingers, Lydia nuzzled further against the furred crook of his neck until she found the perfect place. Then, she opened her mouth wide and bit down with her blunted teeth, not breaking the skin, but still firm and insistent as he continued to rock against her.

The reaction was instant and oh-so satisfying to Lydia that it sent a thrilling sensation through her entire being.

At first, Caesar's entire body tensed above her as he drew in a sharp breath, his ribcage expanding with the action and for a moment, Lydia almost feared she had crossed a line she was not meant to even go near.

Then, Caesar surged down to bury his face deeply into the crook of her neck, releasing a muffled, primal groan which went right to Lydia's core.

From that point on, the Ape King seemed to lose the last of his self-control, now rutting into her tight heat, merciless and needy all at once, and hitting all the right spots as he took her.

She quickly let go of his shoulder with her mouth, throwing her head back to arch up against him – even if it was largely impossible for her due to his bulk – and releasing a choked moan at the increased force of his thrusts.

 _This_ … This was exactly what Lydia needed to get off and soon enough that was exactly what happened as white-hot pleasure suddenly rushed through her like a tidal wave, making her clench around the Ape King's impossibly hard cock deep within her.

Caesar swallowed the loud moan spilling from her throat by capturing her lips in an open-mouthed, urgent kiss, his hands reaching up to cradle her head in both of his large palms. She figured the kiss was just as much to stifle his own deep groan of pleasure as he found his own release, pulsing pleasantly within her as he gave a few last, powerful thrusts of his hips.

He was still kissing her deeply as the last of her pleasure ebbed into that wonderful, post-coital tingle that always followed in the wake of their lovemaking, and Lydia let herself get lost in the feel of his lips as they continued to work fervently against her own. In the meantime, her hands released their vice-like hold on his shoulders, instead reaching down to skim tenderly across his strong back.

When he finally pulled back from their kiss, Caesar closed his eyes and took on a stern expression as he tried to regain his composure, drawing in deep, calculated breaths through his nose while his mouth set into a thin line – quite similar to when he wore that customary stern frown of his, but with a distinctly rumpled appearance added that was only ever present on him after sex.

Lydia relished in the fact that she was the one who got to see him like this, so wonderfully satiated and at peace with himself in this moment that she could not help but stare up at him in open affection. Perhaps this was what he saw when he studied her after having brought her to release? Peace.

Satisfaction.

Love.

They stayed like that for a long time, completely wrapped up in each other as the minutes passed by, and for a time, they were both utterly oblivious to the world that lie outside that little cave.

He was staring down at her again with those beautiful, green eyes, admiration clear in his gaze as he brushed her cheek with one of his thumbs. He was still cradling her head in his hands, fingers buried in her dark tresses, massaging her scalp soothingly. Lydia breathed a sigh of contentment, only half-aware that he pulled out of her as she focused on his warmth and love surrounding her.

Oh, how she wished he could stay, keeping her wrapped in those strong arms of his as they both drifted off to sleep, basking in each other's presence.

Lydia sighed softly at the thought.

Maybe one day, it would happen but for now, reality was beginning to creep up on them and they both knew that their stolen moment in the caves was coming to an end. He needed to get back to his own nest before anyone noticed something was amiss, seeing as he had probably already been gone for longer than usual.

The guards were bound to take notice of his absence soon.

Caesar pressed his forehead to Lydia's, sighing heavily as well and lifting his body reluctantly from hers.

"I must go…" He breathed apologetically against her face, the look in his eyes telling her that leaving was the very last thing he wanted to do right now.

It couldn't be helped.

"I know, Caesar… I know." Lydia spoke softly, caressing his jaw as he covered her with the animal skin that usually kept her warm during these long, cold nights.

He rose to his full height after that and moved slowly towards the exit of her little cave, stopping at the very last moment to look back at her over his shoulder, his eyes still tender and caring as they met her own across the room.

"Goodnight, Lydia." His voice was a deep, soft whisper as it left his throat, and very soothing to her ears.

"Goodnight, Caesar."

And then he left, pulling the animal skins covering the mouth of the cave aside and slipping out between them, silent as if he was on a hunt out in the forest.

She stared at the exit he had slipped out of for a long while after he was gone, wishing with all her heart that he would come back, even if she knew it wouldn't happen. They couldn't risk their relationship being exposed to the colony just yet – the time still wasn't right.

 _It might never be the right time_ , Lydia mused clinically as she finally settled back down into the skins and pelts of her nest. Even as she laid there, surrounded by soft padding and thick furs, she still shivered at the absence of Caesar's body, his warmth and comforting presence.

This was how it always ended – with each of them going to their own nest with only the memory of what they had just done to keep them company.

It was agony, sometimes. For both of them.

Still, they were in too deep now to back out, Lydia reasoned as sleep finally began to creep up on her, satiated and exhausted as she was by now. She loved the Ape King too much to call off… whatever _this_ was, and she knew he felt much the same.

And it was that comforting thought which prevailed as sleep finally claimed her. The knowledge that his love for her ran as deep as hers did for him.

And as long as that was the case, Lydia could wait forever.


	56. The Scent Of Home

_**Orion**_

The grey clouds coating the sky above and blocking the sun's bright, invigorating rays did nothing to dampen Orion's mood right now.

Riding between the massive redwood trees, at a gentle trot, the young ape was just ecstatic to be back in a place he knew by heart at last – even if the slow drizzle of rain soaked his black pelt. The forest had changed very little in the two years he, Blue Eyes and Rocket had been gone, and though he had grown a lot on this journey, he relished in finally returning, feeling the urge to greet every single bird, rock and tree he passed by like he would old friends.

Looking over at Blue Eyes, he was pretty sure their expressions were mirroring each other – eyes full of barely-contained excitement and mouths pulled into soft smiles as they got closer and closer to the place they called home.

And to the people who _made_ it so.

To Ivy and Mother.

Orion's heart fluttered in his chest with anticipation at the prospect of seeing them again. To get to hold them and breathe in their scents.

He wasn't truly home until he could do that.

The sound of welcoming hoots soon reached his ears, and Orion, together with Rocket and Blue Eyes, looked up into the trees to see several ape scouts. They all seemed to recognise the trio as they approached on their horses, and their hoots got steadily more excited as they followed the group through the forest towards the colony. Some of them, smaller and seemingly nimbler and faster, went ahead through the treetops, no doubt to alert the guards of their approach.

" _Weren't those some of the females?_ " Orion saw Blue Eyes sign beside him, his nose scrunched up in confusion.

Orion thought he saw that as well – the scouts who went ahead seemed too small to be males.

Rocket jutted out his chin and nodded at the two younger apes. " _They were._ " He replied in sign, making both younger apes' eyes go wide as they had their suspicions confirmed.

Then, the balding chimp looked over at Orion with a raised brow and a teasing smirk on his lips.

" _Why do I get the feeling that your mother is somehow responsible for that?_ "

The Ape Prince released a chuckle at that, directing a mirthful sideways glance towards his childhood friend as they rode on. Orion could only shrug with a knowing smirk playing at his lips, not exactly able to deny what Rocket had said. In fact, he highly suspected that the older chimp was completely right – it did seem like something Mother would suggest.

But for the Ape King to agree to it… now that was what _really_ surprised Orion.

More and more apes appeared in the trees the closer they got to the colony, and the youngest male recognised most of them – though none were the ones he wanted to see the most.

The gorillas guarding the arch that marked the entrance to the colony itself bowed their heads at the trio and when Orion turned around, he saw that they had several apes following their horses, many of whose pelts were adorned with the skeletal war paint of the colony, and all of them hooting, chuffing and gibbering excitedly.

When they had passed the arch and Orion directed his gaze ahead once more, he was welcomed by the sight of several apes coming out from the cave entrance behind the roaring waterfall, the Ape King standing tall and mighty at the very front of the group.

" _Father._ " Blue Eyes signed as soon as they had dismounted, and went forward to greet his parent, the two chimps throwing their arms around each other in a fierce embrace. Orion saw how Caesar closed his eyes in contentment and relief at having his son back once more and felt a subtle tug of longing at his heart.

Rocket came next, and once the Ape King had released his son from his grip, he reached forward to lay a hand on the balding ape's shoulder in greeting of his old friend.

"Welcome home, Rocket. You look tired." He spoke warmly, a smile on his greying face.

Rocket gave a conceding huff and a nod in reply. " _It was a long journey._ "

Then, Caesar's gaze landed on Orion and the king's green-and-golden eyes seemed to spark with recognition. It wasn't like Orion had had that much to do with the Ape King besides the fact that their families were close friends, so it surprised the young chimp a bit when his leader came over to lay a hand on his shoulder as well, giving it a friendly squeeze.

"I see you guarded my son well, Orion." Caesar spoke with a hint of gratitude in his voice. "Welcome home."

Despite his initial surprise, Orion smiled broadly at the Ape King and gave a single nod of thanks.

" _Father!_ " The Ape Prince came up beside them to sign, calling back Caesar's attention. " _We found something!_ "

The large chimp's eyes lit up with hope at his son's exclamation and he released Orion's shoulder to lay his arm around the Ape Prince's.

"Come." He said, gesturing for the three of them to follow him back into the main cave of the colony. Orion felt several hands touch briefly upon his shoulders and back in greeting as he passed by, walking beside Blue Eyes as his verdant gaze darted all around in search for his own loved ones.

Where were they?

They all climbed up onto the plateau that made up the floor of the main cave and were greeted with even more friendly faces, gleeful hoots and excited gibbers all around.

Tinker was the first to reach them, walking straight up to her husband with a young ape child of about two years holding her hand, though the little one immediately let go of the female's limb and reached for Caesar's instead, which told Orion that this was probably the youngest Ape Prince.

"Cornelius," The Ape King spoke gently, confirming Orion's suspicion as he hoisted the child up on his arm, gesturing towards Blue Eyes with his other one. "You must greet your brother."

The child looked shy as Blue Eyes reached forward to take his smaller hand into his own, but there was definitely a spark of familiarity once the contact had been made, and Cornelius gibbered a little more excitedly up at his older brother at that.

And then, as Orion tore his gaze from the royal family reunion, his eyes scanned the cave only to connect with a beautiful pair of solid emerald green eyes, framed by a light face and the finest silver fur in all of the colony.

His heart did a full-blown summersault inside his ribcage when he saw her, and a broad smile spread across his rugged features.

"Ivy..."

The moment he uttered her name, her eyes lit up and she bolted forward to greet him, her arms suddenly placed firmly around his midsection and her cheek pressed to his chest. He didn't mind at all. They might have been shy adolescents last time they had been together – hell, Ivy was _still_ technically an adolescent ape – but in the time they had spent apart, Orion's feelings for her had only grown stronger. More passionate.

His long, black-furred arms closed around her and he bent his neck downwards to put his forehead gently against hers. She had always been a small female.

Orion grinned affectionately down at her as he spotted the silvery braid at the side of her face, and he reached up to subtly tug at it. Ivy only chuckled at his antics, brushing her mouth against his own with hooded eyes.

Behind him, Orion heard Blue Eyes hoot with amusement at his friend's display of affection and the young couple both turned their heads to regard the Ape Prince with unimpressed looks.

Then, Orion's smiled knowingly at his friend.

"Jealous?" His voice sounded smugly – he had spotted someone that Blue Eyes hadn't as he had turned his head and knew that the moment the prince's eyes would land on that person as well, he wouldn't have half a mind to tease Orion anymore.

He still had his arms around Ivy as he inclined his head towards the other side of the cave, not letting Blue Eyes answer his question.

"It looks like someone is here for you as well." He spoke teasingly, and the other ape followed his gaze, turning around to come face to face with Lake, who had been making her way across the wooden bridge just behind the waterfall.

Her eyes widened in surprise as they met with the prince's.

Orion smiled warmly at his childhood friends as they slowly made their way towards each other, not quite as boisterous in their greeting as Ivy and Orion had been, but no less tender as Blue Eyes reached forward to press his forehead against Lake's.

Orion felt Ivy squeeze him around the waist, leaning her head affectionately against his chest as she, too, looked at their friends' loving reunion.

And to think that the Ape Prince had been such a hopeless case! Orion couldn't help rolling his eyes good-naturedly at the thought. They had _both_ grown a lot since they had left.

"What's all this ruckus about?" A feminine voice suddenly sounded behind them all, out of breath and curious. It was followed by sudden, excited barks.

It was a voice Orion knew well, and he whipped his head around to confirm that it was, indeed, who he thought.

"I hope nobody's…." Her words died on her tongue as their eyes met, verdant green clashing with deep blue. "Hurt…" She managed to finish quietly, her face shifting into an expression of utter surprise and disbelief.

The dogs ran past her to greet Orion, tails wagging vigorously as they whined.

And there she stood, clad in her usual attire of tied leather boots and deerskin pants, a thin tank top underneath a dark buckskin leather coat, the large hood pulled back to reveal her dark tresses which were tied in their customary braid.

It was his mother.

"Orion…?" She spoke softly, as if she didn't dare get her hopes up. As if she didn't dare believe what she was seeing.

Beside him, Orion could hear Ivy give a small, feminine chuckle at the scene, and he briefly wondered in the back of his mind if he looked just as disbelieving as Mother did. It must have been truly comical to witness for everyone present.

The arms around his waist gently released him as Mother began to tentatively step towards him, her eyes glossy with unshed tears as realisation began to set in.

And when she finally stood before him, it only took a second for them to throw their arms around one another in a fierce embrace and Orion buried his face into Mother's hair, breathing deeply as he refamiliarized himself with her scent.

The scent he had known since he was old enough to know _anything_.

The scent of safety and comfort and love.

The scent of _home_.

Around them, the dogs still whined for attention, rubbing against his legs and licking their muzzles.

Mother released a relieved sob as she was completely engulfed by his long arms, and Orion squeezed her ever tighter, not even caring about how she desperately clutched her hands at his fur, frantically pulling him to her.

Neither of them noticed how those around them took in the scene of their reunion with fond expressions on their faces. In this moment, there was only a mother and her son, reunited at last.

A soft sigh left Orion as he held on to the woman who raised him, and he was flooded with a feeling of love and peace.

 _This_ … This right here was how it was supposed to be.

"I can't breathe, Orion." Came a sudden, breathless voice beside the ape's ear, and he immediately loosened his grip so that Mother could draw back for some much-needed air.

Right, he had forgotten how strong he was. How strong he had _become_.

"Sorry, Mother." He spoke sheepishly, still not letting go of her completely.

She smiled brightly at him all the same, reaching up to lay a soft hand against his cheek.

"No worries, Sweetie." She spoke warmly, pulling him in to lay her forehead against his own. "You could squeeze me half to death and I'd still just be happy that you're home again."

It was only now, when Orion stood before her, that he realised how much he must have grown in the time they had been apart. Before they had left two years ago, he had been a good two inches shorter than Mother and she hadn't seemed nearly as small in his arms.

Now though… Now Orion realised that he had grown to be about an inch taller than her, almost the same height as the Ape King – which probably made him one of the tallest chimps in the entire colony…

No wonder Ivy had felt so small in his arms – she had probably grown too, now that he thought about it, which was most likely why he hadn't realised the increase in his own size until he had been able to compare with Mother.

"What the-…?" The human woman still holding on to him spoke confusedly, pulling the young chimp from his inner musings.

"Orion, what the hell happened to your ear!?" Mother exclaimed in alarm, using the hand on his jaw to turn his face so she could examine the old injury with eyes full of concern.

He knew it probably looked more horrendous than it actually was but hadn't worried too much about it since both Blue Eyes and Rocket had told him that it had healed quite well.

Though, as he had expected, not well enough to ease Mother's worries once she saw it.

"It is nothing, Mother, really." He tried to placate her, though he did nothing to stop her from inspecting the large tear. "It happened long ago. Over a year."

"Nothing?! You have a giant chunk missing completely! Is this from a gunshot!?" She ignored his attempt at calming her as her voice turned slightly shrilly. Her gaze shifted briefly towards Rocket and Blue Eyes for confirmation, which both apes responded to with sheepish nods of their heads.

Out of the corner of his eye, Orion could tell that Ivy was looking concernedly at the injury as well, though it seemed she was content to let Mother express their shared worry.

The human woman returned her attention to him, a soft frown on her lips.

"Didn't I tell you when you left to come back in one piece?" She reprimanded somewhat sternly, an index finger raised in front of his face to underline her words.

Orion smiled despite himself and shrugged.

"You told me to come home with all ten fingers and toes." He lifted his hands to show her that he had kept his promise, displaying all of his fingers, calloused but intact. "You said nothing about ears."

At that, Mother's expression briefly morphed into one of utter surprise as amused chuckles and hoots of laughter sounded around the two of them – most noticeably from Caesar, Maurice and Rocket, who all rumbled deeply at the scene before them.

"Two years apart and he comes back with a cheeky attitude!" She spoke in mock-exasperation before she shook her head, chuckling as well. Then, she let go of Orion and turned to Rocket, giving the old chimp a friendly, welcoming hug as she spoke her next words. "I suppose _you're_ to blame for this development?"

Tinker giggle beside her husband as the chimp shrugged with barely-contained mirth evident in his expression.

" _Of course not. He just takes after his mother._ " The balding ape replied smugly, to which Mother just rolled her eyes.

"Oh, it's _definitely_ your fault."

Next, she turned to Blue Eyes, and the Ape Prince seemed almost startled when Mother's arms snuck around his shoulders, trapping the blue-eyed ape in an affectionate embrace. He got over it quickly, however, wrapping his long arms around the human woman with a gentle smile on his smooth face.

"It's good to have you all back." Mother spoke fondly as she released the Ape Prince.

Orion couldn't agree more.

It was good to _be_ back.

The young chimp was so ecstatic, so relieved to finally be home, that he didn't notice the subtle, warm smile on the Ape King's lips as Mother commented approvingly on Blue Eyes' physical growth.

He didn't see the happy crinkle at the edge of Caesar's green-and-golden eyes, nor the gentle swell of his chest as Lydia got near to take over Cornelius, leaving the Ape King free to go on and deal with the matter of gathering everyone so that the trio could explain what they had found.

He didn't notice any of this at all, and even if he had, he would probably not had thought it important.

The only thing Orion cared about right in this moment, the only thing that mattered to him, was that he had returned home to find his loved ones alive and well.

And he would work hard to keep it that way.

* * *

 ** _Blue Eyes_**

It was just after the colony's meeting now, and Blue Eyes was finally, _finally_ alone with Lake, having found a quiet spot – the one where she had first confronted him about her feelings – and taking turns telling about everything that had happened in the time they had been apart.

He hadn't been too surprised when he was told that his father had made Lydia his council member. Ape or not, she was as loyal as she was strong and wise, something Blue Eyes still regretted not seeing back when he had been a young adolescent, blinded by prejudice as he had been.

And she had welcomed him so warmly this afternoon. Had embraced him and smiled so brightly, like she had missed him almost as much as she had her own son.

And then there had been the wholesome joy of seeing his little brother again. Now _that_ was something Blue Eyes had worried about a lot. Worried about whether or not Cornelius would even know who he was, if not by memory, then at least by instinct, or if he would recoil and whimper, believing Blue Eyes to be a complete stranger.

Luckily, the ape child had taken it all in stride and the moment his eyes had connected with Blue Eyes' own, a tiny spark of recognition had seemed to appear in the two-year-old ape's green gaze. Just a tiny flicker before he had tentatively reached forward and let his hand be engulfed by his older brother's and from then on, he had seemed to follow Blue Eyes everywhere.

It had been heart-warming and indeed amusing at first, but as twilight approached and Blue Eyes had wanted a moment alone with Lake, it became a bit of a constraint to have an ape child trailing his every step. Luckily, Lydia, ever observant, had quickly whisked the child into her arms and winked knowingly at the young ape couple.

In the past, Blue Eyes' ears might have gone red from embarrassment at something like this, but now, he would offer a small smile and a wave of thanks before trudging off with his intended mate, which was exactly what he had done.

Now, they sat on a little patch of moss just off the river's stony shore and Lake had just finished telling about the clash Lydia and Ivy had had with the tree soldiers in the forest many months prior. Blue Eyes couldn't help but stare in wonder at the tale his intended mate was telling.

Lydia's ferocity was something Blue Eyes had seen in action before, even when he had been a young ape child and so, the way she had dealt with the threat was nothing too stirring for the Ape Prince. No, what had really caught him off guard about this story was that Ivy had been there too and that she had, according to Lake, fought just as fiercely as the human woman had done.

" _Orion really_ _ **has**_ _chosen a female quite like his mother…_ " The prince had signed with a chuckle, making Lake release a feminine, bubbly giggle in reply.

Goodness he had missed that sound. He had only had a couple of weeks to _truly_ appreciate it before he had left two years ago and now, being back once more, it seemed all the lovelier to finally hear it.

He reached up with one hand and tentatively brushed the tips of his fingers against her cheek, taking in every little detail of her feminine features. He had almost forgotten how pretty she was – his memory simply hadn't been able to do her justice.

Lake leaned into his touch, her green eyes lidded, and her lips pulled into a shy smile.

"I missed you." She whispered, so softly that it was almost completely drowned out by the rustle of the leaves and the rushing water of the river.

But Blue Eyes heard it. Heard every single, lovely syllable, and wished his voice had been smooth and even enough to match it.

"I missed you too. Lake." He spoke somewhat hoarsely, his lips ghosting against her muzzle. "Very much…"

He felt her fingers trace the scars on his right shoulder and pectoral muscle almost reverently and Blue Eyes allowed himself the barest hint of a shudder. He had accepted these scars long ago, and the lesson he had learned from receiving them, but it was still nice to know that Lake wasn't appalled by them. That she even seemed to like them, somehow.

Then, she pulled back slightly from his touch, worry finding its way to her eyes.

" _I hope we can get everyone away safely…_ " She commented with fluid, subtle movements. " _Winter seemed so scared tonight…_ "

Blue Eyes nodded seriously at that.

Winter, an albino gorilla and a young member of Luca's Gorilla Guard, had indeed seemed very upset that the apes weren't leaving immediately – so much so that Father had had to make a display of dominance for the white-furred gorilla to finally settle down.

Blue Eyes' added reassurances had seemed to help for a short while, but the large ape had still seemed agitated as he had left when the meeting was over.

The Ape Prince pursed his lips in deep thought.

Winter's outspoken anxiety hadn't been the only thing Blue Eyes had had to speculate on during the colony meeting.

During the entire thing, Cornelius had been happily nestled in Lydia's lap, playing with the woman's hands and once even reaching up to twirl the end of her braid between his fingers.

And though her mind had seemed completely occupied by what was being said at the meeting, Blue Eyes had noticed that, ever so often, she would glance down at his little brother with a look of pure affection.

It had almost seemed… motherly. Like how she would look at Orion, eyes soft and her lips pulled into a gentle smile, starkly different to the expression she wore when she had once again turned her attention to the meeting that was going on. Then, her eyes would lose their happy gleam and instead become intent, and her lips would once again relax into a loose frown.

Blue Eyes didn't know exactly how to describe the feeling he got when he had seen it – how his brother interacted so familiarly with the human woman. He remembered that time so long ago, when he had told Ash how it had seemed wrong to him that Cornelius was being handed off to Lydia because of Mother's sickness.

But it wasn't that feeling which had struck him this time around. No, this was one of mild surprise mixed with a sense of relief.

When Mother had died, aside from being absolutely devastated himself, Blue Eyes had feared that his little brother would be deprived of a loving mother-figure.

Sure, there had been plenty of females readily offering to be the young prince's nursemaid, but none of them would ever love him like a mother would. They had their own children to care for and feeding Cornelius would only be a favour – another duty towards the colony to be fulfilled.

But the way Lydia had looked down at Cornelius at the meeting, and the way the ape child had looked back, bright, cheerful and content, had made Blue Eyes realise that his brother had indeed enjoyed the love of a mother – maybe not the mother who had birthed him, but a mother nonetheless.

And judging from the way his best friend had turned out being raised by Lydia, the eldest Ape Prince had no doubt his little brother would be just fine.

Looking up, Blue Eyes noticed that the sky was now almost pitch-black and sprinkled with stars.

It was getting quite late…

"We should return." He spoke as softly as he could so as not to startle his life's intended. "Everyone will worry. If we do not."

Lake nodded, though he could tell that she, much like Blue Eyes himself, would have liked to stay and enjoy their quiet moment for just a bit longer. It had been years, literally _years_ , since they had last been able to bask in each other's presence like this, and the Ape Prince wouldn't have minded extending this moment for the entire duration of the night, if he was honest with himself.

But it wouldn't do to make everyone sick with worry. He was, after all, Caesar's son and heir – he couldn't just do whatever he pleased. Especially not now, during a war, with so much at stake.

They walked back through the short stretch of forest hand in hand, just like the day Lake had first revealed her feelings for him, and the Ape Prince was hit at once with a bout of nostalgia.

It really was good to be home.

It didn't take long for them to enter the main cave and Blue Eyes could literally _feel_ his father's piercing gaze on him as he bid Lake goodnight with a soft touch of his fingers against her cheek.

She was gone from his sight moments later, no doubt going back to the cave she shared with her parents, while Blue Eyes turned and trudged tiredly towards the nest he would once again be sharing with his father and younger brother. As thrilled as he was to spend his time with Lake again, the Ape Prince figured that it was probably a good thing that their time down by the river hadn't been prolonged. It had been an eventful day, and the young ape was so tired that it seemed as if his very bones were weighing him down.

He sat with a heavy thud, releasing a sigh of relief at the feel of the nest's soft padding. How long had it been since he had enjoyed the luxury of sleeping in a proper nest?

Cornelius was quick to crawl over and start grooming his older brother, throwing whatever dirt he found out of the nest.

"Long day?" Father's gruff voice sounded, and though his eyes were as serious as ever, Blue Eyes could easily tell that the Ape King was happy to have him back once more.

He nodded.

"Long… evening too?" Father then inquired with a raised brow, presenting Blue Eyes with a slightly lopsided, suggestive smirk.

The prince barely managed to resist the urge to splutter in surprise and mortification.

" _What? No! Father, Lake and I-… We haven't-… I mean, we haven't done-… I_ _ **just**_ _returned home!_ " He signed almost indignantly, his pale eyes wide as he stared at his parent.

Did Father really think that Blue Eyes and Lake had been up to… _that_ while they had been down by the river? Sure, the Ape Prince had missed her dearly, and sure, he had every intention of fully and wholly making Lake his wife someday, just as Mother had been Father's, but _really_? He had barely been home for half a day as it was!

A deep, low chuckle came from the Ape King, his hulking frame shaking ever so slightly with the action.

"I said nothing about _that_ , Son." He replied, the smirk from before now turning positively smug. "You must have your mind in the gutter."

Blue Eyes couldn't help but gape incredulously at his father.

" _You learned that one from Lydia!_ " He signed with accusing eyes, though a slight smile soon appeared on his face, mirroring the Ape King's.

Really, his father's well-hidden sense of humour had a tendency to express itself at the strangest of times…

The Ape King shrugged, still with a somewhat amused look on his face, though it was slowly turning into a more sombre expression.

"She has taught us many things." He replied as his eyes lowered to stare at Cornelius, who was still grooming Blue Eyes' arm. "You brother know this better than anyone. She has become like a mother to him..."

" _I can tell._ " The elder Ape Prince replied with soft movements, sensing the change of mood in their conversation. Cornelius yawned, but didn't stop his grooming as his brother signed. " _I saw how she was with him during the meeting._ "

"And this does not bother you?" Father inquired almost hesitantly, and Blue Eyes could very well understand why.

In the past, the eldest Ape Prince had, after all, expressed a great dislike for the fact that Lydia had handled his little brother so often and so soon after he had been born. It had been back when Koba's talks of humans and their vile nature had still clouded Blue Eyes' own sense of right and wrong, and every human had seemed an enemy back then. Even Lydia, who the prince had known since he was three years old.

But he was a different ape now. Older, smarter, and free of Koba's influence.

" _No._ " Blue Eyes shook his head in reply to his father's question. " _In the past, it would have… But now, I'm just happy for Cornelius. I'm glad he has someone who can be that to him, now that Mother can't._ "

It still hurt to speak of his mother. Blue Eyes knew he would probably never be able to completely get rid of the stabbing ache in his heart whenever she was mentioned, but it had lessened considerably over the past two years.

By the looks of it, it also hurt Father, if the pursing of his lips and crease of his heavy brow was any indication to go by. But another emotion also seemed to play across his features as his shoulder eased up. Was it relief that seemed to emanate from the Ape King?

Blue Eyes decided to shake that notion off and continue where he left had off, telling his father of something that had been on his mind ever since he had seen how his little brother had interacted with Lydia. The mother of Orion, his best friend.

" _In a way, I feel like it makes Orion as much of a brother to Cornelius as I am. I like that thought. All three of us being brothers together._ "

And that was the truth. He really _did_ like that thought.

During their journey, Blue Eyes had gotten really close with Orion, their bond becoming very much like that of two brothers. Brothers in all but blood. After he had come home and seen how Lydia had interacted with Cornelius at the meeting earlier, the thought had struck him that he honestly wouldn't mind Orion having a brotherly relationship with the younger Ape Prince as well.

They would make a great team, the three of them, Blue Eyes was sure of that.

Father nodded, his expression thoughtful.

"I am glad you feel that way." He said, though there was a strange, wistful note to his voice that Blue Eyes didn't recognise. "And I am sure Lydia will be too. She cares very much for us."

The eldest Ape Prince didn't know what his father meant with those words. It sounded strangely cryptic to the younger chimp. Like there was a hidden meaning which he was simply not capable of understanding.

Before he could inquire about this, though, before he could even raise his arms to sign the words, Father had placed his hand on Blue Eyes' shoulder.

"Let us sleep, Son. We have much to do tomorrow." He spoke with an air of finality to his voice, indicating to the Ape Prince that he should let the matter rest for now.

Well, Blue Eyes had to admit that sleep sounded nice. His bones still felt heavy and his rear was sore from riding for so long to get back here. Some well-deserved rest in a padded nest _did_ sound like a great idea.

Besides, he could always ask his father what he had meant in the morning.

The young ape nodded tiredly before moving Cornelius out of the way to settle down on top of the soft pelts in the nest, his father and little brother following shortly afterwards.

It was as if all the bones in his body popped back into place as he stretched himself and he groaned in satisfaction before finally nestling into the comforting, familiar-smelling bedding of his family's nest.

Beside him, Cornelius babbled happily and curled up between the two larger chimps and Blue Eyes thought he had never seen an ape child more content than his little brother was right then.

"It is good to have you home again, Blue Eyes." Came his father's quiet, deep rumble, and their eyes connected briefly above Cornelius' little head. "Goodnight, Son."

"Goodnight, Father." Came Blue Eyes' answer, so soft that it could barely be heard over the ever-present roaring of the waterfall just off to the side of the cave.

But the gentle upturn of Father's lips told the Ape Prince that he had heard it well enough and with that, the Royal Ape Family went to sleep, content at being together once more.


	57. A Night Of Horror

_**Lydia**_

It was Storm and Blaze's snarls which had first alerted Lydia to the fact that something was wrong, and she slowly sat up to take in her surroundings.

The dogs' hackles were raised, their teeth on display as they both stared menacingly towards the entrance to the small cave. The flickering light from the still-burning torch fixed to the cave wall cast dancing shadows across their small hovel, but it was another movement entirely that ended up catching Lydia's attention as she turned her head to look down into the nest.

Beside her, Orion stirred before he, too, sat up. She would have to get used to sleeping beside someone again.

"What is it, Mother?" The young ape male spoke in a soft whisper when he noticed the dogs' agitated state. Immediately, he was on high alert as well, his heavy brow lowered as he looked to Lydia for answers.

" _I don't know, but…_ " She signed before putting her index finger against her lips in a request for silence.

The sound of pebbles skidding across the cave floor caught their attention just then, followed by the sound of carefully placed footsteps. The pair's heads whipped towards the entrance to their home. It was not the soft sound of the apes' bare feet, but booted footsteps.

Lydia felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end as her heart seemed to still inside her chest.

 _No…_ She thought as dread washed over her. _This can't be._

" _Soldiers._ " Orion signed the word that she dared not as his stare grew hard. Determined.

Lydia nodded before she reached for her hunting knife. It would be easier to manoeuvre with than her bow and arrows inside the narrow cave system.

But just as she was about to get up, Orion grabbed her arm, holding her back as he gave a quiet hoot.

When she turned her head to her son, his lips were set in a firm line as he shook his head at her.

" _No, Mother. Stay here and I will go. I can overwhelm a grown human male easier than you can._ " He signed once he let go of her arm, immediately raising his large flint knife, which glinted wickedly in the torchlight.

She wanted to protest. What was Orion even thinking? Like she would let him go toe-to-toe with an armed, battle-hardened soldier. He had _just_ returned to her yesterday – what if he got hurt? Badly? She couldn't allow that. Her instinct was to protect him, to shield him, like she had _always_ done.

And yet something in her son's eyes managed to convince Lydia that he would be fine. That he could handle it.

Her blue orbs drifted towards his torn ear, so horribly disfigured now. But he had survived that. He had been without her protection for two years, faced humans and forest predators alike and he had survived.

 _He isn't my little ape child anymore_ , Lydia thought, a strange mixture of pride and ruefulness blooming inside her chest, briefly drowning out her fear and anxiety. _He's a grown male ape now_.

 _A warrior._

"Stay here." He repeated in a hushed tone before getting up, leaving Lydia to calm their two canines down. It wouldn't do for them to give away their position – sounds _did_ travel far inside these caves…

And just as that thought had passed Lydia's mind, she heard the footsteps halt and stilled her movements completely as a dark silhouette could be seen just beneath the edge of the deerskins covering the entrance to their home.

Orion, upon seeing this, had moved to press himself against the cave wall just off to the side of the entrance, waiting and ready to strike.

And strike he did, when the deerskin was moved aside by a gloved hand to reveal the barest hint of a person's outline.

Orion turned around then, quick as a viper, and with a mighty, protective snarl, he thrust the wickedly sharp flint knife into the man's gut. Lydia had never heard such a sound from her adoptive son and looked on with eyes widened in surprise. In the same move, the chimp pushed the soldier backwards, out of the private cave and into the corridor, where the unfortunate human male was slammed against the wall with so much force that Lydia flinched. The animal skins covering the entrance to their home, as well as the thick branch they were attached to, were all yanked from the cave wall and obscured Lydia's view of what had happened between her son and the intruder.

It didn't matter, though. She knew what the outcome would be before the scuffle had even ended – the soldier hadn't had time to fire his deadly weapon, much less breathe a single cry of fear or surprise.

Had Orion's knife piercing through the man's gut not killed him, then the impact with the wall surely would have, what with how incredibly strong the apes were. There was no way this soldier could've survived.

And as Lydia tentatively rose to her feet and stepped into the cave corridor, she saw that she had been right. The intruder had lost his helmet and his neck was twisted into an odd angle, telling Lydia that it was definitely broken. Below his protective vest, Lydia could also see how fresh, dark blood trickled from the wound, glistening in the flickering torchlight.

Orion stood over him, panting heavily with his hackles raised, his nostrils flared, and his hand still clutching the handle of his flint knife.

It was now covered in blood, as was the chimp's hand.

"Sweetie…" Lydia spoke in a hushed tone as she walked over to stand beside him. His breath slowed and the anger across his face faded as he turned his head to look back at her.

She had thought he would be needing comfort. He had just killed someone, after all, and Lydia knew that no matter your hatred, it was not something to be taken lightly. It left a mark.

But, evidently, there was no time for such comforts. No time to even _think_ about what had just happened.

While he _did_ look shaken, Orion's eyes bore no trace of the shame and regret that Lydia had expected them to. Instead, they were wide with concern and alarm as he reached out for her shoulder, whether to steady himself or underline the severity of the situation, she did not know.

"We must warn everyone." Orion spoke urgently. Sensibly. "More are bound to be here."

Lydia nodded at her son's words, knowing he was right, and hurriedly strapped her hunting knife to her thigh. She had managed to pull on a pair of deerskin pants before the soldier had arrived at their little hovel, though she hadn't managed to tie them or slip on a jacket over her thin tank top to shield her against the coldness of the night.

There was no time.

"Go warn the gorillas and find Rocket. I'll go to Caesar and Blue. They have to know we're under attack!" She ordered, and Orion nodded obediently as he called Blaze to his side.

It was like a silent agreement that they each take a dog to protect them. To warn them if anything was amiss on the path ahead.

Storm went to Lydia's side almost automatically. As if knowing what was expected of her before Lydia had even given the order for her to come.

Smart creatures, dogs.

"Be careful, Mother." Her son implored as they parted, him dropping down on all fours as he hurried down the corridor, while Lydia darted into the opposite direction, Storm hot at her heels.

She hadn't even had the time to pull on her boots and so, the sound of Lydia's bare feet against the cave floor, mingled with her laboured breathing as she ran, echoed through the long, narrow corridors that made up the Ape Colony.

Though she worried about Orion, her concern for Caesar and the two princes were much more pressing in this instant. Orion had shown that he was capable of handling himself and, unlike Caesar and his sons, he was aware that something was wrong and could take the necessary precautions.

Even with her lungs struggling to take in air as she ran, Lydia wanted to yell. Wanted to sound the alarm like the apes usually did when in danger. To let everyone know that their worst fear, the greatest threat the apes had faced yet, was on their doorstep. Worse, it was inside their very _home_ , sneaking and slithering around like venomous snakes, looking for prey.

But she couldn't do that, she knew. Yelling would not only alert the apes to the danger, but also let the soldiers know that their cover had been blown. Who knew what they would do if that happened?

Lydia _did_ know… They would throw caution to the wind. Abandon their careful approach and instead go about shooting anything and anyone they thought looked even remotely like an ape.

She released a trembling huff of exertion as she saw the tell-tale, warm light of the main cave.

The cave where Caesar slept with his family near the waterfall. It was literally the inner sanctum of the colony, protected by being hidden behind a wall of rushing water and only having a well-guarded, rocky path that lead into it from the outside.

Because of this, Lydia figured that the Royal Ape Family were well-protected and still unaware of the danger.

But as she entered the large cavern, the human came to realise that she had been wrong to assume so.

Terribly, horribly wrong.

Storm stopped and began to growl as they reached their destination and before Lydia had even properly exited the corridor and stepped into the light, she saw it too.

She saw it and was able to predict the outcome before the man had even pulled the trigger all the way back.

She saw it but could do nothing as Blue Eyes, for she knew it was him, standing with his back halfway turned to her, faced the threat.

It seemed like the Ape Prince had only just noticed the soldier when it happened. That ear-splitting sound of bullets being fired.

Lydia didn't see the small shadow that darted from the Royal Ape Family's nest and into another corridor – but she _did_ see Blue Eyes, the eldest Ape Prince, Caesar's pride and joy, one of Cornelia's last treasures in this world, as he fell to the ground in a bloodied heap, riddled by bullets.

Lydia felt her heart drop through her body like a stone through water, only for it to land so heavily inside her gut that she was almost floored by the imaginary impact.

For a moment, she could do nothing. Nothing but stare in absolute horror as Blue Eyes, an ape she had known since he had been three years old, who she had helped teach and comfort and _raise_ , lie limply on the floor.

 _Dead_.

Then she heard the soldier, the dark shadow over by the waterfall responsible for this horrid scene, Blue Eyes' _killer_ , speak as he made a report into his radio.

"Ninety-nine, target acquired. I repeat, King Kong is dead. Let's go!"

 _Over my dead body!_ Lydia's thoughts rang, clear as day through her head once more, her brain and body jarred into action by the man's proud, satisfied voice. It was like a revolting shock through her very being. One that spurred her into action at once.

She didn't have her bow and arrows with her, sadly, but in all honesty, Lydia was too angry and distraught to even consider that fact. She _did_ have her hunting knife and she _did_ have her dog.

With a cry of anguish and fury, she dashed out of the shadows towards the man, her knife firmly in her grip and her eyes focused on her target, who was in the process of hooking himself to a line hanging just beyond the waterfall. Storm was with her the entire time, charging forward with furious barks.

He barely managed to turn around and, after a split-second of utter surprise and confusion, fire his gun at Lydia.

She knew at once that at least one of the bullets had hit her, the sudden, searing pain as it tore through the flesh of her upper left arm was proof enough of that. But the adrenaline coursing through her allowed her to ignore it for now.

This pain meant nothing right now.

She was on him in a matter of seconds, too close now for him to properly use the large weapon as he suddenly had to grab for her wrists to ward her off.

The ledge they stood on was too narrow for Storm to jump at him, so instead, the faithful canine had gone for a leg, growling horribly as she tore at his clothes.

He seemed surprised at Lydia's ferocity, or maybe it was the fact that he was still tied to the wire and about to lose his balance with a furious woman and dog assaulting him like this. Either way, his eyes were wide and menacing as he stared back at Lydia, the whites of them popping out ominously against the dark face paint he wore.

She didn't feel the ice-cold droplets of the roaring waterfall as they hit her skin, soaking her hair and clothes. She didn't worry about the wound in her arm as she grabbed for his face to claw at his eyes. She _completely_ disregarded the fact that this man was physically superior to her in every way.

It didn't matter. None of it did.

What mattered was that he had killed Blue Eyes and he _would_ pay for it.

In the midst of their vicious scuffle, Lydia briefly triumphed in being able to grab his face and rake her nails harshly against his jaw with the hand not holding her knife.

It made him groan loudly in pain.

It was sure to draw blood.

But her satisfaction was only a temporary one and she quickly lost the upper hand that her surprise attack had provided when he swung his now free arm at her, slamming his fist into the gunshot wound he had dealt moments prior.

She howled in pain as the impact made her let go of her opponent and tumble to the side, against the cold, damp cave floor. If she survived this, Lydia knew this would bruise.

Now free, he managed to kick Storm off as well, hitting the poor beast right in the middle of her chest and, in spite of her rather large size, sending her backwards rolling and whimpering.

Apparently deeming Lydia to be a greater threat than the dog, the soldier turned to the woman, pointing his gun at her with clear intent to kill shining through his maniacal stare.

All Lydia did, knowing she was powerless in this position, was to offer her best, most defiant and hateful stare as she faced him and try not to think of all the people she'd leave behind. If she was going to die here, she would do so while facing her fate head-on.

But in that moment, before the soldier standing over her could even pull the trigger to end her, something further back inside the cave seemed to catch his eye. He turned his face from her to look more closely, his brows knitting together in confusion.

Lydia knew what it was without even having to look. Knew _who_ it was as she saw the sudden look of surprise spreading across the man's features.

It was Caesar.

She turned her gaze to the ape as well, daring to take her eyes away from the threat in front of her to stare at the Ape King, whose own eyes darted rapidly around the scene in front of him.

Blue Eyes dead on the ground, Storm sprawled not too far off, whimpering, the solider with his gun still pointed at Lydia.

His face contorted into a raged grimace, a truly fearsome display as he began to charge forward, only to be stopped halfway and having to dive for cover by his nest when bullets came raining down on him. The soldier had, apparently, decided to prioritise killing Caesar instead and turned fully away from Lydia to fire at the chimp.

What happened next went down so fast that the memory would become a blur to Lydia later on – but she _did_ remember her intent.

To protect Caesar.

She rose quickly, another rush of adrenaline shooting through her, and grabbed the soldier once more, yanking at his arm and shoulder so that the line of fire was diverted from Caesar and towards the ceiling instead.

Though, once more, the intruder managed to down Lydia, this time by swooping a leg around her own, making her trip and fall onto her back beneath the man.

That was going to bruise too.

She had fully expected the soldier to turn his gun at her once more and shoot her this time, but instead, as the sound of several more apes approaching echoed from the caves, he hurriedly turned around and jumped from the ledge and into the rushing wall of water.

He was soon followed by a furious Caesar, who briefly appeared as a dark shadow above Lydia's head before he, too, vanished behind the water.

 _The soldier must still be attached to the line_ , Lydia's thought raced. Yes, the soldier was… but Caesar _wasn't_.

It was only later, as others had rushed into the cave to help, that she was informed of how the Ape King had managed to grab a hold of the line, but that their assailant had cut it before anything else could have happened, leaving Caesar to plummet into the water below.

He was soaked when he came back up into the cave. Came back up to find Lydia still wounded, his eldest child still dead on the floor and his youngest still missing.

And the one responsible for all of this had escaped.

* * *

 _ **Caesar**_

He sat as if in a trance now, a sorrowful, yet strangely vacant expression on his face as he stared at the waterfall in front of him. They had just informed him that Winter was gone, and that he was likely the one who had betrayed them.

Caesar couldn't react to this information right now, too stricken. Too empty.

He had asked where Cornelius was instead. If there was anything he could be brought to care about right now, it was the whereabouts of his youngest child. His last living child…

They didn't know where he was. Said they were still searching.

He didn't respond to that at all.

" _Come, let's go look for Caesar's little son._ " He noticed Maurice sign out of the corner of his eye, before everyone disappeared, and he was alone at last.

Lydia had been moved to Sparrow's cave so that the healer could take care of the human woman's injured arm. Orion was with her, Caesar knew, most likely worrying for his mother and entirely blaming himself for letting her go into the direction of danger. It wasn't his fault, though. He couldn't have known.

 _No one_ could have known… Except for Winter…

They had carried Blue Eyes off too… to prepare him for his burial, no doubt.

Caesar swallowed the lump forming in his throat at that thought and he felt his heartbeat quicken. He had _just_ gotten his son back and now, he had been stolen away once more – _forever_ this time.

Anger welled up in Caesar's chest as he let his eyes sweep over the scene for the umpteenth time that night, his green-and-golden stare catching sight of something on the cave floor by his nest.

He picked up one of the bullet shells lying around and it glinted almost tauntingly in the flickering firelight as he held it.

The longer he stared at it, the angrier Caesar got.

Was this one of the many bullets that had torn through his eldest son, robbing him of his life? Or was this the one that had wounded Lydia? Had it, perhaps, hit Cornelius, who was still missing?

Had it been one of the many intended for Caesar himself?

He clutched the shiny piece of metal within his large hand.

The Ape King's breathing turned heavy and laboured, his face a grim mask of rage as these thoughts raced through his mind. How dare they?! After the gesture of peace he had offered them yesterday? How _dare_ they?! To sneak into his home, his _sanctuary_ , and make and attempt at his life! _To murder his family!_

He was jarred out of his raged state of mind when a small sound from one of the cave corridors got his attention, making him spring to his feet, spear in hand. Was it another enemy? Had all the soldiers not left? Or worse, had they come back to finish the job? To slaughter them _all_ this time?

But the Ape King quickly came to realise that this wasn't the case. In fact, what he saw in front of him was probably the most relieving albeit heart breaking sight of this entire, horrid night.

It was Cornelius, standing at the mouth of one of the corridors, whimpering and his green eyes glistening with tears.

The spear clattered against the cave floor as he dropped it.

"Cornelius!" Caesar breathed, his voice breaking as he went down into a crouch, his arms catching the little ape as he came hurdling towards his father, weeping.

The Ape King's arms wrapped protectively around the child as a trembling sigh of relief left him. His youngest was safe. He hadn't been killed like his brother.

But he had seen something terrible and he was scared out of his mind.

"You are safe now." Caesar whispered, rocking his child gently from side to side.

That was how Lydia had found them moments later, Cornelius cradled in Caesar's arms and the Ape King rumbling softly, soothingly, as the child continued to whimper.

He heard her bare-footed steps against the cave floor. He thought she was deliberately trying to make noise so that he wouldn't be startled, but as he turned his head towards her, it became apparent that it was due to her limping rather than anything else.

Even with the poor lighting of the cave, Caesar could already see bruises forming along Lydia's arms, though it was the primitive bandage around her upper left arm which ended up catching his attention. It lay thick around her arm, and the Ape King could tell that underneath the large leaf covering her injury laid a thick, herbal paste. It wasn't bleeding for now, however.

Caesar looked up at her face, knowing his eyes were damp with tears of equal parts grief and relief, but it didn't matter if Lydia saw them. Even if the colony didn't know it, she was his mate. She would understand.

Lydia kept a respectful distance, standing a few feet away from the pair as if she didn't dare go closer. As if she thought she shouldn't.

"So, you've found him? He's… He's okay?" She asked in a gentle, hopeful voice, clearly relieved as she eyed the ape child in Caesar's arms.

The Ape King nodded.

At the sound of the woman's voice, Cornelius wriggled in his father's arms and immediately reached out for her as soon as he saw exactly who it was, his fingers repeatedly opening and closing in a sort of grabbing gesture. He was reluctant to let go of Caesar, however, still clinging on to him with his other hand and feet.

Even now, she still looked unsure about whether or not she should get closer, so in the end, Caesar, too, reached out a hand for her.

"Come." He spoke simply, his voice raw.

Lydia obeyed, tentatively stepping forward and crouching down to be at the same level as the two apes when she finally reached them. She immediately grabbed Cornelius' hand in both of hers, pulling it in front of her face as tears began to appear in her eyes.

"Oh, you poor child…" Lydia's voice sounded, trembling. "You must've been so frightened."

No one else was here but the three of them, so Caesar wrapped the arm he had extended around Lydia's shoulders, pulling her closer so that she could put her forehead against Cornelius'. It seemed to calm the ape child immensely to have the both of them so close, and he stopped whimpering after a minute or two.

Caesar buried his muzzle in Lydia's hair. It wasn't wet from the droplets of the waterfall anymore, but nice, dry and soft against his face. He breathed in her scent in the hopes that it would calm him down. It _did_ , to an extent, but… Not enough… Not after something like this.

If someone were to enter this cave right now, the nature of their relationship would have been all too obvious, but right now, Caesar didn't care. His child was in need of comfort, his mate was hurt and he himself was out of his mind with grief.

But eventually, Lydia had had to let go and get up. She said she had to get back to Orion, who had reluctantly let his mother out of sight as he himself had gone to check up on Ivy and her parents.

Lydia took it upon herself to inform the guards that they didn't need to search for the Ape Prince anymore, telling Caesar to just stay put and take care of his son as she disentangled herself from their embrace.

 _He's your son too, now_ , the Ape King had wanted to say. _Can you not see that he craves your presence just as much as mine?_ He was tempted to ask.

But he didn't say anything. For once, speaking seemed beyond him.

She was right, of course. The guards should know, so that they could prepare for tomorrow instead. There was much to be done, and now that they had been found and the soldiers had realised that they killed the wrong ape, it was more important than ever that the colony got out of here.

Fast.

Still, he could tell that it was with much reluctance that Lydia left the two of them, walking with a limp into the shadows of the corridors once more. Cornelius was none too happy about her departure, but he absolutely refused to let go of Caesar to chase after her.

The Ape King cooed at his last living child, stroking his back comfortingly.

But even in this quiet moment, Caesar couldn't let go of his anger from before. Something inside of him had been… changed. Twisted and possibly even broken – he couldn't quite tell right now to what extent.

But he did know one thing.

The person responsible for this, the Colonel – yes, Caesar knew who it was. Rocket had told him that he had heard the soldier in the corridor mention him by name, speaking to him – he would have to pay.

Pay for rejecting the Ape King's offering of peace. For killing his apes and forcing his people to hide in fear for so long. Pay for invading Caesar's home and trying to assassinate him, for killing Blue Eyes and traumatising Cornelius like this. Pay for wounding Lydia…

For all of this and more, Caesar swore then and there that the Colonel would pay – with his _life_!

And as he sat there, holding on to Cornelius, the only thing still rooting him to reality right now, Caesar knew what he had to do.

And he knew he must do it alone.


	58. Chasing The Darkness

**_Lydia_**

Shortly after dawn the next day, Blue Eyes had been laid to rest beside his mother, under the same tree where he, together with Caesar, had carved the Royal Ape Family's symbol only two years prior.

And throughout the whole thing, Caesar had looked as if the world around him didn't seem to matter anymore. Cold and closed-in on himself, and with a look in his eyes that Lydia couldn't quite describe. It was something she had never seen in him before, something twisted and disturbed and detached. She knew the moment she saw it that she didn't like it one bit.

That look didn't belong on his face. The furious fire that usually burned in his eyes when he was angry had always been warm and passionate.

But now… now that fire wasn't there. It had been reduced to embers among the ashes, as if it had somehow lost what had fed its once so wildly flickering flames. Had lost what had given it life and strength to burn hot and bright inside of the Ape King.

Lydia had wanted to reach out to him as they had left the clearing to make the final preparations for leaving the forest. She had _wanted_ to reach over, stroke his arm and show him her support.

But no matter how much she had wanted to do that Lydia knew that such a public display of affection, no matter how reasonable, given the circumstances, bore with it the risk of possibly exposing their secret.

She also wasn't sure it if would even be welcomed by the Ape King himself right now.

But Cornelius _had_ reached out for _her_ , his arm stretched towards her as he passed by with his father, though he obediently trudged after him when Caesar didn't even make a pause in his step for the interaction to take place. Lydia's fingers only got to briefly ghost reassuringly over the young ape's before he disappeared with his father behind what seemed like a wall of apes, horses and primitive weapons, leaving Lydia to bite her lip in apprehension.

This was all wrong.

Everything was supposed to have been okay after Blue Eyes, Orion and Rocket had returned. It was supposed to mark a new beginning for all of them, but now, the only feelings that prevailed were sorrow, anger and anxiety.

Lydia released a trembling sigh before making her way towards her own black-and-white spotted steed, which was being prepared beside the rest of the Royal Ape Council's mounts. The adolescent gorilla female taking care of the human woman's horse quickly shuffled away once Lydia told her that it was fine, and that she would deal with the rest on her own. Though she had never had a particular interest in horses, Lydia loved animals in general and found that it calmed her to be around them. It was why she had taken in Storm and Blaze all those years ago, and it was why she would always ready her horse on her own.

Speaking of her dogs, they were sniffing around the riverbank, as lively as ever, if a little confused by everything going on around them. Storm had been limping somewhat earlier that morning, but now seemed, to Lydia's relief, to have recovered from the vicious kick she had taken to the chest earlier that night.

At least there is that, she thought as she let her hands glide gently across her horse's neck.

The moment Lydia went to tighten the cinch around the stallion's chest, however, she found herself regretting sending the young gorilla away.

It was that damn arm of hers.

She gritted her teeth against the onslaught of pain as she pulled it upwards, leaning against the horse's flank for support as her the muscles in her arms tensed. The beast stamped his hindleg indignantly and whickered, not used to the method his rider now employed to secure the primitive saddle. Lydia paid it no mind, too busy trying not to squeeze her eyes shut so that she could at least still see what she was doing once she needed to tie the cinch in place.

Before she could do so, however, a large hand settled onto her shoulder, gentle and warm as it drew Lydia's attention away from what she was trying to do.

"Perhaps I should do that, Mother?" Orion spoke, giving her shoulder a quick squeeze before letting go.

A few yards behind him, his own horse stood, nibbling at some weeds sprouting among the stones along the river's shore, with its saddle and bridle already in place. Around the two of them, Maurice and Rocket had already mounted, while Luca was still preparing his own steed. Off to the side, Lake and Ivy were packing up a couple of pelts, tying them together with thick, fibrous chords.

The human woman could feel the concerned stares of both Maurice and Tinker, the latter standing beside her mate's horse, but chose not to pay attention to it.

"You don't have to, Sweetie. I can handle-"

"But I would like to, anyway, Mother." He interrupted, though not in an unkindly manner, as his green gaze fell onto her injured arm.

She followed it down and cursed under her breath when she saw thin trails of blood trickling down her arm from beneath her primitive bandage, the dark red liquid standing out starkly against her pale skin.

"For fuck's sake…!" Lydia huffed in annoyance as she stood aside, letting her son take care of her horse while she went a few yards away, to the shore of the river, to deal with the mess her arm had become.

It had been a somewhat grazing shot, tearing violently through Lydia's flesh and leaving a horrid gash in her upper arm, but luckily, it hadn't hit bones or important veins and arteries.

It would, however, start to bleed if she stretched her arm of flexed her muscle too much, something she had already been made all too aware of when she had dressed for the journey that morning, shortly before dawn.

Adding to that, it hurt like a bitch no matter if she was in motion or not.

All Lydia really did was clean off the visible bloody trails down her arm and tighten the thin strings holding her bandage of leaves, old fabric and herbal paste in place before she returned to her horse once more, doing her best to relax the muscle in her arm so she wouldn't aggravate the wound further.

For now, at least.

The disapproving look Tinker shot at her was met with a shrug. What else was she supposed to do? Everyone was busy enough as it was, and it wasn't exactly like they had all the time in the world to get out of there anyway. Redoing her bandages could wait.

She had only just made it back to Orion, who was fiddling with the fastenings of her horse's bridle, when movement to her right, accompanied by hoots from both Maurice, Rocket and Luca caught her attention.

It was the Ape King making his way towards them, his strides even and steady, while the expression on his face was anything _but_ those things.

Oh, he was trying to hide it, alright. Lydia could tell that he did – but it only came across as a poorly executed façade, the same she had seen just about twenty minutes prior, after Blue Eyes' funeral.

Anger and blind determination thinly veiled by an active attempt to school his features. It came across to Lydia as cold indifference as he approached, coming up to stand right in front of her, with Cornelius clinging to his father's hand, gibbering anxiously.

"Yes?" Lydia asked, a sense of foreboding overtaking her as she regarded her secret lover.

Behind her, Lake and Ivy had stepped closer, the latter moving to stand by Orion.

The eyes of the entire council were on them too – this seemed awfully official…

And then, Caesar began to speak, his voice gentle but firm, respectful but commanding.

She didn't like that sort of tone at all, nor did she like what he was saying.

"You helped raise my son after his mother died, Lydia. Raised him as if he was your own… He will feel safest with you while I am gone."

"Gone…?" She echoed the word with a voice full of confusion.

"Please take care of him." Caesar implored, his eyes shifting from Lydia to Tinker and to Lake interchangeably.

He completely ignored her alarm and puzzlement as he bent down to Cornelius' level, stroking his son's arm as he told him to do as Lydia, Tinker and Lake told him to and be strong while his father is away.

Cornelius' mournful whimpers as Caesar drew back and rose to his full height once more finally had the pieces of Lydia's mind snap back into place.

"Wait, where the hell are _you_ going?!" She demanded to know, brows knitting together as her stare turned critical.

It was the first time Caesar looked directly into her eyes that morning, and yet Lydia felt that he was looking right through her.

He didn't say anything. He didn't have to. From the look alone, Lydia knew exactly where he was going.

" _You're going after them?_ " Maurice signed in alarm from atop his horse, his low, distressed rumble drawing Caesar's eyes away from Lydia.

"Not them. _Him_." He replied to the orangutan, making both Lake and Tinker gasp in barely-supressed horror.

Lydia just stood there, her face now a stony mask as she processed this. Cornelius, who Caesar had nudged towards her, was squeezing her hand and pressing his face against her knuckles. His cheeks felt damp.

She was only vaguely aware of Luca and Rocket exchanging looks of worry. Of Maurice's continued sounds of concern. Of the sound of Tinker's steps as she moved forward to comfort the little prince.

Lydia squeezed Cornelius' hand.

"But you are our leader!" Orion protested beside her. She knew her son was eyeing the Ape King with a disapproving, hard stare. Could hear it in his tone, the huffing exhale he made at the end of his sentence.

It was concerned, irate and accusing all at once. All emotions that Lydia wanted to express herself right then but just couldn't.

"He must pay." Caesar said simply as he turned to stare at Orion. His words were as hard as his eyes and Lydia very nearly found it in herself to bristle at the way he regarded her adoptive son. "When I kill him, the soldiers will come after me. It will give you all time to get safely out of the woods."

 _Like hell it will!_ Lydia wanted to scream at him – but she still couldn't. She suspected it was because Cornelius was still clinging to her arm. She didn't want to scare him.

 _I bet he knew this_ , she thought angrily. _He knew I would restrain myself for Cornelius' sake_.

"So that's it, then?" She found her voice at last, her tone demanding and disbelieving all at once. "You're leaving us? _Just_ like that?"

 _You're leaving Cornelius. You're leaving the colony. You're leaving me._

 _You're leaving everything behind for_ _ **revenge**_ _, not knowing if you'll ever come back to us!_

Caesar's eyes were like steel as he moved his gaze from Orion and back to her.

"He must pay." The Ape King repeated, as if that was all the justification he needed.

And then, after a last, slightly softer look down at his last living child, who was still gently sobbing into the back of Lydia's hand, Caesar tore his eyes away and turned around, trudging determinedly towards his horse.

" _Father! Father!_ " Cornelius began to sign in panic, accompanied by sorrowful gibbering once he realised his parent, his last living relative, was moving away from him.

Once he realised Caesar was _leaving_ him.

His distressed hoots made Lydia's heart clench and she bent down to lay her arms around the ape child in a comforting embrace. Tinker began cooing softly at the prince before she stared hopelessly up at Rocket, as if begging him to do something. _Anything_.

Beside her, Orion was staring after the Ape King with a deep frown, making him look at least ten years older than he actually was, while Ivy clung to his arm – whether to calm him down or to ground herself, Lydia could not tell.

Meanwhile, the human woman was fuming, resisting the urge to dig her fingers into something in fear of accidentally hurting Cornelius. He had buried his face against her shoulder, his arms wrapped around her as he quietly whimpered.

 _You bastard…_ Lydia thought, and for the very first time in all of her years with the apes, she felt nothing but anger and hurt towards the Ape King as she watched his retreating form. _You selfish bastard!_

She was too busy staring with eyes full of anger as Caesar disappeared on his horse behind the trees, his departure accompanied by a cacophony of confused, nervous hoots, to notice how Maurice, Luca and Rocket all shared meaningful looks above her head. It was only when Rocket hooted to draw the attention of his mate that Lydia's mind returned to what was going on in her vicinity, and she turned to stare as Rocket came over on his horse, reaching down to gently touch the side of Tinker's face.

" _We must go and help him…_ " He signed, his eyes begging her to understand. To forgive him – Like Caesar's eyes _hadn't_ begged of Lydia.

Tears were streaming down Tinker's cheeks, but the female chimp nodded all the same, squeezing her mate's hand reassuringly before she stepped back to let him ride away with his companions.

Lydia barely managed to acknowledge the stare Maurice directed her way as he rode past, but what little she did manage to catch before he faced away from her was an imploring, apologetic stare.

She knew what he wanted to tell her with those eyes.

 _Forgive Caesar. He's in a dark place right now. Don't hate him for it._

 _And please don't follow him like we do._

But Lydia… Lydia looked down at Cornelius, so small and still whimpering in her arms, and she knew she couldn't go along with this.

The look in Caesar's eyes as he had handed the ape child over to her…

Anger.

Determination.

 _Resignation._

He was going on a suicide mission, and he knew it. He _knew_ he was probably not returning to raise his last living child. He had left that job to Lydia.

In any other situation, she would probably have felt honoured by something like that, her lover entrusting the safety and upbringing of his only child to her – but Lydia didn't see it this way.

No, this wasn't Caesar showing her that he trusted her to take care of Cornelius. This was him abandoning everything he was supposed to love and protect for his own, selfish purposes.

And Lydia would _not_ stand for it.

"Cornelius…" She spoke softly – as softly as she could, at least, given the raging storm inside of her. "Cornelius, I need you to stay here with Tinker. Look after her and help Orion and Ivy and Lake. Can you do that for me?"

He stared up at her, those bright, intelligent eyes shining with tears and his bottom lip quivering ever so slightly – but he nodded all the same as he clutched at Lydia's shoulders.

"I have to go and help your dad, okay? I'm going to make sure he comes back to you. In the meantime, promise me you'll be good to Tinker and everyone else, alright?"

He nodded again, dutifully, and Lydia reached up to brush her hand gently against his cheek. Such a brave little ape child…

"Thank you, Sweetie…" She spoke gently as she kissed his brow. It was strange, using that term of endearment for someone other than Orion, but in this moment, it just felt… right.

At least in this, Caesar had been somewhat correct… She _had_ been a mother for him since Cornelia had died.

Of the four remaining adults standing around her, Orion, Ivy, Lake and Tinker, it was only the latter who voiced any sort of protest, and a weak one at that.

" _You are leaving us too?_ " She signed, her look almost accusing.

Lydia knew why.

Caesar had placed Cornelius in _her_ care. Orion had returned home only _yesterday_. She and Tinker had been each other's greatest support for the better part of _two years_. A support they had both come to depend on…

And now Lydia was telling her that _she_ was leaving too.

An almost pained sigh left Lydia as Cornelius obediently went into his honorary aunt's arms, staring between the human and the older chimp with heartbreakingly sad eyes.

"I'm doing this for _him_ , Tinker… Please understand…" Lydia spoke with a pained voice, her eyes begging her dear friend not to hate her for doing this.

" _I do understand… I just don't like it._ " Tinker conceded, shoulders slumping as she hugged the little prince close to her, nodding in acceptance at Lydia.

 _That makes two of us…_ The human woman thought, but still found a sense of relief in the fact that Tinker wasn't blaming her for this whole thing.

She then, finally, turned to her son… her _eldest_ son, because she figured that Cornelius counted as hers by now too, even if the idea of taking Cornelia's place still didn't sit well with her, even after all this time.

"Sweetie, I'm so, so sorry, I-I know you've just come back, and I've missed you so much, but-"

"Mother." He interrupted her for the second time that day, though still in that gentle, understanding tone of voice that she found was entirely unique to Orion. "I understand why you need to go. I have missed you so much as well but…"

He looked over at the Ape Prince, Orion's green gaze full of sympathy and compassion.

"I have lost a father… I do not want that for Cornelius…" He spoke quietly, and Lydia felt a lump form in her throat. "You must make sure it does not happen."

Despite it all, the anger at Caesar, the sadness at the mention of Roy's death and the physical pain as her arm throbbed, Lydia managed to smile, pride and love shining in her blue eyes.

"What did I ever do to deserve a son like you?" She asked, and though it was rhetorical, she did truly consider the question.

Lydia had, despite what others might say, never seen herself as a particularly _good_ person. She merely did what she thought was the right thing to do, as anyone ought to, and lived with the consequences of her decisions. She had shunned contact with her own species, even waged war against them. She had killed to stay alive and she had felt great satisfaction in doing so. In getting petty, bloody revenge – much like the one Caesar was now seeking, even if the images of the act itself still haunted her to this day.

So how in the world had she managed to raise such a fine, understanding, selfless and fiercely loyal son? It really was beyond her.

Orion shook his head, a barely visible smile on his lips.

"You and Father showed me that love is wonderful – but not simple. That you do not have to be chipped from the same flint stone to fit together perfectly. And that you do not need to be an ape on the outside to love an ape child." He spoke solemnly, though his voice was warm and full of emotion. "Go, Mother. I will take Blaze and you can take Storm with you."

Lydia bit her lip in an effort to keep her tears at bay and reached over to grab the back of Orion's neck, pulling his forehead against her own.

"Stay alive, Son. Promise me." She implored, her voice almost breaking. She hated having to leave him. With every fibre in her body, she _hated_ it.

"You too, Mother." Orion whispered with a gentle exhale before they both pulled back, nodding at each other.

It was a promise.

She resisted the urge to extend her pinkie like she always had with her brother Matthew back when she was still a kid, and instead turned to Ivy to bid her farewell.

"Look out for each other, okay?" She hugged the small female chimp, feeling her nod against Lydia's shoulder. Her emerald eyes were damp when the woman pulled back, and she grabbed on to Orion's arm for comfort.

 _As long as they are together, they will be fine_ , Lydia thought, reassuring herself.

Another quick hug for Lake, and Lydia grabbed her backpack, slinging it onto her back, shortly followed by her quiver and bow. Her horse gave a slight start as she mounted, shaking its head agitatedly once she was settled, eager to move.

She gave a final, resolute nod at Orion and Ivy, and a lingering stare at little Cornelius before giving her steed a firm kick at its flanks and charging towards the forest, Storm right behind her, panting.

It hurt from the very first bounce as the horse settled into a gallop, Lydia's bicep screaming in protest every time the beast's hooves made contact with the dirt beneath it.

The dark-haired woman huffed and knitted her brows as her eyes keenly followed the path she knew the four ape males had taken.

Even if the tracks from their horses' hooves weren't hard to follow, it still took Lydia longer than she would have liked to reach them. She first caught sight of their backs as the forest trail ebbed out into a wider, grassy clearing.

It was Storm's barks of recognition which prompted the four of them to stop and turn their horses halfway around and stare almost dumbfounded at Lydia as she came up to them.

Well, all except Caesar.

The Ape King was staring at her, not in surprise, but in anger.

But that was something Lydia had expected. Something she was prepared for.

"What are you doing here?" He asked darkly once she had reached the four apes, her horse releasing a breathy huff of exertion once she pulled the reins to stop it.

"Isn't it obvious?" She immediately challenged with an unimpressed stare. She had a feeling that Maurice and the others might have been more submissive in their reasoning with Caesar as to why he needed their assistance. She knew they would have had that argument before she had come along. He had seemed hell-bent on doing this thing alone, after all.

Lydia had no intention of being submissive.

"I told you to take care of Cornelius." The Ape King fumed, his voice only a hair's breadth away from being an all-out growl.

It made the horses uneasy.

She scoffed, hoisting the left strap of her backpack higher onto her shoulder. It hurt her injured arm, but she was too preoccupied to even flinch.

"Tinker will do that instead. Together with Lake and Ivy and Orion."

"No." He said immediately after she had finished speaking, the word bordering on an interruption. "You will go back and keep him safe. That is the task you have been charged with."

Out of the corner of her eye, she could just barely make out Luca and Rocket sharing an uncomfortable look. Maurice had begun to rumble lowly in that placating manner of his, but they all knew that it wouldn't help. The air was too tense for something so simple to diffuse it.

Lydia, despite the anger and indignation at being spoken to like that, and by her lover, no less, maintained a calm façade as her eyes stared directly into Caesar's flinty gaze.

"I will not." A challenge, spoken simply and matter-of-factly, but a challenge nonetheless.

A challenge to Caesar's authority over her. Something she hadn't _really_ questioned since that fateful night back at the chimp's childhood home, when Lydia had insisted that she come along as well for the fight with Koba.

That time, Rocket had come to her aid and convinced Caesar to let her tag along. Today, Lydia knew that the balding ape would do no such thing – and she didn't want him to, either.

The sounds of the forest, birds chirping and crickets calling, was all that could be heard as the two stared each other down.

Caesar's hackles raised a fraction at her defiance, thrown so blatantly in his face while in front of his most trusted apes. When he made his dark steed take a few steps forward so that he was almost beside her, facing her, Lydia had almost thought he would grab her reins to try and force her own horse around. To forcibly make her go back, whether she wanted to or not.

Instead, he just stared into her eyes, his lips thin and his nostrils flared as he exhaled. If he could have pushed her with his stare alone, Lydia would most likely have been shoved all the way back to Minnesota by now.

"Why?" He asked simply, though the anger was simmering just below the surface as he spoke – it was almost palpable to her.

And still she didn't budge.

"Because you need me more than Cornelius does right now." Lydia spoke, knowing that it was a risky thing to say. Sure, Maurice knew of the relationship she shared with Caesar, but Luca and Rocket did not, and she figured that now would be a poor time to have to come clean about what was going on between them. But Caesar understanding why she went against him, why she _had_ to, was more important right now. "I'm going to keep you alive and make sure you get back to your son."

He shook his head at her, his anger temporarily diminished, though his expression was still one of denial.

"You do not have to. Maurice has already stated that as his purpose on this journey. You may return to the others now." What little softness for her she did detect in those words was drowned by his utter dismissal of her. Like she was a child who was told to go back to their room.

She frowned at him, straightening in her saddle.

"Well, then Maurice is going to get some backup, because I am _not_ going back, Caesar." She spoke with an air of finality, her head held high as she faced him, his explosive temper be damned.

And for a very brief moment, it did indeed look like the Ape King was about to explode, his chest expanding with a calculated inhale and his stare drilling into Lydia. Behind him, Rocket, Luca and Maurice held very still, though they looked like they were preparing to spring into action and hold Caesar back, should it be necessary.

But Lydia knew better – even if he was furious with her, Caesar would never harm her. He did still love her, just as she loved him, after all, even if he was being an inconsiderate, selfish _bastard_ right now.

In the end, as Lydia had expected, Caesar calmed down, releasing the air trapped within his lungs in what she interpreted to be a sigh of resignation and annoyance.

His green-and-golden gaze strayed briefly down to her injured arm and she just hoped blood hadn't started seeping out again. She didn't need for him to find yet another excuse to try and send her away.

"Fine." He spoke almost sullenly, his gaze returning to her face. "Just keep up. We slow for no one."

 _He thinks I can't handle this_ , Lydia realised, instantly recognising the feeling of pure spitefulness as it bloomed inside her chest. _He thinks I'll slow them all down. He thinks I'm better off licking my wounds back at the colony._

 _But I am not! And I won't!_

Lydia simply nodded at him, her face a mask of indifference, even if her insides swam with equal parts indignation, hurt, anger and determination to prove him wrong.

"So we best get going, then." She spoke, lightly kicking her horse's flanks, prompting it to trot forward, past the Ape King, at a gentle pace.

The three other apes welcomed her with tentative nods and worried looks – Lydia only acknowledged the former as Caesar turned his horse around and rode to the forefront of the group once more.

And so, the five of them rode on, away from the rising sun and everything they held dear, and just then, it seemed to Lydia as if Caesar was now desperately chasing the waning darkness.


	59. The Veil Of Anger

_**Caesar**_

To say that Caesar was angry was a gross understatement.

Even now, a few days after their departure from the colony, the Ape King was _furious_ with his mate and made sure to let it show. It was night time and the two had gone off to discuss things in private while everyone else was asleep back at the campsite. It would have been a lovely sight for one of their quiet evenings, with the sound of the ocean's waves in the distance and the moon's pale light shining down upon them, but their tranquil surroundings were the last thing on Caesar's mind right now.

"You should _not_ have come." He spoke, eyeing Lydia with a disapproving look – a look that seemed to have little to no effect on her right now, which only served to irk him further.

"Yes, you already said that five times." She answered calmly. Tiredly. Her arms were crossed over her chest as she sat on a large, lichen-covered boulder. "I still fail to see what you're trying to achieve by doing so, though."

He very nearly bristled at her insolence.

"I charged you with taking care of Cornelius in my absence, and _still_ you came here!" He fumed. "You are the mother he knows! The one he feels safest with and you _left_ him!"

At that, her eyes seemed to flash with anger as she turned her head sharply to face him head on.

"Don't you _dare_ pretend that what you did was a show of trust or shared parental responsibility! You made this decision all by yourself, not even bothering to discuss _any_ of it with _me_!" She wasn't yelling – at least not yet – but her tone was defiant and shoulders square as she stared up at him.

In any other circumstances, Caesar would have been impressed by her ability to face him like this. True, he wouldn't hurt her like he would a challenging ape male, but it was still a wonder to him how she absolutely refused to bow her head in submission like everyone else usually did when faced with his angry stare.

Right now, however, Caesar was not impressed one bit. He gritted his teeth, catching himself thinking that Cornelia, while she may have protested his actions, would never have defied him like this. He immediately felt guilty for the thought and managed to remind himself that there really was no comparing the two females. Doing so would be unfair to both of them and a fool's errand on Caesar's part.

"I did what I deemed to be best for you all." He answered, trying with all his might to calm himself.

Lydia didn't make that task any easier, though, as she raged on with matching intensity.

" _You_ abandoned _us_!" She accused, something akin to betrayal present in her gaze.

Caesar chose to ignore it.

"I left to give you all a fighting chance!"

"Do you still expect me to believe that or have you _actually_ become delusional enough to believe in it _yourself_?" Lydia wrinkled her nose at him in disbelief, a frown on her face.

It caught him off-guard and he recoiled just a fraction at the jab.

"What?!" The Ape King exclaimed as his hackles steadily began to rise. He was definitely not used to that tone from her – or anyone, for that matter – and was momentarily stunned by it.

Which only provided Lydia with enough time to argue further.

"You said the soldiers would chase after you, but do you really believe that they'll be looking for you alone? all by yourself? They'll expect you to be with _your apes_ , Caesar!"

"I will track them before they search for the colony." He insisted stubbornly. "When I kill him, the soldiers will be chasing me instead."

She shook her head at him, disappointment and disbelief showing on her face, and once again only managing to further aggravate his temper.

"To what end, Caesar?" Lydia questioned critically. "So far we have only managed to follow their tracks. Even if we _do_ catch up with them, how are you going to get close to him? And how did you ever expect to do it alone in the first place? What if he splits up his forces to cover a wider area?"

Caesar's frown deepened as his agitation swelled within his gut. He knew he couldn't answer these questions – in truth, he hadn't even thought about these things. He just knew what he had to do and that he couldn't let anything, or anyone stop him.

Not even Lydia.

She didn't give him time to come up with a reply either way, shaking her head once more as she continued to speak.

"And even then, if you actually _did_ manage to kill him and have his army chase you, how would it end, Caesar? _When_ would it end?" Lydia pressed, leaning forward. "Did you _ever_ plan on returning to us?"

That question struck Caesar particularly hard as he thought of the implications behind it. Was he going to let the soldiers chase him for the rest of his life? Would they be willing to go that far? Was he ever going to be able to shake them off and return to his apes? To Lydia?

To his son?

Or would the soldiers manage to kill him before he could get away?

He gritted his teeth again and stared hard at his mate, neither of them willing to back down.

Yes, he decided. He _would_ be able to escape them. He was _one_ ape and he had faced many dangers before in his life and still survived. He had survived the prison that had been San Bruno, the apes' escape across the bridge, the trials and tribulations of learning to live in the forest, all the while being chased by humans and their horrible weapons. He had survived Koba's betrayal, Cornelia's death and numerous skirmishes in the forest for the past two years.

And a few nights prior, he had survived the Colonel's attempt at his life…

Still, he knew that this was not guaranteed to work as he intended – few things ever seemed to, honestly. It was why he had told Maurice, Luca and Rocket, when they had come riding after him, that he might not make it back.

It had been a warning.

Caesar had known even then that this could potentially be a suicide mission, which was why he had left Cornelius in Lydia's care to begin with.

He hadn't stopped to think how _she_ might feel about it. How it might affect her. How his absence might make her suffer.

True, he hadn't discussed it with her, but only because he knew that she would protest and, worst of all, follow him on his quest for revenge. He knew her well enough to predict this. That was why he had not told her anything until he had handed Cornelius over to her, counting on her to stay for the child's sake as she stood with his hand in hers.

But no matter his counter-measures, she had followed him anyway! Just like Maurice, Luca and Rocket had done, only it hadn't been nearly as infuriating for them to do so, because he hadn't specifically put any of _them_ in charge of his son's upbringing while Caesar himself was absent!

"The apes would be fine without me." He stated simply, only vaguely answering her question – he had had every intention of returning, sure, but that didn't mean that it was going to happen. Life was unpredictable like that, he had learned. "And I have to do this, Lydia."

"No! You _don't_ have to do this, and you _don't_ have to do it alone either! You're being selfish! That's all there is to this, Caesar!" She uncrossed her arms from her chest, planting them firmly on top of the boulder she was sitting on and letting her nails dig into the thin layer of lichen beneath her fingers.

" _You_ left everyone behind as well to follow me! And not just Cornelius, but Orion as well!" He knew it was probably a pathetic move on his part to drag Orion into this, but that didn't change the fact that she _had_ left him behind. Left her own son to chase after the Ape King, her secret lover. And right after he had returned to her after two years' separation as well.

But yet again, Lydia seemed intent on countering him – and now he had made the mistake of pulling Orion into their argument.

"Don't you even start!" She hissed venomously, her blue eyes narrowing at him. "You know there's a huge difference between _me_ leaving Orion and _you_ leaving Cornelius!"

"And where lies _that_ difference? Care to explain?" He couldn't help but challenge, staring down at her expectantly.

"Well, first of all, Orion is an _adult_ now! He can fend for himself and doesn't need my protection anymore. But Cornelius _does_ need protection! He's just a child and he still needs _you_ , for goodness' sake! He deserves better than for his father, his only living relative, to dump him into the arms of someone else like this!"

Caesar bristled at that, puffing out his chest and looming in front of Lydia like a menacing beast – had it been anyone else facing him, they would have shrunk back and tried to appease the Ape King.

But not Lydia. She still held firm, staring defiantly up at him, directly into his eyes, and still with her hands planted firmly beside her on the boulder, making her look like she was ready to jump up at him at any moment.

"I did not ' _dump_ ' him and not into just ' _someone's_ ' arms! I put you in charge of his safety because I trust you! Because _he_ trusts you! You and the apes are the most precious thing I have!"

"Then why leave?! Huh?!" She persisted once again. Was that a hint of hurt in her eyes?

Caesar couldn't tell, and besides, it was gone as quickly as it had appeared, making him wonder if it had even been there at all.

What he _could_ tell, however, was that they were arguing in circles. Like they had done all night, really.

"If we are so _precious_ to you, why did you insist on leaving everyone behind? To seek petty revenge? Just for the sake of getting back at one man when your entire people need you?"

"He killed my son." Caesar growled with vehemence. "Snuck into our _home_. He hurt _you_ – tried to _kill_ you!"

The Ape King's canines showed just a little bit more with every word uttered and his brow were knitted together so tightly he could feel the strain on his forehead even through his anger.

"Can you say that you would not do the same if it had been Orion?"

"Even if it had been the case and I had gone, the difference is that I don't lead the entire fucking colony!" She argued, eyes full of fury and frustration. It was rare she used profanities when talking to him – a clear sign that she was truly frustrated with him right now. "You think Blue Eyes' death doesn't hurt me too? For fuck's sake, I _saw_ it happen, Caesar! I've known him since he was just a child! You think I can't imagine what it's like for you?"

Her voice began to tremble slightly as she said that, though Caesar paid no mind to this fact – only her words, which had stoked the now roaring fire that was his temper.

Something inside that fire now seemed to solidify into a heavy, cold metal ball in his chest, which quickly expanded inside his chest and squeezed his next words out of him.

Words he never meant to say.

"How could you know what it is like to lose a child when your own was never truly _yours_ to begin with?!" He spat harshly. Brutally.

And he regretted it as soon as that sentence had left his mouth.

Dead silence fell between them then, for the first time since they had come here. The only sounds now were the distant rumble of waves crashing against the shore, the wind rustling the trees' leaves and Caesar's slowing pants as his anger suddenly dissipated.

The cold, heavy metal ball in his chest seemed to shrink back into nothingness in a mere instant, and instead he felt how his heart constricted as he watched Lydia's expression transform in front of him. She drew back with widened eyes, her jaw going slack as she stared up at him in shock. It was almost like she couldn't believe he had said it – which was probably true. Honestly, Caesar couldn't quite believe it himself either.

Now, the Ape King had never been drunk – had never had as much as a sip of alcohol in his life, in fact – but he had seen others, humans, being drunk, and heard the expression 'sobering up', though he had never quite understood the term.

He was pretty sure he did now, however, because this fit the description Malcolm had once provided pretty well. Like a sort of veil distorting your vision being removed from your eyes so that you can see clearly once more. Control yourself and your basest of impulses again. It usually happened slowly, over time, but could also be an instant reaction to something dangerous or regrettable.

Like what had happened right now.

The veil that had distorted his vision in this moment had been Caesar's anger, and it had now been exchanged for the clarity of deep, deep regret as he stared at Lydia in trepidation.

The woman in question seemed to be gathering herself, taking in a trembling, calculated breath.

"So _that's_ what you think…" She stated coldly, matter-of-factly, even, finally breaking the silence after several moments of them just staring at each other.

He hated how all traces of her previous anger had completely vanished. How the fight and passion had left her eyes in exchange for… What _was_ this expression, exactly?

Hurt? Betrayal? Horrified realisation?

A lump appeared in his throat.

Now, anger he could deal with. It wasn't as if he _liked_ Lydia being angry, but it was easier to handle for him than this – whatever _this_ was called.

"Lydia, I…" The Ape King began but couldn't finish. What was he supposed to say?

He hadn't meant it, had he? Why had he even said it if he hadn't?

But even as the question formed his mind, Caesar realised that he already knew why.

He had been angry, frustrated and spiteful – more so than he could remember ever being. And because of this, he had gone for the lowest blow possible. The one he _knew_ would hurt the most.

No, he hadn't meant it. He had always known that Orion was as much a son to Lydia as Blue Eyes was to Caesar. She loved that ape like only a parent could love their child, and she had proved it time and time again during her years in the colony.

But how could he ever convince Lydia that this was how he really felt _now_?

She got up from her seat on the boulder, her posture stiff and her arms hanging limply by her sides.

He wished she would go back to being angry. Even more than she had been before he had said those words. He wished she would shout and scream at him, beat her fists against his chest in fury and throw the worst insults she could think of in retaliation.

Anything but this horrible apathy. This quiet acceptance of his words as she let them sink in.

"I think we're done here." She spoke at last, and though she tried to keep her tone clipped, the tears glistening in the corners of her eyes gave away her state of mind.

And even if Caesar was still consumed by his hatred for the Colonel, by the need to see this man dead by the Ape King's own hands, the sight of Lydia's tears managed to, at least temporarily, put her and the pain he had caused her at the forefront of his mind.

She was going to leave, he realised. She was going to turn away from him and leave without giving him the chance to apologise. He hadn't meant what he had said, what he had _insinuated_ , and he knew he had to make her see that before she went off to sleep with that thought lingering on her mind.

He needed to make sure she knew – knew that he was just angry and protective and sensitive and oh so very sorry.

That she knew he loved her.

"Lydia, wait! Please-…!" Caesar spoke with urgency, panic gripping at his heart.

He had to make this right!

He reached out quickly, without a thought, desperate to make her stay and listen. He didn't think twice about how he grabbed her upper left arm, his strong grip tightening around the still-healing wound there.

Not until it was too late.

Lydia yelped loudly in pain and Caesar retracted his hand from her as if burned.

His green-and-golden eyes widened in horror as he looked at her arm and saw how thin trails of blood began to slowly seep out from underneath the primitive leaf-bandage, the red liquid rolling down Lydia's pale skin.

He had reopened the wound.

Taking a tentative step forward, Caesar immediately wanted to apologise for this as well, to soothe her and hold her close and tell her he didn't mean for this to happen. Not _any_ of this.

But she drew back from him, cradling her injured arm with her other hand and eyeing Caesar with blue orbs full of wariness. Of uncertainty.

"Lydia… Lydia, I did not-" He tried, stumbling over his own words, his posture restless and awkward.

"Don't." She interrupted quietly, but firmly.

He wanted to get closer and reassure her that it was an accident. That he hadn't meant to hurt her.

But she wouldn't allow him, and he couldn't rightly blame her for it.

"Just don't… Just…" She bit her lip as she paused, taking another step away from him. "Just leave me be."

Her words hit him like a falling giant redwood, crushing him under their weight as she spoke them.

She turned away then, still holding on to her injured arm as her long legs carried her away from him and back towards the campsite, where Luca, Maurice and Rocket (hopefully) still lie sleeping. Caesar could do nothing but stare after her as she disappeared into the darkness as feelings of guilt and regret threatened to consume him together with the rage that still seemed to keep him in a chokehold.

He had hurt Lydia. Unintentionally, yes, but he had hurt her nonetheless. And not just emotionally, but physically too!

It was unacceptable.

He took an almost dizzy step forward and placed his hand on top of the boulder Lydia had been sitting on just moments ago, supporting himself against it as he sat down. Once seated, he turned his head towards the sound of the crashing waves, staring blankly into the night for the longest time.

Then he leaned forward and placed his head in his hands, squeezing his eyes shut against his palms.

The warmth on his face did nothing to calm his raging, regretful heart, which was still beating violently against the inside of his chest even though the argument was over.

Well, over for now, at least…

He drew in a deep breath, as slow and steady as he could manage, trying with all his might to just _breathe_ and _think_ , but nothing seemed to help.

This was all _wrong_ and he had handled the whole thing in the _worst_ possible manner.

This had been the biggest fight they had ever had, and he had brushed off every sensible point she had made – because even in his anger, Caesar recognised that he had failed to think things through.

And he was loath to be made aware of this, too.

That was why he had lashed out at her. That was why he had said… _that_.

He couldn't even think the sentence now with how shameful he felt about it.

The worst part was that he knew, deep down, in a part of his mind that he didn't dare acknowledge right now, that his mate was right, at least for the most part. He knew this wasn't what was best for the colony – it probably wasn't even what was best for Caesar himself – and it sure as hell wasn't what was best for Cornelius or Lydia, his two most precious people in this entire world…

But he was in too deep now to back out.

Caesar knew the rage bubbling inside of him wouldn't disappear until the Colonel had paid for what he had done, no matter the sensible the points Lydia had made before this argument had ended in total disaster.

No matter what was best for _anyone_ right now.

No, Caesar needed to ride on, and he needed to believe that his plan would work, even if he had thought it through at all.

He turned his gaze to the darkness Lydia had disappeared into. He would never have hurt her like this if it hadn't been for the Colonel and what he had done to them…

The thought alone managed to renew the Ape King's resolve.

Yes, he _had_ to do this…

But… for the first time since they had left, Caesar caught himself wondering if he would have something to return to once this was all over.

* * *

 ** _Maurice_**

Maurice knew something was wrong the moment he woke up at dawn and saw that Lydia was already saddling her horse, Storm prowling anxiously by the woman's legs.

Well, something was more wrong than usual as of late, that is.

Over the last few days, Luca or Rocket had helped Lydia tighten the cinch of her horse's saddle, but right now, she was doing it herself – albeit with visible difficulty. Her movements were strained due to her wound, even if it _was_ healing, and though her posture was straight, her head was bowed low in an uncharacteristically sulking manner.

The orangutan frowned softly and turned his gaze suspiciously towards the Ape King, who was slowly getting up himself as well.

He didn't look too good either, which quickly brought Maurice to the conclusion that something must have happened between the two during the night, while everyone else had been asleep. Not that things had been going well between the Ape King and his secret mate the last couple of days, but the two had at least been on speaking terms, even if they had been angry with one another.

That didn't seem to be the case anymore.

Now, Caesar's eyes sought Lydia's fruitlessly and he didn't even try to speak to her once he realised that she was stubbornly avoiding his gaze. Soon enough, it seemed like the Ape King decided to maintain status quo and go prepare his own steed for the day's ride, passing Lydia with a look that was equal parts guilty and sour.

Maurice released a deep, rumbling sigh as he got up, turning his head to find himself sharing a brief look with Rocket and Luca interchangeably. They had been in the middle of rolling up the pelts they had brought along to sleep on but had briefly paused to observe the exchange – or lack thereof – between the Ape King and his human council member. They both wore a mixture of worry and puzzlement on their dark faces, though Rocket's expression turned questioning once his eyes made contact with Maurice's.

The elder ape shook his head subtly. He couldn't explain it now and quite honestly, even though this _was_ Rocket, he wasn't even sure he _should_ explain it.

Evidently, neither ape knew what the elder orangutan did. Rocket had just returned home a few days ago, after all, and Luca, while a trusted friend and commander of the Gorilla Guard, wasn't someone Caesar or Lydia had shared their deep, dark secret with – at least not to Maurice's knowledge.

Besides, it was the Ape King and human woman's business, and Maurice would respect their right to inform whoever they thought needed to know on their own.

But… If this new development would turn out to be something long-lasting, then the orangutan feared he might end up not having a choice at all in the matter.

Lydia had already mounted her horse way before any of the apes had even managed to saddle their own steeds, and the woman spent the time waiting staring out across the land that lie ahead, an oddly vacant look in her deep, blue eyes.

The orangutan rode up beside her once he had managed to mount his own horse, following the woman's gaze and waiting for her to say something, at least to _him_ , if not to Caesar.

They were following the south-western shoreline, where the ocean's waves crashed against the sand, which gave way to sharply defined, grassy hills and ledges before the edge of the forest came into view further back. The forest was less dense here, the trees standing further apart than they did further inland, and most of them looked wind-beaten and dishevelled. Still, Maurice thought it was a beautiful landscape, despite the lack of cover from the trees feeling wholly unnatural to him.

"You want me to tell you what's going on." Lydia spoke softly beside him, the sound of the crashing waves almost drowning out her words. It wasn't a question – merely a statement. She knew very well what his intentions were from the moment he had approached her.

She had purposely kept her voice low, he knew, so that the others wouldn't hear.

He nodded but pursed his lips immediately afterwards, correcting himself.

" _If you would tell me_." He signed as discreetly as he could

"You really do seem to notice everything."

" _I think we all noticed this time._ " He inclined his head towards Luca and Rocket, who were just about to finish up readying their horses. Caesar was already in the saddle, letting his horse graze as he surveyed the path leading north. " _And don't try to dodge the subject, please. You can tell me or not, but don't think I can be fooled by flattery_."

He tried to be gentle with her in his wording, seeing as she was clearly upset about something. Lydia had become better at sharing her feelings with a select few individuals, including Maurice, over the last two years, but she could still occasionally struggle with getting things off her chest. Besides, this wasn't exactly a private place to discuss this either, but Maurice felt he needed to get to the bottom of this if he was ever going to help – however _that_ might happen.

She sighed in what seemed like equal parts defeat and frustration, her shoulders slumping heavily, which immediately caused her to wince in discomfort. He barely resisted the urge to reach over and lay a comforting hand on her forearm, knowing she disliked being doted upon. He didn't want her to think he was somehow pitying her right now.

"It was just a stupid argument. The same one we've had ever since I came along on this trip, really, just…" She paused, biting her bottom lip as she thought her words over. "Just, it escalated this time…"

" _How?_ " The orangutan inquired gently, narrowing his eyes in worry.

"I'd rather not talk about it, Maurice. Suffice to say that things were said that were never meant to be…" Lydia turned her gaze back to the scenery. "And things happened that weren't supposed to…"

The way her eyes quickly darted down to briefly look at her bandaged arm didn't escape Maurice's notice, no matter how much she obviously tried to resist the urge. She looked away from him, then.

" _He hurt you?_ " The red ape questioned, disbelieving.

He knew Caesar had been changed by the attack on the colony, by the attack on his family and the death of his son. He knew it had affected the Ape King in a horrible way, but he still wouldn't, _couldn't_ believe that he would do something to hurt Lydia, no matter how defiant she might be.

She eyed him carefully before she shook her head.

"He didn't mean to, I know he didn't… I was turning to leave after he had said something… awful… and he reached for me to try and make me stay…" She explained quietly, averting her gaze once more as she reached forward to run her fingers through her horse's mane. "Still hurt, though… all of it…"

The aging orangutan nodded in understanding and decided not to press her further. He still wore a disapproving expression, however, and wondered what it was Caesar had said to make Lydia so evasive of the Ape King. He knew it must have been something personal, a few subjects already coming to mind as he thought it over. Cornelius, for example. Or Orion, or Roy – all sensitive subjects to Lydia.

But right now, he figured it was best to save that particular inquiry for another time. Luca and Rocket had mounted their horses now, anyway, and were ready to go.

Instead, Maurice decided to change the subject as they turned to ride towards their three companions. Storm still kept close to Lydia, occasionally looking up at the woman, as if to check up on her.

" _When we make camp, let me take a look at that._ " He signed before inclining his head towards her bandaged arm.

He could tell he almost managed to make her smile by saying this, as she raised her brow at him with a humorously doubtful look.

"I don't recall you ever having treated wounds. You sure you're up for the task?" Lydia asked as they kicked their steeds into a brisk trot along the forest's edge, Caesar, as always, leading the group on top of his black stallion.

Maurice couldn't help but huff at that, though not without a mirthful glint in his green eyes.

" _I believe I have seen enough to know how to change a bandage, thank you_." The aging orangutan answered with only a small hint of mock-indignation, his gaze playful in an attempt to finally make her give a smile. Just a little one for the road ahead would do.

And to his immense relief, Lydia _did_ give a tiny smile in return. It was barely there, just a small pull at the corner of her lips, but it was enough to tell him that Caesar's blunder hadn't been enough to completely rob her of her humour. That was good, Maurice decided. Their king may currently be heading down a slippery slope, but that didn't mean Lydia, or anyone else for that matter, had to do the same. In fact, the elder ape suspected that the Ape King would need them not to in order for him to be able to return to his old self once this was all over and done.

After that, silence prevailed as the five of them rode on, keeping a steady pace as they led their horses through patches of scattered trees and across open fields of grass, following the soldiers' trail.

It was going to be a long day, of that, Maurice was certain.


	60. Victims Of Emotions

_**Rocket**_

It was just around the time when late morning turned to early noon that they came across a couple of human structures. Small, broken-looking wooden cabins with several of their windows shattered and rot eating at the boards making up the facades. They looked barely able to protect against a harsh breeze, in Rocket's opinion.

And yet, smoke was rising up from between the cabins, telling the group that _someone_ was around.

" _Guards think soldiers are here._ " Luca signed to Caesar as they rode up the nearby hill to oversee the area. " _Always fires burning._ "

Rocket looked to Lydia for confirmation to Luca's words, not because he didn't trust the gorilla and his subordinates, but because he trusted Lydia to be more experienced when it came to humans and the signs of their presence. She was one, after all.

The balding ape grunted to gain her attention, as well as that of the others.

" _What are your thoughts on this?_ " He asked with a heavy brow raised in curiosity.

She pursed her lips as her gaze returned to the cabins up ahead, scrutinising them for any sign of military activity.

"I don't think this is a place soldiers would camp out." She answered after a while, her eyes narrowing and her nose scrunching up. "It's too quiet for that to be the case… Still, it's worth checking out, just to be sure. If we don't find anyone we can always search for useful things."

She didn't even look at Caesar as she said this, like she normally would when providing her counsel, and this behaviour puzzled Rocket more and more as the day dragged on. They had been angry at each other ever since the group left the colony, but they had at least still _talked_ and _looked_ at each other.

The balding ape knew Maurice had inquired about it earlier and had been relieved to see that the silent treatment she offered Caesar didn't extend to the rest of the group. None of the ape males had been particularly thrilled to have her join them, but unlike the Ape King, the others hadn't been very vocal about it.

 _Besides_ , Rocket thought to himself, _her skills might come in handy on this mission. It is humans we're dealing with, after all._

In a way, despite the tension it created, it had actually been somewhat a relief that Lydia had come along. She was the only one who seemed able to tell Caesar 'no' and get away with it, which was probably a healthy thing for the large chimp to experience from time to time.

Rocket didn't want to think too much about the implications behind this fact.

 _But perhaps she has told him 'no' one too many times now? Perhaps that's the reason for this avoidance?_ He couldn't help but ponder, though even then, Rocket had a hard time imagining what Caesar could have done or said to warrant this sudden silence.

In any case, he wasn't in a position where he felt he should pry. He wasn't good with such matters, putting more stock in actions rather than words. Words were Maurice's thing.

He could understand Lydia's motivation well enough, however. In truth, Rocket thought his leader and friend had handled the whole thing in a very uncharacteristic and insensitive manner, refraining from consulting any of his council members and simply riding off with little to no warning. The balding ape couldn't help but feel just a little betrayed by that, and he knew that Maurice, Luca and Lydia, obviously, felt much the same way.

Still, Rocket was willing to excuse this behaviour on Caesar's part because he knew what his friend was going through, even if he didn't approve of it. Especially not when the Ape King, unlike Rocket, still had another, much younger child to raise.

It was all just a big mess, really and with every day that passed, Rocket's fear for his old friend and former rival grew just a bit more, as he hoped against hope that whatever it was that had been broken inside Caesar was something that could be mended.

The Ape King nodded all the same and turned his horse to walk calmly along the path towards the cabins, the rest of the group following suit.

The place seemed quiet enough as they finally came up to the shoddy-looking buildings. Patches of tall grass and various other plants partially hid the old wreckage of a rusty car, as well as other metal contraptions stowed around the property. If it hadn't been for the fire burning and the two horses that stood bound by the largest of the cabins, the place might have seemed abandoned to the untrained eye.

Further traces of human activity were everywhere, though, if one took the time to look. Neatly stacked firewood, the well-trodden paths between the buildings, objects scattered all around that seemed to have been deliberately placed for easier access.

Everything led Rocket and the others to believe that someone was living here, but…

"No one here." Rocket informed Caesar as they all dismounted, though they drew their weapons just to be safe – even Lydia, who's eyes keenly swept across the open space between the cabins, bow at the ready in front of her.

"Search the area." Caesar merely informed them in a quiet voice as he disappeared into the building to their immediate left.

They did as they were told, Maurice stepping forward at a slightly brisker pace than the others, despite the fact that he had no weapon.

Rocket was very conscious of keeping Lydia near, preferably behind him, so he could shield her if they happened upon anyone who might mean them harm. He knew she had Storm and that she was a good shot with her bow, but with her arm still injured and his own gun being a more powerful weapon, the balding ape deemed it safer this way.

And it would seem like he was right to do so.

Storm suddenly stopped sniffing around and stood with her hackles raised, growling viciously at something, which immediately made the apes and the human woman tense up.

And sure enough, a human male suddenly appeared out of nowhere after them only having taken a few careful steps into the area. He stopped dead in his tracks the moment he saw them, eyes widened in surprise and his arms full of what Rocket could only guess to be firewood.

The gun slung around the man's shoulder didn't go unnoticed by the chimp, who's posture immediately stiffened, gun raised in preparation for a fight.

The human seemed to swallow a lump caught in his throat before he spoke to them.

"I'm just gonna put this down." Came his tense words as he gestured to the wooden sticks within his grasp.

Storm didn't stop growling.

"Don't do anything stupid…" Lydia warned calmly, and Rocket heard the unmistakable noise of her bowstring as it tightened.

That probably wasn't good for her arm.

The man eyed her and licked his lips nervously. He seemed surprised at the sight of a woman among the apes, though the presence of a fellow human didn't look to be calming him at all.

In the end, Lydia's warning was ignored, as the man reached for his gun the moment the wood he had been holding on to was dropped to the ground with a hollow clatter.

He didn't get to shoot a single time at them, though, as he was soon riddled with bullets himself, the loud bangs sounding in quick succession before the human male fell limply to the ground, staining the dirt with his dark blood.

Rocket very nearly felt his heart get stuck in his throat from the startle and out of the corner of his eye, he could see the slight jump Lydia gave as well.

They all turned to where the shooting had sounded from, only to find Caesar emerging from the small shed he had gone into moments ago, an angry frown present on his face.

He said nothing as he slowly turned his head to look at his companions and though Rocket was relieved that the threat had been dealt with, he couldn't help but feel disturbed at the look in his leader's eyes.

There was no emotion in them other than quiet fury – an expression that seemed to be permanently etched onto the Ape King's features by now.

But at least the threat had been dealt with, the balding chimp reasoned with himself. That ought to be good enough for now.

With careful steps, they all made their way towards the body to examine it and didn't stop Storm as she went forward to sniff all around it. She wasn't growling anymore.

" _What's he doing out here alone?_ " Luca signed perplexedly as they all spotted the marking on the human male's neck.

It was the mark of the soldiers. Their letters. AO – Alpha Omega.

" _Maybe he's a deserter?_ " Rocket suggested. It seemed plausible enough. There had been deserters among the apes as well, individuals not able to cope with the hardships of war, who had left the colony never to be seen again.

Lydia didn't seem convinced that this was the case, however, as she sat crouched by the body to inspect it more closely.

"Why would he need two horses if he's here by himself?" She asked quietly as she raised her head to give the property a critical look once more.

Rocket shared a brief look with Luca. The question made sense and served to keep everyone on edge.

And as if to confirm Lydia's words, a loud crashing sound akin to that of breaking glass came from the largest of the cabins. Rocket thought Storm would start growling again at the commotion as they all turned their gazes towards its source, but all the large canine did was perk up her ears and give a soft whimper. It earned her a comforting scratch behind the ear from Lydia, who seemed just as puzzled as everyone else about her dog's reaction.

Rocket knew Storm was trained to be wary of humans other than Lydia herself. Trained to warn the woman with growls and barks when other humans were near. The balding ape remembered the way both Storm and Blaze had reacted that day all those years ago, when a car had approached while Lydia had been sitting with them on the road.

Any signs of humans and the dogs would react.

But not like this. Not with whimpers and whines.

The apes all knew this well enough.

Lydia stowed away her bow and arrow as she got up from her crouched position by the human male's body and waited for her ape companions to lead the way to the cabin. Rocket immediately went to walk in front of her again, only briefly noticing how she exchanged her bow for her large hunting knife. He nodded in approval – a knife would be better than a bow at such close quarters, should they meet someone hostile inside.

The door came off its hinges with surprising ease and crashed to the floor, revealing the relatively dark interior of the cabin.

The place was a complete mess, really.

Thick layers of dirt covered every surface, and tiny specks of dust fluttered in the rays of sun that fought their way through the filthy window panes. Looking over Caesar's shoulder, Rocket saw that a metal shelf had been knocked over, and that several glass containers had shattered against the floor, spilling their contents. It looked to be several kinds of preserved food.

At least they knew _what_ had made all that racket now – what was left to be answered was _who_ had done it.

No one was in sight. For now.

Rocket walked behind Caesar as the Ape King led them further into the cabin, past rows of fragile-looking shelves with all sort of human objects stored on them. Most looked broken, but Rocket knew that humans, not unlike the apes themselves, were an inventive species. No doubt someone could make use of all this stuff, if they put their mind into it.

Behind Rocket, Luca had snuck in front of Lydia, effectively leaving her shielded between himself and Maurice, who made up the rear of the group. It had Rocket feel a bit more at ease that he only had to think about covering Caesar's back as they made their way to a closed door in the back of the building – whoever it was that had knocked over the shelves, they were most likely hiding in there.

And so, it was with great trepidation and adrenaline pumping relentlessly through his veins that Rocket stepped up behind his leader, readying himself for the worst.

One, two, three breaths and the door was thrown open by the Ape King, Rocket, Luca and Lydia following immediately after.

The balding ape gibbered threateningly as he looked around the room, which was just as dark and dirty as the previous one had been. He held his gun high in the air, ready to fire, though Rocket soon discovered that there was no danger at all.

No, there was nothing in here that could threaten them.

All that there was, to everyone's surprise, was a small, frightened human child pressing herself into the shadows in the corner of her bed, her eyes wide and her breathing laboured by her fear.

It took a short while for Rocket and Luca to lower their guns, only doing so when Maurice lumbered into the room, that calm, serene presence of his helping to dispel the tense atmosphere. Rocket didn't see Lydia lowering her knife at the sight in front of them, but he _did_ hear her soft sigh as she sheathed her weapon.

The only one who remained on high alert was Caesar himself, who was still pointing his gun at the girl. To Rocket's immense relief, his leader's surprised face seemed to indicate that he wasn't going to shoot – he was simply shocked, having not expected to find a child here.

But he was not unreasonably hostile.

It was Maurice's hand forcing him to lower the gun that finally made the Ape King snap out of it, the change seeming almost instantaneous as his gaze hardened once more. Then, he turned away from the human child, as if she wasn't even there, and ordered them all to search the place and take what they could before he left the room.

Rocket shared a look with Maurice before he, too, turned to leave. It didn't sit well with him to just abandon a defenceless child like this, but what were they supposed to do? They were on a mission. A dangerous one.

On his way out, Rocket saw how Lydia was still staring at the girl, her expression unreadable. She looked like she didn't know what to do with herself, not even which leg to put her weight on, standing as if frozen in place. The reaction shouldn't have surprised Rocket as much as it did, honestly, but it was just so rare that he thought of Lydia in relation to other humans anymore. He hadn't thought about how a situation like this might affect her, even if she had largely rejected her own species in favour of a life with the apes.

He reached out and laid a gentle hand on her good arm, drawing her attention to himself.

It worked, for the most part, as she turned her head face him.

" _Come on._ " He signed once he was sure her focus had shifted and inclined his head towards the exit. " _We should go…_ "

It was with obvious reluctance that she nodded at him, and he could easily tell that she was trying very hard to resist the urge to look back over her shoulder at the child still on the bed. Rocket kept his hand on her arm, guiding her out the door and into the larger, messy room.

It didn't escape Rocket's notice that Maurice didn't follow them out, but he paid it no mind as he began to search the place with the others. The orangutan would come, in his own time.

Lydia was quiet as she began methodically rummaging through the place, occasionally picking out an item and placing it in an old leather satchel she had found. It was riddled with tiny holes and the leather's once smooth surface had cracked in several places, but it seemed sturdy enough. Rocket placed a pair of binoculars he had just found inside of it, earning a nod from Lydia.

After a few short moments, Maurice suddenly appeared at the door, seeming worried.

" _Something wrong with her._ " He signed at Caesar. " _I don't think she can speak._ "

A quick sideways glance at Lydia's face confirmed Rocket's suspicion that she shared the orangutan's concern. The way her brows furrowed was proof enough of that.

Caesar, on the other hand, only seemed slightly annoyed at the interruption, staring briefly at Maurice before he turned his head away from the elder ape.

"Come." Was all he said, an air of finality about the word as he walked towards the door.

The look Lydia shot at his retreating form was one of obvious disapproval as she shook her head at the Ape King's behaviour. It was clear she had expected him to at least acknowledge Maurice's words, but whether it was because she thought it was disrespectful towards the orangutan to do otherwise or because she thought Caesar ought to be concerned for the human child, Rocket could not tell.

He only hoisted the leather satchel onto his shoulder with a sigh and walked after his leader, Luca not far behind him.

They all made their way back to their horses, Lydia walking beside Maurice with a soft frown on her face before she gently touched the orangutan's shoulder in what seemed to be a comforting gesture. The aging ape grunted in thanks before she moved towards her black-and-white spotted stallion, swinging into the saddle with relative ease.

It was Storms whimpering just then that drew their attention to the fact that the girl had followed them outside.

She was walking towards the body of the human male still on the ground, her steps slow and tentative as she moved closer. She didn't seem particularly scared by the sight of the dead body, nor saddened by the fact that the one to take care of her was suddenly no more. She just seemed… lost.

Lydia looked particularly stricken by the scene and a hopeless-sounding sigh left her. Even so, she made no move to get off her horse and approach the girl. It was almost as if she was wary of getting near her. Of getting involved.

A heartfelt rumble came from Maurice as he turned to Caesar, his small, green eyes almost pleading.

"She'll die out here alone." He signed softly. Imploringly.

Rocket observed the exchange with keen eyes, trying to discern his leader's expression.

"We cannot take her, Maurice." Caesar's tone was a fraction gentler than it had been all day as he said this, but it did nothing to deter the orangutan.

"I understand…" He replied with the same, slow movements he always used. "But I cannot leave her."

And for a moment, Rocket fully expected Caesar to flat-out reject the elder ape's words. Expected him to tell Maurice that he should stay here and take care of her if he felt so strongly about this. That their mission could not be compromised because of Maurice's moral code.

But the Ape King's eyes sought out Lydia's before he answered, and for the first time that day, the human woman looked back, staring straight into Caesar's green-and-golden gaze. It was a meaningful stare, Rocket could tell. One that spoke a thousand words that the other three apes would never get to hear.

And yet the balding ape knew that look very well. Had received looks similar to it many times in the past.

From his wife.

And suddenly, Rocket felt like he had just understood something crucial. Something he had failed to understand ever since he had returned. Something that had made him wonder ever since they had begun this journey of theirs.

Caesar. Lydia… They were… They must be…

Goodness, he had missed a lot in those two years he had been gone!

He resisted the urge to stare wide-eyed between his leader and the human female, choosing instead to await Caesar's reply with bated breath. To see if he would listen to Lydia's unspoken words.

The Ape King's head turned away from her to instead stare at the little girl over by the dead body, and he pursed his lips in thought.

The reply he finally gave to Maurice seemed to send a wave of relief through everyone present – and Lydia in particular.

"Do as you wish."

And with that, yet another member had joined their mission.

* * *

 ** _Lydia_**

Even with Caesar's acceptance of the girl being brought along, the suspicious, resentful stares he sent her way didn't go unnoticed by Lydia, and she barely resisted the urge to ride between him and Maurice to shield the child from the Ape King's hard stare.

She refused to call it a maternal instinct. After all, she didn't know this child at all and tried her damned best to stay emotionally detached from her. Telling herself it was the best thing to do right now and blatantly ignoring the voice in the back of her mind telling her that she was just being a coward.

That she felt utterly unequipped to take care of a human kid.

The youngest human she had met since she had left the Minneapolis Colony all those years ago had been Alexander, Malcolm's son, who had been sixteen at the time. That had been alright. She could deal with a teenager, and Alex had been a mature one to boot. Besides, he hadn't been Lydia's responsibility and he had been able to answer for himself when need be.

This child, however, was something entirely different. She couldn't be much older than ten, she was completely dependent on them and she seemed to have no voice of her own at all. She had made a few attempts at speaking to Lydia as they rode away from the cabin where the group had found her, but all that seemed to come out were raspy breaths.

When she had realised that it made Lydia somewhat uncomfortable to listen to, she had stopped and snuggled close to Maurice's back, making Lydia feel equal parts relieved and awful all at once.

Theoretically, Lydia knew, she was the one in this group best equipped to take care of this child and here she was, shying away from her responsibility.

Good thing Maurice seemed more than capable of handling things on his own. Otherwise Lydia might have felt even worse.

As late evening approached, their small band came upon a path veering off from the shoreline, and riding through the relatively narrow opening, they all stopped once they saw what they had found.

Lights and makeshift structures, tents and cookfires. Men yelling and the smell of food.

Storm growled lowly beside Lydia's horse, reacting to the threat as the woman had trained her to do.

It was the soldiers. They had found them at last.

But even before their small group had moved stealthily into the wooded area surrounding the camp, Lydia could tell that there were fewer men than there ought to be.

She tended to the horses as Caesar, Rocket and Luca began surveying the camp with the binoculars the balding ape had found that day, though she kept a close eye on the three all the while. Caesar had already been reckless more than once on this trip and she didn't trust him not to be again if he managed to catch sight of his target.

He was very much a victim of his temper.

"Do you see the Colonel?" Luca asked once Caesar's breathing became laboured, which drew everyone's attention. Lydia eyed the Ape King with uncertainty.

"No." He replied darkly. "Winter."

And Lydia didn't know if that was actually worse. The white gorilla had betrayed them by giving away their location, which had quickly become apparent when he had been the only one missing after the soldiers had infiltrated their home that night. It could have been no one else.

Which meant that, indirectly, Winter was to blame for Blue Eyes' death.

That sent a pang of hurt and anger through her own heart and quite honestly, had she not already been so concerned about Caesar doing something reckless, Lydia might have gone along with the impulse to sneak into that camp and deal with the gorilla herself – however _that_ might turn out.

When Caesar appointed Rocket and Luca to sneak in with him to interrogate Winter, Lydia didn't argue to come along like she normally would. She wanted to, goodness knows, but she was just so tired of arguing right now. She still felt like she needed some time to think things through after what happened between her and the Ape King the night before and welcomed the opportunity to not feel his penetrating gaze for just a couple of minutes.

Something she would have thought impossible just a few days ago.

"Just don't get seen, or we'll have hell to deal with." She advised without looking at them, taking the reins of two of the horses, her own and Luca's, and turning away from the soldiers' campsite. "We'll go further into the woods where they won't see us and get a fire going."

Storm followed her obediently, looking up at Lydia with keen eyes and perked ears.

Her choice to stay behind seemed to surprise the four ape males, but they accepted it nonetheless.

Maurice looked relieved as he took the reins of Caesar's and his own horse, letting the little girl take Rocket's and trusting her to follow suit.

She seemed only too happy to be included and eyed the dark steed at the end of the rough-hewn rope with gentle affection and awe as they walked. The beast was so much larger than her that it almost seemed comical to Lydia how it obediently let itself be guided by this scrawny-looking human child, but then again, Rocket's horse was a very even-tempered one.

They found a suitable spot only a few hundred yards into the dense, moss-riddled forest, where a depression in the terrain would provide them with good cover from prying eyes. Add to that the fact that it was partially surrounded by a thicket, and Lydia figured they had found the perfect temporary hideout.

She handed the reins of her and Luca's horses to Maurice.

"Here, tie them up while I gather some firewood, would you?" She asked softly, and the orangutan did as he was asked with a nod of acceptance.

The girl copied Maurice and tied the reins of Rocket's horse to a tree not far off, having the ape double check the knot to make sure it was secure.

It wasn't hard to find wood to burn, considering that the forest floor was littered with fallen branches and old, weathered logs, and Lydia quickly managed to get a nice fire going.

There didn't seem to be any animals around right now. It was probably due to the soldiers' presence – the cacophony of noises they made must have scared the wildlife off for now, so instead of wasting her time going hunting, Lydia pulled out some dried meat from the deerskin bag tied to Luca's saddle.

It wasn't much, but it would have to do until they reached an area where she would actually have a chance of finding something to kill. Besides, it was probably better for her arm not to have to use her bow for just a little longer.

She sat on a tree stub opposite Maurice and the girl, who both sat on the ground by the fire.

"Here you go." Lydia spoke easily as she offered the smaller human a few pieces of meat. She was still growing, after all, and none of them had had anything to eat all day. The girl looked curiously at the offered food for a brief second before tenderly taking it into her small, dainty hands, nodding in what Lydia interpreted to be a 'thank you'.

She smiled at her before biting into her own dried morsel, nibbling at it until it was gone, and her hunger was somewhat sated.

That's when Maurice rumbled softly at her, drawing Lydia's attention away from the flames she had been staring into as she ate.

"Hm?" The woman hummed to further confirm that she had heard him.

She wasn't aware of the curious tilt of her head. She never was until someone pointed it out to her.

" _I should look at that arm._ " The orangutan signed before scooting over to her with heavy movements.

The little girl followed him automatically, pressing herself to his side as she studied his actions with large, inquisitive eyes. Storm, having already accepted the new little member of their group, lied down beside the girl and closed her eyes contently when the human carefully placed a hand on top of her head to pet her.

Lydia's eyes returned to Maurice.

"If it will make you sleep any better at night, go ahead." She replied with an easy shrug, offering her arm to him.

" _It will._ " Was his simple reply as he went to work, starting by ever so gently untying the strings keeping the bandage in place before peeling that off as well.

The little girl made a sympathetic grimace at the sight of the wound and briefly caught Lydia's eyes with her own, as if to soundlessly ask if the woman was alright.

Lydia offered a gentle shrug of her shoulders and a small, careful smile, trying her best to tell the child that it wasn't a big deal – still, it surprised her that the girl seemed to show concern for her. It hadn't even been a day, after all, and she hadn't seemed too upset with the death of the man who had been staying with her back at the cabins.

Maurice threw the leaves aside after that and set about rinsing Sparrow's herbal paste off the injury with a bit of water from his gourd.

So far, he seemed to be doing an okay job, which Lydia commented on with no small amount of mirth.

" _Have seen it done many times before._ " He repeated his words from earlier that day, still with his small, green eyes focused solely on her arm.

The wound, now cleaned, looked to be healing well enough. It was still open and had an angry, red tinge to it, and it still stung fiercely whenever Lydia moved her arm, but it definitely looked smaller than it had done when she had first received it.

She scoffed with humour at her old friend's words.

"I've seen the females forage many times before." She informed him with a roll of her eyes. "That doesn't mean I've become any better at _not_ picking the poisonous stuff myself."

That had them both chuckle, Maurice's hulking form shaking with the action.

" _You make a fair point._ " He conceded, a friendly smile pulling at the corner of his lips. " _But I think I can manage._ "

"Sure. There's more of the paste in my backpack. Outer compartment on the left. Sparrow gave me some to apply it myself later on." She explained and watched as he pulled over the item and found what he was looking for.

It felt good to have a bit of banter with her friend. Especially without having to feel Caesar's eyes drill into her every few minutes.

Maurice went about applying the paste in a thin layer on top of the gunshot wound before pulling out a thin, clean piece of cloth Lydia had stored in the same compartment of her backpack and tied it securely around her arm.

The result was a rather makeshift-looking bandage, but it felt sturdy enough to Lydia and less cumbersome than the leaves and string she had had before.

"Thanks, Maurice."

" _Thank me when we know it's not infected._ " He shrugged, politely, closing up her backpack once more now that he was done with it. " _I have done what I can._ "

"I'm sure it's fine. In fact, I'd go as far as to say that if Sparrow could see this, she would most likely consider making you a healer full-time."

They both chuckled at that, knowing it was probably true – Sparrow rarely missed an opportunity to recruit more healers.

" _Speaking of healing…_ " Maurice signed then, so subtly, so carefully, that Lydia almost couldn't decipher it. " _You and Caesar… I will not ask what was said or done last night but… Do you think you will be on speaking terms anytime soon?_ "

Lydia sighed and leaned forward to rest her elbows on top of her knees, avoiding the orangutan's gaze in favour of staring into the dancing flames of their campfire once more. She should have known he would touch upon that subject now that Caesar and the others were out of hearing-range.

But at least he held true to his words about not prying into their business and after all, she supposed it was only fair of him to ask this, given the mission that lie ahead. It was hard to work together when two members of the group weren't speaking to each other and made the atmosphere even more tense than was already the case.

And besides, Lydia knew she and Caesar would have to talk things through sooner rather than later, like the adults they were, but…

"Most likely, yeah… I think we both just need some space, you know? Some time to think things through?" She spoke softly, her brow furrowing ever so slightly.

That was hard to do when they were basically in each other's vicinity around the clock, like they hadn't been in years. Maybe that was just adding to the problem? The fact that they couldn't get out of each other's space when they needed to.

It was part of the reason why Lydia had agreed so easily to staying behind with Maurice and the little girl. It provided a welcome opportunity to be apart for a while and just breathe. To not have to think about if, how or when the Ape King would pull her aside and force out an apology he wasn't ready to make, just so she would speak to him again. Look him in the eyes again.

Maurice nodded in understanding, his large cheeks gently swaying with the action.

" _That is all I wanted to know._ " He replied before he turned his attention to the little human girl, rumbling softly at her as he pointed to her stomach with a questioning look in his eyes, silently asking if she was still hungry.

That was one of the things that Lydia appreciated the most about the aging orangutan. He didn't have a mate of his own, so he really didn't have any first-hand experience with relationships and the trials that came with them – but he was accepting of them all the same. Understood them, even when they seemed to make next to no sense to the people involved.

He gave advice when he felt that he could and listened when he knew advice weren't needed.

And best of all, he knew when to drop a matter. A subtle art neither Lydia, nor Caesar seemed able to master.

It was why their argument had escalated like it had last night, neither being able to just turn away and let it go before feelings got hurt.

A quiet sigh left the woman as she continued to stare into the flames.

Truthfully, it wasn't just Caesar who was a victim of his emotions.


	61. Innocence Lost

_**Ivy**_

On the fourth night after they had left the caves the Ape Colony had called home for the past two years, Ivy found Orion lying on his back, staring up at the night sky as the stars reflected in his eyes. His expression was sombre and thoughtful, and his body seemed relaxed, but Ivy knew that behind those sparkling, green eyes of his, there was a myriad of worries vying for his attention.

He was so lost in his own musings that he didn't even notice her approach him, softly chewing on his bottom lip and tapping his finger against his stomach as his hand lay folded on top of it. A few feet away, Blaze was sleeping soundly, curled up in a large ball of thick, grey fur.

Ivy couldn't help but smile fondly at the sight, even though she knew Orion's mind was probably troubled – they all had a lot to worry about right now, after all.

She just hoped she could distract him, even if it was just for a moment.

Clearing her throat, she looked on as the ape male lying on the ground quickly whip his head around to face her, his expression startled.

"Ivy?" He spoke gently as he propped himself up onto his elbows, his eyes now trained on her rather than the twinkling stars above the two of them.

Blaze had also woken up and raised his head curiously, though he quickly decided she was not a threat and went back to his curled-up position once more.

He was more than used to her by now.

"Is now not. A good time?" She spoke in that soft but strained voice of hers, her tone slightly teasing.

Ivy had really hoped that she would be speaking better than chopped sentences and breathy words by the time Orion had returned from his journey, especially with how much time she had spent with Lydia while he had been away.

She _had_ been practicing a lot, though she knew she still had a long way to go.

But no matter how limited she felt in her speech, Orion just seemed happy whenever she made the effort and never made any mention of her short, simple sentences. He never even seemed to notice how her voice would be more like a whisper than anything else because of how winded speaking sometimes made her.

He clung to every word she uttered, like they were the most precious of things.

It sometimes made her ears hot with how his eyes traced her mouth when she spoke, like he was committing the movements of her lips to memory, but then again, no other male had ever made her feel as important as Orion did.

As alive and appreciated.

And his two-year absence hadn't managed to put a damper on those feelings.

Quite the contrary, as a matter of fact – Ivy had never felt his stare as intensely as she had since his return.

Her heartbeat quickened with the mere thought, warmth spreading from the centre of her chest and out towards her fingers and toes as she stared down at him now.

Orion's expression transformed into a soft, welcoming grin as he patted the spot beside him.

"Any time is good if it is with you." He replied, and Ivy knew it wasn't just flattery on his part – like it might have been with someone else.

His tone told her as much and besides, Orion wasn't the type of ape to say something like that if he didn't mean it. That was one of the many things she had always liked about him. His honesty. His openness.

There was no hidden motives or secret agendas where Orion was concerned.

And had Ivy been one of those silly, overly-dramatic females who seemed to live solely for the praise they received from males, she would definitely have swooned.

But she wasn't one of those females, so instead, she offered a good-natured, lopsided smile in return before she sat down beside him.

"Thinking about your mother?" She asked easily, though she didn't really have to at this point.

She knew that Lydia was on Orion's mind more often than not. Especially now, given their abrupt separation and the dangerous times the colony faced – she was the last family member he had left, after all.

Ivy worried too – of course she did. Lydia was her mentor, her friend and her future mother-in-law, if all went well on this journey. If they managed to escape the soldiers through the desert and Caesar managed to come back with the others.

Orion nodded as he sat up beside her, his arms resting against his thighs.

"You know I do." He spoke quietly, pursing his lips as he reached up to grab at the necklace that lie neatly against his collarbones. "I hope she is alright…"

"She is a strong. And wise female." Ivy offered as she reached over to lay her own hand on his knee. Her emerald green eyes searched for his, willing him to look at her in return. "From the look in her eyes. When she left. It is Caesar you should. Worry about."

Orion huffed at that and he wrinkled his nose in what seemed to Ivy to be disapproval.

"He was being thoughtless. To Mother and everyone in the colony. She is right to be mad." He said in a slightly harder tone, only for both his expression and his voice to turn saddened and almost pained. "I feel for Cornelius… Losing a parent hurts, no matter your age."

A pang of sorrow slashed at Ivy's heart as Orion uttered those words, and she moved her hand up to stroke his cheek tenderly.

"But he has not. Lost Caesar yet. That is why your mother. And the rest of the council. Rode after him… They will make sure. Caesar comes back to us – to Cornelius."

Orion still looked doubtful.

"But will _he_ make sure that _Mother_ returns?" He asked, and it was the first time Ivy had ever heard Orion come this close to questioning Caesar and his leadership. "I saw his eyes, Ivy. He is in a dark place."

The young silvery female shook her head as she continued to brush the backs of her fingers against his cheek.

"Maybe he is… But if anyone. Can bring him home. It is Lydia." Ivy spoke with a voice full of conviction, fully believing in her friend and mentor's ability to help the Ape King back on the right path. She didn't even know exactly _why_ she believed this so strongly – she just did. "Your mother has a way. Of setting things right."

Ivy thought back to the time Lydia had stood up for her when she had first expressed her wish to learn archery. Of how she had convinced Ivy's mother that it was okay for her to come along on Lydia's hunts.

And of how Lydia had known just what to do to get them out of that horrible situation with the three soldiers in the forest, and _then_ known just what to do to calm Ivy down once the horror of what had happened had settled in.

Yes, Lydia would know what to do. She would bring Caesar back.

In a fashion quite similar to his mother's, Orion tilted his head curiously as he stared down at Ivy. Then he nodded.

"She does…" The young male agreed, and Ivy could tell by the brief, far-off look in his eyes that Orion was thinking back as well. Back to those times when Lydia had set things right for him too – and Ivy knew there were a lot of moments to pick from.

She spent his moment of contemplation studying his features.

He was a handsome ape, there was no two ways about this, with his luscious, black pelt, broad chest and strong arms, his pale face, heavy brow and wonderfully green eyes. They were the colour of the forest on a late day of spring, when the leaves are still new, but have lost the bright lustre of newly-sprouted vegetation.

She was so lost in them that she almost yelped in surprise when Orion spoke once more.

"As do you." He said, now with a slight, fond upturn of his lips and a teasing twinkle in those bright eyes of his. "You always know what to say. What to do."

Ivy felt a familiar, slight blush creep onto her cheeks as his arm moved to reached around her shoulders to hold her close, and she let herself be pressed into his side in return.

He was incredibly warm, as always.

"Oh, I would not say that…" Ivy replied modestly, turning in his grip so that she could place her hands against his chest. His heart was beating comfortingly against her palms, nice and steady.

Orion raised a teasing brow at her, coupled a challenging, raised brow as he moved in close to her face.

"It is the truth. Or at least _I_ know it to be true." He persisted, nuzzling her cheek and making her huff out an amused giggle as his arm tightened around her shoulders. "And I have missed it very much."

Ivy felt how his lips brushed against her ear and how his warm breath stirred the silvery fur of her shoulder and neck. How a slight shiver ran down her spine when his hand moved to brush gently against her jaw, and how his voice, as smooth and even as the waters of a pond on a windless day, washed over her as he spoke again.

"I have missed _you_ very much."

A beat of her heart was skipped, and she breathed a quiet, trembling sigh into his neck. They had barely had the time to properly re-familiarize themselves with each other before the apes' lives had been turned upside down and they had each had their own tasks to attend to. With Blue Eyes dead and Rocket gone with Caesar and the others, Orion was the only one in the colony who knew the way to the apes' new home. This meant that Spear, the chimp who led them all in Caesar's absence, relied heavily on Orion's help – no one had more experience travelling than he did, either.

Adding Ivy's responsibilities as a huntress and general caregiver for the colony's young ones to this equation, and it quickly became clear why the two hadn't managed to find a spare moment for each other since that horrid night four days ago.

And it had irked Ivy endlessly. Finally having Orion back, so close but still unavailable to her.

It was why she had finally chosen to forsake sleep and ignore her mother's warning hoots as Ivy had left to go find her intended mate.

Mother had been loath to let Ivy out of her sight since the attack on the colony – but when she had assured her that she would be with Orion, it had seemed to calm the older female somewhat.

Both her and Father had been fond of the young ape male from the beginning, which had relieved Orion immensely. He had feared that they wouldn't approve of their daughter being with the son of a human, even if said human was Lydia, who both of Ivy's parents respected greatly.

The young female hadn't worried too much – even if they hadn't approved, for some reason, she wouldn't have let that stop her from loving Orion.

A small smile found its way to her lips.

No, nothing would stop her from being with this ape – not tonight, not ever.

"I missed you. As well…" Ivy replied as she closed her emerald green eyes, letting herself focus entirely on Orion's scent as well as the feel of being pressed against his hard, much larger body.

She melted into his hold and let her fingers dig softly into the thick fur on his chest until the tips of her digits met the unyielding muscle underneath.

It felt safe.

Safe and comforting and _enticing_ all at once.

Truthfully, her feeling this whenever she was close to Orion wasn't a new development – no, what surprised Ivy in that moment was the sudden intensity of it all. The sheer onslaught of emotions that bloomed within her gut as his fingers danced across her upper back and jaw, and she felt his muscles twitch beneath her hands.

They had been getting steadily closer in the weeks up to his departure with Rocket and Blue Eyes two years ago, oftentimes sitting with their arms around each other and nuzzling into the other's warmth… But they had both been younger then, and those moments had been the innocent first attempts at romance by two shy adolescents.

Now, even though their feelings for each other were the same, their circumstances had changed. Dynamics had shifted as they had turned into adults and time spent apart had made them bolder and surer of themselves.

Ivy felt it in the way Orion acted around her, touched her and spoke with her, even if they hadn't spent much time together since his return. He was more brash in his advances now, spending less time testing the waters with careful touches and tentative looks before he dived in headfirst and just hoped that Ivy would be accepting of whatever he did.

As if she could ever have denied him.

As if she didn't crave his touch with every fibre of her being.

Ivy leaned in and dragged her lips against Orion's jaw, slow and sensual as she nipped at the corner of his mouth, to which the male ape tightened his grip on her in response.

"Ivy…" His voice sounded against her cheek, darker than she had ever heard it before and with a rough edge to it that Ivy found she definitely liked hearing.

It was accompanied by his smouldering, half-lidded eyes that stared down at her as her mouth ventured across his own, barely touching him.

That is, until Orion leaned forward and pressed his rough lips firmly against Ivy's, cupping her cheek with his hand to tilt her head gently to the side, guiding her into the action.

It was a strangely wonderful sensation, his lips moving against her own in a soft, sensual manner.

The feeling of it was foreign to her, but Ivy found it to be completely natural once she had settled into it. Like it was second nature with Orion taking the lead, even if it was clear he was new to this too.

They certainly hadn't done _this_ before.

Ivy felt herself become slightly giddy with excitement.

Most ape species, with the exception of bonobos, didn't kiss like this – like humans usually did. Ivy had seen Malcolm and Ellie do it once or twice when they had still been with the colony, and once, she had even caught a glimpse of Roy kissing Lydia like this back when the chimp had still been alive.

It had made her wonder, when she had first begun to have feelings for Orion, if he would do the same, having seen his parents kissing throughout his entire childhood.

Now she knew that this was definitely the case, but instead of her curiosity having been sated by this knowledge, it only served to make her wonder what _else_ Orion did differently than most apes.

And once that thought had crossed her mind, it was like a small, flickering flame had ignited inside her stomach, urging her to explore this further. Demanding that she get closer. Aching to get more of this new sensation and find out what other hidden treasures her mate-to-be had in store for her.

He had already opened his mouth to nibble gently at her bottom lip with his blunt teeth, inhaling sharply when Ivy returned the favour and coupled it with a dainty hand wandering fleetingly along the expanse of his stomach.

The arm around her shoulders tightened its hold once more and had Ivy not known any better, she would have thought they couldn't possibly get any closer by now.

But they could – she _knew_ they could.

And right now, the silvery female chimp wanted nothing more in the world than just that. Getting closer. _Closest_.

To be his at last, like she had imagined being for the past two years.

"Orion…" She breathed onto his lips as a pleasant shiver ran down her spine.

Not being able to help herself, Ivy dug her fingers gently into his abdominal muscles, raking her nails gently down his skin before she spread out her digits and pushed them up along his stomach, against the grain of his fur.

The groan this elicited from him was enough to set her very heart aflame with desire, but the feeling was just as soon diminished when Orion drew his face away from hers.

He let go of her jaw to reach down and gently pry her hand from his stomach, releasing his hold around her shoulders as well. Then he took both of her hands in his, placing them against her chest, presumably to keep them from wandering again.

Ivy barely managed to subdue a confused pout at the interruption, looking on as he attempted to calm his breathing enough to speak.

She was out of breath too, honestly, but hadn't noticed until now – who knew kissing could take your breath away like this?

She certainly hadn't.

"Ivy… We should not…" Orion's voice sounded softly against her cheek, gentle, but with a dark edge to it. "Now is not the time…"

His breath was still ragged as he spoke, and his heart was pumping fast and hard beneath her hands – a testament to his excitement.

At his words, Ivy gave in to the pout that had been threatening to appear on her features. Her desire was still smouldering in the pit of her stomach and she was loath to let it burn out just like that. What was even the issue? They were alone, left all to themselves as the rest of the colony either slept or guarded the perimeters. Besides, they were running from the most dangerous threat the Ape Colony had ever faced, not knowing whether or not they would still have a tomorrow together. What was the point of waiting?

"If not now. Then when?" Ivy questioned, her hands balling into loose fists against his chest.

Orion bit his lip at that, conflict clear in his darkened, green gaze as it flickered down to her mouth once more.

"I do not know… Soon…" He spoke with a sense of longing in his voice. It was also thick with lust, just as Ivy's own. "When all of this is over. When we are safe…"

When they were safe… But who knew when that would be? _If_ it would be? It had only been four days and the colony had only just made it out of the northern part of the forest. It would take a long time before they would be safe and sound at their new home, and even that was counting on the soldiers not finding them before they even got past the mountains.

Did Orion really plan on waiting that long with all this uncertainty hanging over their heads, threatening to tear them apart at any moment? Just like their friends had been…?

Her unhappiness with the prospect must have shown on her face, because as soon as that very thought had crossed her mind, Orion spoke once more.

"Please, do not think it is because I do not want to… I _do_ … Have for a long time now." He hurried to assure her as he brushed his thumbs comfortingly against the backs of her hands. "It is just that I do not want to rush. Not because of the soldiers… or anything else."

He didn't need to explain _that_ to her – she could easily tell that he wanted this just as much as she did. That he wanted to make her his. His eyes were still dilated and his lips still kiss-swollen from her nibbling at them – Ivy imagined she sported a similar look.

What she _didn't_ understand, even with his explanation just now, was why he was hesitating _now_. They were alone for the first time since his return, they _both_ wanted this, and neither of them knew _when_ or indeed _if_ they would be able to escape the soldiers they were on the run from.

Their lives had been thrown out of the loop and the only certainty right now, in this moment, was their feelings for each other.

Ivy shook her head gently at him.

"But what if. Something happens? Like with Lake and Blue Eyes…?" She asked, staring up at him with eyes full of uncertainty and worry.

Orion pursed his lips, though his expression wasn't angered or dismissive of her worries. If anything, it was saddened by the mention of their late friend – someone Orion had come to think of as the brother he had never had before, Ivy knew.

"Ivy… I want to do this right." He insisted, reaching up to cup her cheek in his large, calloused and impossibly warm hand once more. Like he had when they had been kissing so deeply just moments ago. "I want to do right by you."

He let go of her wrists with his other hand as well, moving it up a couple of inches until he held the bear canine that was the centrepiece of his necklace between his fingers.

"Look. This is my family's symbol… And one day, I want you to wear a necklace like this." He spoke with heartfelt honesty, the sincerity in his eyes and the warmth of his voice making Ivy release a trembling breath.

She nodded up at him, too stunned to speak for now as her gaze returned to the piece of primitive jewellery resting around his neck. It was cushioned on his collarbone by the black hair covering his chest, against which the white of the fangs and the dark grey of the bear claws stood out starkly.

It was not uncommon for apes to wear such jewellery. Many not only had necklaces, but also belts, fur sashes and piercings in their ears or noses. In truth, the design of Orion's necklace was rather simple in comparison to many other apes' jewellery.

But it meant more than most adornments. Ivy knew the story behind it well enough – how, when her mate-to-be had been only a child, a bear had attacked him and his adoptive parents on their journey to the colony, and the adults had worked together to protect each other and their child. It had unified them as a family, Orion had explained to her, though he himself had been too young to remember. Lydia and Roy had both told him the story later on, using it both as a life-lesson and as a way to lull him to sleep in the night.

This necklace… It was a symbol of love to Orion. Of kinship and protection and everything that was home to him.

And he wanted her to be part of that. To have her welcomed into his family in this way as part of them becoming mates.

Ivy's heart felt too big for her chest as she stared up into his eyes again, finding only sincerity as she searched their depths.

"I want that. As well." She finally found her voice, and it came out as a soft whisper between her lips.

And it was true.

It took a while before either ape spoke again, the two of them simply enjoying each other's presence at last without the need for words – Another thing Ivy appreciated in Orion. He didn't needlessly try to fill out pauses like this with chit chat like some apes tended to do. No, he let the conversation flow at its own pace, waiting for Ivy to speak up when he himself had said what he wanted.

And speak she did, after several long moments of just leaning against him and taking comfort in simply getting to be alone with him at last. That was all she had wanted in the first place, really.

"Can I… Can I stay. With you tonight?" She asked after several, long moments, in a voice which, to her own ears, was uncharacteristically small.

He seemed to consider this, his lips parted as he stared down at her with that curious, slight tilt of his head.

"What about your parents?" He asked, seeming somewhat apprehensive. "Would they approve?"

Ivy shrugged, an easy smile making its way across her face as she stared up at Orion. Apes usually didn't sleep together before becoming mates, staying in their families' nests until they had found a partner and made their union official.

The two of them, evidently, hadn't done that and besides, Orion nurtured a healthy amount of respect for Shale, Ivy's father. She knew that the last thing her mate-to-be wanted to do was anger the older male by doing something improper with his daughter.

"I have told them. Not to stay awake. For me." She informed him matter-of-factly, though she averted his gaze shyly when she realised the implications behind her words.

Truly, she hadn't come here with the expectation of doing… well, what they had been on their way to do when Orion had stopped it. It was just that she seemed to lose all concept of time when she was with him, and Ivy didn't want her parents to stay up in case she lost track of the hours… again.

Orion knew this, of course – but he didn't pass up the chance to poke a bit of fun at her either way. Though, as always, he did so in a loving manner.

"You expected to be here for long, hm?" He inquired, his previous worry forgotten as the teasing gleam came back to his forest-green eyes. He then reached up and tugged playfully at the silvery braid at the side of her head, brushing her cheek with the small feather attached to the end of it and making her huff out a soft laugh.

Ivy had always liked when he toyed with her lonely braid, ever since that day he had first confessed his feelings to her and so brazenly reached for it, as if the action had calmed him.

 _Another sweet quirk of his_ , Ivy mused.

She winked at him then, leaning against his chest and drawing lazy circles in the black fur on his pectorals. She loved how the two of them could go from a serious conversation to playful banter so easily, adjusting to each other's mood like it was second nature to them.

Like they had never been apart in the first place.

"Perhaps." Ivy countered, craning her neck in order to teasingly brush her lips against his once more. "So… What is your answer? Will you. Send me away?"

His long, sturdy arm snuck around her lower back, pulling her flush to his chest once more, though there was no hint of lust in his eyes this time around – it was all love and playfulness as his lips met hers once again.

"Never." Orion whispered once he pulled back for air, only to place his forehead lovingly against Ivy's own.

She fell asleep against his side that night, her hand resting comfortably on his chest and her fingertips touching the fangs and claws adorning his necklace. The symbol of his family.

A symbol Ivy knew in her heart that she would wear too, one day soon.

* * *

 ** _Orion_**

The next day, Orion rode beside Tinker as the colony continued their journey towards their new home, the two of them riding just a few rows behind Spear, who was leading the procession along.

Due to the fact that Tinker was a member of the Royal Ape Council and one of Cornelius' caregivers, she was one of the few non-fighting apes who enjoyed the luxury of riding rather than walking. They simply didn't have enough horses for everyone, so it was mainly the warriors and scouts who were on horseback, skirting the massive group of apes to protect everyone.

Looking back over his shoulder, Orion could only _just_ see Ivy at the very middle of the colony, helping along an elderly female orangutan by letting her hold on to her arm.

He couldn't help but smile at the scene. She looked like a proper hunter, his Ivy. Her bow and quiver were both slung across her back and around her waist she wore a hide belt, which held a flint knife inside a primitive scabbard. He knew she had been on horseback earlier that day, but that she had offered her steed to two pregnant females so that they wouldn't strain themselves.

It was a cumbersome state to be traveling in, and a potentially dangerous one, too.

Thinking back now, though it had been a struggle for him to do so, Orion was glad he had had the sense to stop his heated moment with Ivy last night. Otherwise she might have ended up in the same situation as the two females now riding her horse…

And though that thought was… stirring, the young male chimp knew that their current situation wasn't ideal for something like that. They had just barely made it out of the woods and they still had a long, harrowing journey ahead, even without the threat of the soldiers chasing them.

Besides, he hadn't lied last night. He really did want to commit to her in a proper manner. He wanted the moment of their official union to be more than just an impulsive, spur-of-the-moment night of passion. That could always come later. In fact, he was certain it would, given Ivy's nature.

But them becoming one… Becoming official mates in the eyes of everyone who knew them – that only ever happened once.

And Orion wanted that to be special. Wanted to properly make her part of his family before the two of them would one day expand it.

He knew it may seem silly to most other apes, especially given their current situation, with so much at stake already and tomorrow not being a certainty for any of them… But even so, Orion refused to rush it and luckily, Ivy seemed to understand.

An inquisitive hoot beside him caught Orion's attention, and he turned to find Tinker staring at him with one of her brows raised in a feminine arch. Clinging to her back was Cornelius, whose bright green eyes seemed to scan his surroundings for something – and the young male chimp knew well what that something was.

A pang of painful sympathy pierced his heart at the thought.

The older female reached over to softly brush the fur on his forearm before pulling her hand back to sign.

" _Where is your mind today, Orion._ " She asked him, her expression telling him that she knew very well where it was.

He huffed a soft laugh at her. Tinker had become his honorary aunt in the same way she had been to Blue Eyes and over the past four days, the two had talked much about the journey Orion had had with her husband and the now deceased Ape Prince. She seemed to have taken it upon herself to look out for him now that neither Father nor Mother was here to do so, and even though he had assured her that he was doing fine, it was still nice to know that Tinker was there to talk to.

Then again, Orion knew that being separated from Rocket so soon after their reunion had taken its toll on her, so in truth, perhaps it was more like they were there for _each other_.

He decided to meet her question with some humour, and a mostly truthful answer.

"Oh, it wanders." He spoke with a shrug. "One moment here, one moment there. Why do you ask, Tinker?"

As expected, she shook her head in exasperation at him, though a soft smile found its way to her face. That was nice to see, as it seemed to be a rarity these past few days.

" _You are your mother's son_." She answered in mock-disapproval. Then, her eyes seemed to twinkle with mirth as she winked at him. " _And you just looked far off in your own world. Were you busy looking at Ivy again?_ "

In the past, Orion would have been embarrassed by someone so easily calling him out on such a thing, and he would have been blushing and stammering as he hastily looked for an escape from the subject. But he wasn't a shy adolescent anymore – no, he was a grown ape male now, confident in himself and quite aware of the fact that his feelings for Ivy were plain for everyone to see. Why shouldn't they be? She was a beautiful female, after all.

The other young male chimps had only just begun to realise this as well, Orion knew. It didn't come as much as a surprise to him as it did Ivy who, to Orion's delight, had ignored any and all advances from these apes in the time he had been gone.

"I do not think I can be blamed for it, can I?" He shot back at Tinker, now with a lopsided smile, earning himself a fond huff from the elder ape.

" _Definitely Lydia's child_." She reaffirmed, shaking her head at him. Then, her expression changed into one of quiet contemplation as she regarded him. " _She has good reason to be proud of you_."

Warmth spread out from Orion's heart at his honorary aunt's words and his chest seemed to expand with the praise. Mother often told him that she was proud of him – of the ape he had become – but it was something else to hear it from someone like Tinker. Mother was, naturally, biased on this particular matter, after all.

"Thank you, Tinker. It means a lot to hear that from you." He spoke sincerely, offering the female chimp a thankful look.

Cornelius eyed him from behind the Tinker's back and reached out for him, seeking reassurance. Orion grabbed the smaller ape's hand and gave it a squeeze before he let his index finger brush across the back of the little prince's limb. Cornelius had begun to do this a lot in Mother's absence.

Seeking comfort from Orion, that is.

As if he knew there was a connection between them, even if there was no way he would remember Orion from before he had left two years prior.

Perhaps it was something intuitive. Perhaps the little prince knew that the two of them now shared a parent? Orion liked the thought of that, actually.

In his humble opinion, Cornelius couldn't have found a better adoptive mother, and in Blue Eyes' absence, Orion swore he would do his best to protect his new little brother.

"I hope she and the others are safe…" He spoke as he continued to stroke the ape child's hand, earning himself a soft gibber from the little prince.

Beside him, Tinker quietly nodded.

But before she could sign a further reply to his words, Blaze, who had been quietly trudging along near Orion's horse, started growling menacingly, immediately drawing both his own and Tinker's attention.

The canine's hackles were raised, making him look twice as large, and his fangs were bared as he stared into the trees and bushes flanking the apes on either side

And just like that, Orion _knew_.

Knew that something was terribly, _horribly_ wrong.

Both Storm and Blaze had been trained to respond to the presence of humans, and differently so than when faced with a bear or mountain lion. They knew the difference between wildlife and humans, and in turn, Orion knew how to tell which of the two the canines were reacting to. Their growls would be more vicious, their stance tenser and more protective, but they wouldn't bark unless provoked. Not like they often would with bears to warn the beasts not to get near.

When dogs barked, humans tended to get closer. They went to investigate, and so Mother had taught Storm and Blaze not to do it.

And this… _This_ was the sign of a human approaching. Maybe more than one.

Orion let go of Cornelius' hand and took a firm hold of his horse's reins, preparing himself for the worst.

He immediately wanted to ride up by Spear to warn him of the danger, whatever it might be, but no sooner had Blaze started his warning before a barrage of gunshots and human shouting filled the air.

And just like that, all hell broke loose.

It was the soldiers.

They had found them.

Ambushed them!

The shouting and shooting was soon accompanied by the high-pitched screeching of the apes, who barely had time to react before the soldiers emerged from all sides, surrounding the entire Ape Colony.

Everything was absolute _chaos_ and the only thing Orion could do was to stay put and reach over to make Tinker lower her head. She had already pulled Cornelius from her back and onto her chest, and the Ape Prince was now pressed against the female chimp, hiding his face in her dark pelt.

Dread filled Orion's heart as he struggled to keep both his own and Tinker's horse from charging forward in wild panic, the ape female too busy holding on to the frightened ape prince to also get her steed under control.

Not that Orion thought doing so would do them much good anyway.

All around them, humans appeared with blazing guns, and in their wake came vehicles racing out to encircle the apes, making sure no one escaped.

The apes, despite their best efforts, had been ill-prepared for this sort of ambush, which became painfully obvious by the relative ease with which the soldiers managed to surround them.

The noises seemed to clash as they encircled the colony, pushing them all together in a cluster which grew more crowded with every second.

Car engines roaring, horses whinnying, humans shouting and shooting, apes screeching in fear and alarm.

And then, adding to all that, an ear-splitting gunshot sounded to Orion's left, soon followed by a pained whine and a dull 'thump'. The young ape only just managed to turn around and catch a horrified glimpse of Blaze hitting the ground, his body limp and his pale grey fur stained by splatters of dark blood.

One of the soldiers had tried to approach them and the canine had charged – as he had been trained to do. Orion hadn't had half a mind to stop the dog in time, as he had been too busy trying to shield Tinker and little Cornelius.

Now, as a result, Blaze lied dead on the ground and the young ape could do nothing but stare as the soldier who had done it was free to come closer, accompanied by two traitorous apes, donkeys, the humans called them, who went to pull the three of them off their horses.

Orion had no idea how long it took, but it seemed like mere seconds from when the soldiers had first emerged until all the apes had been forced to huddle together, on their knees and held at gunpoint by their assailants.

He, Tinker and Cornelius had been in the leading section of the colony and as such, they had a perfect view from a few yards away as one of the camouflaged vehicles suddenly came up in front of them all and a man stepped out from the passenger's seat.

And the moment Orion saw him, even without ever having laid eyes on the man, he knew it was the Colonel.

He was a tall human male, with pale skin and a bald head covered by a dark green, sloping cap. He sported a greying beard and moustache, and wore large, dark sunglasses that reminded Orion of the strange, huge eyes of a fly. His clothing didn't look too different from the soldiers surrounding him, except maybe for two or three shiny trinkets adorning the left side of his chest, but even so, it was obvious that the other humans saw this man as an authority, what with the way cleared the bath for him and saluted as he walked towards the apes.

The most revealing thing about him to Orion, however, were the angry, red scratches running across his cheek and forehead, curtesy of Mother from the night he and his men had attacked the colony.

And even though he feared what was about to happen as this ominous-looking human came up in front of them, Orion managed to find grim satisfaction in those marks.

Behind the Colonel, on the storage area on the back of the vehicle he had arrived in, three apes leapt off and walked up beside him. Orion knew all of three by name, though one in particular stood out among the others.

A large, sour-looking, red-furred male gorilla.

Red.

"Pick out their leader. I want to speak with him." The Colonel spoke coldly to the three apes, earning himself an affirmative grunt as Red stepped forward and grabbed Spear by his arms, twisting them behind the chimp's back to keep him in place for what Orion could only assume would be an interrogation.

The young ape gritted his teeth in anger and worry, feeling the urge to get up and charge at the offending ape well up inside his chest. His face contorted into a deep, furious frown and his breathing turned steadily harsher as he looked around him. Seeing his fellow apes held at gunpoint, his dear pet lying unmoving just a couple of yards away and the murderer of his best friend standing _right there_ in front of him.

He _could_ have done it. Could have _tried_ , at least.

To dart forward. To Knock this man over and hope that his skull would hit something hard once he was down. To end him.

But when Orion looked over at Tinker, he saw how the older female chimp was subtly shaking her head at him, quietly telling him to stand down and keep a low profile.

He knew what she was trying to convey, her lips pressed into a thin line and her brows knitted together in worry and apprehension. Spear himself had already drawn the soldiers' attention by the simple fact that he had been leading the apes when they had been ambushed. Orion couldn't let himself get picked out from the crowd and possibly get killed.

He was the only one here who knew the way to the apes' new home, which would be crucial to their survival, should they somehow manage to get out of this place alive and escape.

The young male chimp knew the chances of that happening were slim but managed to keep his rage at bay and his head low at his honorary aunts silent imploring. He wouldn't be of any use to the colony if he was killed, much less to the people he loved.

So, Orion bit back his anger, staying on his knees and doing everything in his might to not look back and start checking on Ivy and her parents. He didn't know what sort of look would be on her face, but he knew that no matter what, it would only serve to feed the red-hot fire inside his chest.

"He's not here, huh?" The Colonel asked, and the mere tone of his voice managed to send a chill down Orion's spine.

His words had been a statement rather than a question. A disappointed conclusion as his eyes, hidden behind those large, mirror-like sunglasses, scanned the crowd of apes. It was plain to see that Caesar wasn't here, as he would have been riding at the forefront of the procession, had that been the case.

And right now, Orion didn't quite know if it would have been better if the Ape King had been here or not – but he _did_ take comfort in the fact that Mother wasn't.

The Colonel crouched down in front of Spear and, taking off the sunglasses to reveal piercingly pale-blue eyes, he spoke to the ape in a chilling, calm voice, devoid of all emotion.

"Where is he?"

Spear frowned and shook his head, earning himself a brutal twist of his arms from Red. He didn't make a sound, though the way his face contorted in pain told Orion that he very much wanted to.

"You're making this much harder for everyone than it needs to be." The human male spoke, still in that eerily indifferent voice of his. "Let's try this again… Where is he?"

Orion inhaled sharply, barely managing from keeping his hackles down.

Spear shook his head again and this time, Red twisted his arm further up behind his back so harshly that Orion feared the limb might break. He could only look on with horror as Spear only _just_ managed to not howl in pain, struggling to adjust to the red-furred gorilla's hold.

With a disappointed sigh, the Colonel stood up from his crouched position in front of the chimp and jerked his head at one of the other traitorous apes he had brought with him, silently ordering him to step forward with another one of the colony's high-ranking males, Arno, who rode beside Spear.

"Let me make this a bit easier for you, then." He said as he pulled out a pistol from his belt, loading it with slow movements as he stared down at Spear, waiting for him to cave. Then, when the pistol was ready, the human male slowly put the barrel against Arno's forehead.

The chimp in question breathed heavily, but the look he sent Spear's way told him to keep quiet.

"Where is he?" The Colonel asked again, and Orion just barely managed to catch a glimpse of madness flickering inside the man's eyes.

He would do it no matter what, of that the young chimp had no doubt.

Once again, Spear shook his head, to which the Colonel answered by pulling the trigger on his pistol.

Arno fell to the ground in a puddle of his own blood, having been dropped unceremoniously by the ape holding him still as soon as the gunshot had sounded.

"You're testing my patience here." Came the voice of the Colonel, who didn't even spare the dead ape a single glance. He had barely even blinked as he had so brutally ended Arno's life and Orion felt his blood boiling at the blatant disregard for another's life, be they enemies or not.

Whatever this man was, whatever he _appeared_ to be, he wasn't human any more than he was an ape.

No, this man was neither. Orion refused to acknowledge that this… _murderer_ , was of the same species as his loving mother.

"We. Do not. Know!" Spear gritted out, his voice jagged and hoarse from disuse. "He. Left."

The Colonel raised a brow as he stared curiously down at the chimp.

"He left?" The man asked with obviously feigned interest, toying with the pistol between his gloved hands.

Spear nodded this time, a single, resolute jerk of his head.

"Yes." He spat, barely managing to keep from sneering up into the human's face. "Days ago."

"Is that so?" The Colonel spoke as he lifted his gaze to scan the faces of the colony's apes once more, still not finding what he was looking for after several, long seconds.

Then, his cold eyes returned to Spear, who Red had pulled up to stand once more.

"Well, then I suppose he won't mind if we take you all with us, now will he?" He asked rhetorically before he turned his head to one of his men. "Make sure everyone is tied up. We're leaving."

 _Take the apes with them? Where? Why?_ Orion's mind raced as his hands were bound and tied to the ape in front of him, his mind struggling to comprehend what was happening.

What did these mad humans plan on doing with them?

Orion very nearly bristled when they went to tie up Tinker and take away Cornelius, placing him and the other ape children in too-tiny cages on the backs of the soldiers' trucks.

Even if he didn't understand why the soldiers hadn't just killed them all on the spot, the young male ape knew why they had taken the children away. They served an obvious purpose to the soldiers, who wanted the apes to come along without a struggle.

Keeping the young as hostages, the soldiers had made sure that the adult apes behaved themselves.

Orion was utterly disgusted by this but knew there was nothing he could do as the children wailed for their parents.

He couldn't help but wonder if he had cried like that as Mother had left him and Father back when they had first arrived at the colony.

He probably had…

Arno and every other ape that had been shot when the soldiers had first emerged were left as they were, exposed on the ground for the wildlife to feast on, and the closest thing to a ceremonious ending they got were the bowed heads of the rest of the colony as they all walked past.

And among the fallen lie Blaze, his light grey fur now smeared in red and his mouth open in a horrid, permanent snarl.

Orion felt a burning rage in his chest increase tenfold as he walked past his dead pet, a constant companion and loyal protector ever since the ape had been a small child. He quickly averted his gaze from it, wanting to rid his mind of the horrible sight and preserve his memory of the playful, obedient canine he had always known.

Instead he looked back over his shoulder, and as soon as he did, his eyes connected with Ivy's emerald orbs, the fright in them clear as day to Orion, who felt the knot of anger tightening further inside his chest as he saw her bound and afraid.

The young chimp didn't think he had ever been this angry in his entire life…

He tried to silently reassure her that it was going to be alright. Telling her with his eyes that it would be fine and that they would get out of this somehow. That they _had_ to.

But as he turned back around and saw Cornelius a few paces ahead, reaching his little arm out through the makeshift metal grid of the ape children's cage, Orion became all too aware of how hopeless their situation was.

The apes weren't bound by their ropes and chains alone.

Their very future was being held at gunpoint.

And the one holding the gun was the Colonel.

The non-ape. The non-human.

The madman.


	62. Mending What Is Broken

_**Lydia**_

The soldiers left at first light the next day and the small group followed them at a safe distance ever since, galloping along the shoreline in the wake of the military vehicles before the soldiers suddenly veered off inland. Thanks to their large, heavy vehicles leaving deep, recognisable tracks, they were relatively easy to follow at a safe distance, however, and Caesar's group dogged the humans tirelessly.

Though that didn't mean that their internal problems were put aside.

Lydia still hadn't had a proper conversation with Caesar since that night they had had their fight, which meant she had been giving him the silent treatment for about six days now. It wasn't optimal, given their current quest, but every time their eyes would cross, that same sentence from that night echoed through her mind again and again – growing weaker, sure, but it was there all the same.

It still hurt too. Even if she was quite sure he hadn't meant it, it still hurt a lot.

Especially since she missed her son terribly. More so than when he had been gone with Blue Eyes and Rocket for these past two years. He had been with his best friend, then, and one of Caesar's most trusted apes to boot.

But now Blue Eyes was dead, and Rocket was here with Lydia, who was once again so very far away from her precious boy. She hadn't even had time to comfort him after he had just lost yet another important person in his life.

First Ash, then Roy in the span of a couple of days, and now Blue Eyes after a year of travelling and bonding…

It was thoughts like this which made her wonder if she should actually have done as Caesar had told her and stayed behind. Stayed with the colony and made sure her son was safe and didn't have to worry himself sick about her wellbeing…

 _My_ _ **sons**_ , she corrected herself, thinking of Cornelius. There was no point in shying away from the notion that she had become a mother for him now that Cornelia could not be here to fill that role… To take her righteous place, as it were.

It really had been an easier transition back when it had been Orion being handed to her. Mara had been a kind female, but Lydia really hadn't known her and hadn't had time to feel grief or guilt either. She had been forced to think about their continued survival after that fateful day and not speculate on whether or not she was even allowed to feel this motherly connection to the little ape in her arms.

And somehow, the fact that Roy hadn't been Orion's biological father had also helped. He hadn't had any attachment to Mara and her little one beyond the signing they had done in their cages, so there hadn't been any feelings of being 'the other woman' when they had started seeing each other in an increasingly more romantic light.

That had made it feel purer, in a way.

More innocent.

Simpler.

Lydia bit her lip as she felt guilt creep over her. A guilt which had been steadily growing for the past couple of days.

There was no comparing Roy and Caesar, she knew. The relationship with the former was completely different from this one. Roy had been calm, collected and even though he _could_ get angry, he had been much more in control of his emotions and considerate of who would be on the receiving end of them. More so than Lydia herself, and definitely more so than Caesar, who, while not prone to take out his fury on just anyone within the vicinity, had a much more chaotic way of expressing himself when it came feelings like hurt and anger.

And yet, Roy had clearly been a dominant male ape in his own right, just as Caesar was. So similar and yet so different, which was probably why Lydia had managed to fall in love with both of them.

Caesar didn't remind her of Roy exactly _because_ they were so different, while still being cut from the same material which she was so drawn to. Masculine, attractive, understanding and passionate.

It hadn't been easy for her to get over Roy's death – it had taken about a year, after all. But it _had_ been shockingly easy to let herself fall in love with Caesar as the wound of her lost love's passing had healed.

She still missed Roy terribly, just like she knew Caesar missed Cornelia. You never do quite get over your first love, as the saying goes. Adding to that, Roy had always had a way of understanding her emotions and how to deal with them to a degree that Lydia wasn't sure Caesar would ever achieve. Roy had had the luxury of being alone with Lydia for over a year and even after they had come to the colony, he had still been able to devote much of his time solely to their relationship, unlike Caesar could, with the responsibility of ruling hanging over his head all hours of the day.

His time had never been exclusively for Cornelia to enjoy, and Lydia knew that it would never be for her either.

But the Ape King _did_ try, and she could never fault him for that.

An inquisitive grunt beside her caught Lydia's attention, pulling her from her thoughts.

She turned her head to discover Rocket staring at her with worried eyes.

" _You look lost._ " He signed simply, his dark face contorted into a gentle frown. " _And sad._ "

Lydia shrugged easily. They had been riding hard for some time now but had had to give their horses a break by letting them walk at last. At this pace, they would probably reach the mountains within a week or two. It seemed to be the way the soldiers were heading, though for what purposes, Lydia didn't know.

"Only lost in thought, Rocket… And thinking about Orion… And Cornelius…" She spoke, her gaze shifting downwards at the two apes' names.

She wasn't about to tell him that she was also thinking about her relationship with Caesar – or that she had been comparing the Ape King with her lost love. It was an unfair comparison anyway.

The balding ape nodded gravely and reached over to pat her arm comfortably. Riding on her right side, he didn't have to worry about her injury as he pressed his palm against her clothed arm.

" _Your Orion is a strong and smart ape_."

She nodded at that, being well-aware of it.

"I just hope he isn't angry that I left him so soon after he came home…" Lydia spoke lowly, trying to keep the discussion private – a nearly impossible task when riding so close together, but she could at least pretend. "I feel like I should be in two places at once, sometimes…"

" _I know this feeling well. It comes with being a parent._ " Rocket nodded in understanding. " _Did he seem angry when you left?_ "

Lydia had to ponder that for a second, trying to remember. Orion hadn't protested when she had stated that she was leaving, but that didn't mean that it wouldn't have shown on his face if he had truly been angry about her decision…

But thinking back, she couldn't remember finding a single trace of anger or even irritation on his face.

"No… Not even a little, actually." She informed her friend and fellow council member, her tone thoughtful.

The balding ape nodded resolutely at that, as if having had his suspicions confirmed.

" _Then you don't have to worry. He is smart, yes, but he does not hide his emotions well. Especially not from people close to him. You know this._ "

Lydia couldn't help but smile at that, knowing it was true. As a child, Orion had never been able to hide the guilt on his face when he had done something he knew wasn't allowed – not that that had happened often or anything. As an adolescent, he hadn't been able to hide his crush on Ivy either, even though he had tried his damned best.

And now, as an adult, it would seem like the honesty in his facial expressions still remained.

And Rocket was right, she knew. Orion hadn't been angry or disappointed with her at all, even if it would have been totally understandable if he had felt that way.

She shouldn't worry too much – at least not about _Orion_ , anyway.

As if reading her mind, Rocket chuffed softly and began signing again.

" _And Cornelius is in good hands. Tinker cares deeply for him too, and Lake would do anything to protect Blue Eyes' little brother… Just like Orion will_."

He was right, of course. These last two years, Lydia had shared the motherly responsibilities with Tinker, especially seeing as Lydia was one of the colony's hunters and had to be out in the forest several hours of the day, leaving the ape female to take care of the little prince in that time. Then there was Lake, who's love for Blue Eyes had been true and fierce, even during his absence. There was no doubt in Lydia's mind that Lake would honour her lost love's memory by making sure his treasured little brother would be alright.

And _then_ there was, of course, Orion, who Lydia knew had formed an even closer, brotherly bond with the elder Ape Prince before his untimely demise. She knew he would now do everything in his might to make sure that his late friend's brother wouldn't suffer the same fate, and who knew? Perhaps they, too, could end up having a brotherly bond one day, when all of this was over?

Lydia shot a thankful smile at the balding ape riding beside her. Sometimes, she needed to be reminded that there were indeed others who were perfectly capable of taking on the tasks she herself was unable to perform.

"Thanks, Rocket. I needed to hear that." She spoke gratefully, nodding at him. "I suppose I worry too much, sometimes."

He shrugged his broad, almost naked shoulders.

" _I do too, but we must have faith in everyone. Especially the young – they are our future._ "

"Wise words from a wise ape." She commented with a soft smile, trying to lighten the mood.

Rocket was a good friend – had been so ever since Lydia and her strange family had arrived at the Ape Colony, as he had quickly formed a strong friendship with Roy. This had soon been extended to Lydia as well, as the apes had gradually become less wary of her and she had begun to talk more with Tinker.

" _Rather, simple words from a simple ape_." He replied with another shrug, though there was a hint of mirth to be found in his expression.

Lydia reached over and lightly slapped his arm in a playful manner.

"You're anything but simple, my friend. You're practical, which is not a bad thing at all."

" _But I am not a deep thinker, you must realise._ " He answered, now with a knowing smirk on his face.

"Sometimes those who are spend so much time thinking that they never get anything done." She pointed out with an easy smile.

It was true that Rocket relied more on his brawn than anything else, but that didn't mean he wasn't intelligent or a great emotional support sometimes. His words of reassurance just now proved as much.

"And speaking of getting anything done." Lydia decided to change the subject, briefly turning her gaze to stare at the tracks ahead of them. Then, her eyes strayed towards Maurice's little human girl, who seemed to shiver slightly against the large orangutan's back. "How about we go on a short hunting trip once we make camp? We're running low on meat again, and I could use the skins."

The balding chimp raised a brow at her before his eyes briefly strayed down to the drying pelts already attached to her horse's rear but didn't say anything as he nodded his head.

She smiled at him then.

Rocket might not be a deep thinker, as he had put it, but he was definitely wise in his own way.

* * *

Later that evening, they were all sitting around the campfire, having just finished up eating the fish that Rocket and Lydia had managed to pull from a nearby stream. It had been a nice change from the usual rabbit meat with a side of roots, which Lydia was, admittedly, getting pretty sick of eating by now.

 _Hopefully, there will still be some birds for me to shoot around here_ , she mused as she worked the pelts between her hands.

It was getting steadily colder as they rode further and further north, and Lydia had now switched her thin jacket of tenderized hide out for the longer, thicker deerskin coat that she usually put on during the colder months of the year.

The season _was_ changing again, after all.

The girl, however, had nothing to warm herself with and Lydia quietly cursed at herself for not thinking of that when they had been in a position to look for something back at the place they had found her. The jacket Lydia herself had discarded wouldn't be of much help, the woman realised and so, for the last couple of evenings, she had been working on a cloak for the poor child, made from the skins that were left after she butchered the kills she made along the way.

It wasn't much, honestly. She had been lucky to stumble past a single deer the other day, but otherwise there was nothing but a bunch of skins from the rabbits she usually managed to get a hold of. It was harder to hunt now, since Caesar only had them make camp late in the evening, forcing Lydia to hunt in the dying light of the sunset. She was certain she wouldn't have made half the kills she did if it hadn't been for Storm's impressive sense of smell and her ability to chase these poor critters until they collapsed from exhaustion.

It had been even harder to treat the skins properly while chasing the soldiers, and as a result, the material Lydia now had to work with looked far less impressive than what she usually had at hand. It was part of the reason why she had opted for a cloak rather than a coat for the girl, though Lydia also figured that this way, it could also be used as a makeshift blanket during the cold nights.

Besides, she didn't really have the time to work on a more intricate clothing article, so this would have to do until the opportunity to replace the cloak came along – whenever that may be.

And as of right now, Lydia was almost done with making the item, pushing the large bone needle through the pelts to finish up the very last seam.

She knew that the girl, while seeming permanently glued to Maurice, kept a close eye on what Lydia was doing.

And she also knew that while the others signed to each other in quiet conversation, Caesar was staring interchangeably between her and the child.

Staring with that same scathing, begrudging look that the Ape King had directed at the mute girl since the day they had found her. Staring at Lydia with those piercing, searching eyes like he had done ever since the night of their huge argument about a week ago. It was the same day in and day out since that time, really. When he wasn't glaring daggers at the child, he was shooting looks of concern towards Lydia.

And when he wasn't doing either of those, he was leading their group with a deep, determined frown on his face, seemingly having forgotten that either of the two even existed as he doggedly pursued his target.

That same urge to get between them still stirred within Lydia every time she noticed him directing his hard eyes at their group's youngest member. In fact, as the days went by, it only seemed to intensify. It was nothing like the maternal instinct she felt with Orion or Cornelius, but Lydia recognised it as protectiveness all the same. An almost primal urge to take care of this young, little thing, who seemed unable to defend herself.

It didn't make it any better that all Maurice seemed to do when he noticed the Ape King's stare was to give a deep grunt, almost as if to merely distract Caesar rather than call him out on his behaviour.

Then again, it was probably only Lydia who could get away with doing such a thing anyway, now that she thought about it.

And with that in mind, Lydia tied the seam she had been working on shut and cut the remaining, loose string, finishing the makeshift item of clothing between her fingers. It wasn't her best work, she would readily admit as she stared down at it, but it would serve its purpose well enough.

Putting her tools aside, Lydia got up and tentatively made her way over to Maurice and his little charge, keeping her movements calm and easy to read so that she wouldn't accidentally scare the kid. Lydia knew she hadn't been too forthcoming herself, and she still tried not to get too close to the girl, but that didn't mean she didn't have a heart. This little human hadn't done anything wrong so far and Lydia figured she might as well try and nurture some kindness rather than suspicion and hatred in the child.

Youngsters were very impressionable, after all.

"Here you go." Lydia spoke softly, invitingly, to the little girl as she crouched down beside her.

The woman purposefully put herself between the human child and the Ape King now, eyeing her lover with a direct, warning stare before she gently draped the makeshift cloak of rabbit skins around the girl's shoulders.

Ever since they had found her, Lydia had only looked directly into the Ape King's eyes a handful of times, and when she had, it had usually been brief stares.

But she looked now, and held his gaze, which seemed to pull him out of his grudging reverie.

Once Lydia turned back to the little girl, she found her to be busy brushing her small fingers ever so gently across the cloak of animal pelts, her movements almost revering.

The pelt from the deer Lydia had killed three days ago made out the back and was sure to reach down to the back of the girl's calves. The rest of the item was entirely made out of rabbit pelts, making out a hood she could pull over her head and a front part held together by pieces of bone pulled through loops of roughly hewn threads. Basic, but functional.

Maurice made a soft, fond-sounding rumble and thanked Lydia, while Rocket and Luca looked on at the interaction, nodding in quiet approval.

Lydia could already sense that the gorilla in particular was developing a soft spot for the little girl, as he had begun to offer her a part of his share of food when the group stopped to eat. He would never admit it, though, always maintaining a tough-guy façade when, deep down, the silverback was a big softie, really. He had always been playful with the ape children, as well as Lydia's dogs, who always knew to go to Luca for treats at the end of meals back at the colony.

The human woman suspected he enjoyed the simplicity of being with children and animals. They were just easy to be around and didn't come with the same expectations and complicated issues adults oftentimes did. Lydia could understand that well enough.

For the first time so far on their journey, the girl smiled as she tilted her head up to stare at Lydia with big eyes full of gratefulness she wasn't able to express verbally. That didn't stop her from trying anyway, though it came out as breathy, raspy huffs. Nothing Lydia, or the apes, could make sense of.

But contrary to the other times the girl had attempted to speak to Lydia during these last couple of days, the adult human resisted the urge to draw away awkwardly from the child, choosing instead to just smile back and shrug.

"Don't worry about it." She shook her head at the girl, settling down on the ground beside her and Maurice instead of crouching. "And if you get cold in the night, just pull this on too."

Lydia made sure to sign while speaking, as she usually did with the apes, before she pulled out her thin jacket from her backpack, patting it to show the child that it was alright. The girl didn't know sign, but if she was going to stay with the apes like Lydia did, then they better start teaching her how to communicate properly.

Either way, the child nodded in understanding, offering Lydia one last, soft smile before she snuggled up against Maurice's arm, looking more content than the woman had ever seen her as she burrowed into her new piece of clothing.

* * *

Lydia knew Caesar was wide awake. Knew he had been for a long time every night for the last six days and she also knew it was because he had been waiting for her to get up and leave so that he could follow her into the night – like before. One or two times, he had even walked off himself, though Lydia hadn't followed. She hadn't been ready for the talk she knew they would have to have.

She still didn't feel entirely up for it, to be honest, lying with her back to the dying campfire, her sleeping skins pulled tightly around her still-clothed form. She would have to get hold of some more soon, she mused absent-mindedly as she tugged at the edge of her sleeve, before a rustling sounded behind her and she heard soft footsteps approaching.

She knew it was the Ape King without having to turn her head and look.

She did it anyway.

His hulking form loomed above her like a dark, menacing shadow, and he stared down at her with a serious expression.

"Come." Was all he said as he inclined his head towards the darkness away from the campsite, his voice leaving no room for argument.

Lydia did anyway, just to be spiteful.

"Why?" She asked, annoyed by his brevity. His tone hadn't been particularly inviting either, but tense and almost commanding, as if he was merely speaking to yet another subordinate ape right now.

She stayed put on the ground, staring up at him with an unimpressed look. And here she was only _just_ starting to get warm and drowsy…

Caesar pursed his lip, casting a brief look at their companions, who all appeared to be sleeping soundly. Lydia envied them for this – it was late as all hell and she should be sleeping too. And she _would_ be sleeping, if it wasn't for the fact that her mind was noisier than ever before since they had left the colony.

And to make matters worse, when she finally _did_ manage to fall asleep, she would more often than not wake up again several times, startled awake by yet another bout of troubled dreams.

She wasn't sure if it was the soldier's attack, stress from leaving the colony or her feud with Caesar which was the cause of this development – most likely, it was all of it put together, but Lydia didn't want to think too hard on that.

When the Ape King's eyes found hers once more, they were almost begging.

"Lydia, please…" His gruff voice whispered urgently. Brokenly.

He had said the same that night when she had turned to leave, too angry and hurt to even look at him then. She was still angry, if she was honest with herself. That was why she hadn't spoken directly to him since that night, and barely looked at him either.

Not until tonight, that is, as she had shot him that warning stare, silently telling him to back off from the girl.

Maybe that was what had prompted him to get over and tell her to come along?

Lydia sighed in an almost hopeless manner, readying herself for the cold as much as whatever Caesar had to say before she pulled off the skins keeping her warm.

The air stung, even though she was still wearing her coat. She would have to pull on her grey hoodie underneath it one of these days, or she would get frostbite as it got colder – as it surely would.

"Fine." She spoke in resignation as she got up, pointedly ignoring the hand he offered to help her. "Lead on."

She knew she was probably being more clipped with him than what was necessary and honestly, she hated the situation they were currently in, not knowing where the other one stood. The uncertainty and the dancing around each other every day was getting tiresome. As were the fact that Rocket, Maurice and Luca all kept asking her when she and Caesar were back to talking to each other again.

But now, spurred on by the fact that Caesar himself had approached her first, Lydia had decided that it was time the two of them at least tried to talk things out.

He led her away from the relative safety of the campsite and the warmth of its dying embers, through deepening snow and dark trees, the low light of the waning moon being the only light to guide them. The way the Ape King walked was stiff and had a slight air of impatience about it, which in turn made Lydia herself uneasy – and even more so when he finally came to a stop and turned to face her.

They were standing in a small clearing between a cluster of pine trees, the only sound around them being the distant howl of a lonesome coyote. The snow dampened any other noise, which made it eerily quiet all around the two.

There wasn't even anywhere Lydia could sit, so instead she just stood there, stiffly, in front of her lover, feeling vulnerable under his penetrating gaze like she never had before in all her years of knowing him.

He kept a respectful distance, which was unusual in itself.

Ever since they had begun this little secret of theirs, he had never missed an opportunity to be close, almost to the point of being encompassing. It hadn't mattered if they had been caught up in the throes of passion, just having an easy conversation or having a heated discussion – like the one after she and Ivy had been attacked in the forest.

Caesar had always come close, underlining his words with firm, but loving holds or soft caresses, depending on the occasion.

Now, however, it was like he was keeping himself from her. As if he didn't know how to approach her like he normally would. As if he was afraid that he might do something to hurt her – again.

She was long past the grab he had made for her arm that night. It had been an accident, a moment of desperation. She had forgiven it even before Maurice had inquired about it the next day, the only reason she had mentioned it to the orangutan in the first place being a way to avoid the real issue. The thing she still had a hard time truly forgiving Caesar for.

His words that night.

"So…" Lydia started, raising a brow expectantly at the Ape King. Had he dragged her all the way out here in the middle of the cold night for them to just stare at each other?

Caesar, meanwhile, drew in a heavy breath, his chest expanding before he did a mighty exhale, seeming to almost deflate with it.

He looked hardly at the ground for only a brief moment before his gaze lifted to find her own, his green-and-golden orbs swimming with guilt and frustration.

"I… I wanted to speak with you, finally… To apologise." Came his gruff voice, dark and deep as always.

It didn't have the effect on her it usually did, which was a pleasant stirring in her abdomen and a skipping beat of her heart.

Now, all it did was making her scoff and cross her arms over her chest.

"Oh, what for?" Lydia spoke with just a hint of a sneer. "For hurting me physically or for telling me that my son isn't really mine and never was? Or perhaps you have some other cruel truth you want to throw in my face, now that you've had time to think about it?"

She hated saying it, but at the same time it felt good to get to throw her frustrations at him. Let him know how much he had hurt her.

"I didn't mean that." He spoke, looking somewhat pained by the accusation. "You know I didn't."

She eyed him critically. It wasn't like she wanted to continue fighting, and she was honestly relieved that he, in the middle of his rage-fuelled quest for vengeance, had had the sense to pull her aside an apologise (the late hour not taken into account).

She just needed him to understand how horribly he had fucked up. How much he had truly hurt her and how much he had tested their relationship – how much he was _still_ testing it, even now.

"Do I, now? Because it came quite promptly from you that night. Almost like you didn't even have to think twice about it." Lydia challenged, resisting the way her throat wanted to close up on her already.

He shook his head as his frown deepened.

"I can't tell you why I said it like that. Or why I said it at all… Only that I was angry and that I didn't mean it. Not one word."

Lydia sighed tiredly, moving her gaze away from Caesar's own to stare at the ground with a frown on her face. It was just as much to resist the urge to tear up as it was to consider what he had said.

"I wish I could believe that so easily, Caesar…" She spoke softly, biting her lip anxiously. She wanted to, desperately so – she still loved him, after all. "But this just… It went really deep, you know…"

"I know… and I regret it just as deeply, Lydia…" Caesar spoke with a look of obvious guilt on his face. He then raised his hand, scratching agitatedly at the birthmark on his chest. "I am just frustrated."

"Well, you're not the only one. It's like I don't even know you anymore, sometimes." Lydia answered with obvious hurt in her voice, though she was careful not to let it break.

Caesar shook his head at her then, his nostrils flaring as he huffed.

"It is not only that." He managed to grind out, his expression agitated and rueful all at once. "I am frustrated because I wish to speak with you, but I can't. Because I know I broke something I don't know how to mend."

He reached out for her, though his hand stopped to hover mid-air, several inches from her cheek. As if he didn't know if it was okay to even touch her anymore.

It was Lydia's turn to shake her head as her heart ached inside her chest.

"Not broke, just… damaged." She corrected him gently, though she didn't make any move to welcome his attempt at physical contact.

His hand retracted a fraction, his fingers curling slightly, though he let it linger in the air just to the side of her face. He seemed to be considering if it was okay to touch her right now – something he hadn't done when alone with her for over a year now.

"Broken or damaged, the problem remains." He spoke with knitted brows and a hint of shame in his voice.

"Yeah… and I think it will for some time…" Lydia informed him, sighing only for it to turn into a soft gasp as his fingers reached forward to rest against her cheek as he pulled her forward.

"Caesar…!" She spoke warningly, thinking he was going for a kiss – something she wasn't quite ready for, even if he _had_ apologised.

She was still hurt and needed some time to process all of this – and they still hadn't resolved the argument that had led to this entire thing in the first place. The one about Caesar just up and leaving like he had, and Lydia going after him.

Instead of a kiss, however, Caesar merely pulled her forehead against his own – still an intimate gesture, but one she could handle. A heartfelt and innocent one that spoke more words than a kiss ever could.

She managed to relax after a few seconds, sighing again, more heavily this time, as her heart settled back into a steady rhythm.

"Lydia, you _know_ I think you are a good mother." He spoke imploringly, his voice practically begging her to believe him. "I have never thought otherwise."

After witnessing him being constantly on edge and closed-in on himself for so long now, it was almost foreign to have him speak to her now with so much heartfelt emotion in his deep, dark voice. Hell, it was almost strange to have him talking to her at all, after so many days of silence.

"Don't say that, Caesar. Don't say that if you don't mean it."

"But I do… You _are_ a good and true mother. Not just to Orion, but to Cornelius as well… That is what I truly feel."

He didn't kiss her. Didn't move in to embrace her. He just stood there, with his forehead against hers, breathing with her. Feeling with her. _Being_ with her.

Lydia appreciated it. Part of her longed for him, even if she was hurt and angry and disappointed in him. That part wanted to find comfort with him now, to lean in and bask in his presence like she hadn't done for weeks.

But another part of her, a bigger part, still insisted that he wasn't off the hook just yet, and that she definitely wasn't ready for close contact after what had been going on up until now.

Caesar seemed to realise this, or perhaps he was of the same mind, Lydia couldn't quite tell, but at least he wasn't so far gone that he couldn't read her signals or respect her boundaries.

That was promising in and of itself.

After what seemed like several minutes to Lydia, he pulled away and took a short step back, an unreadable expression on his face. One that seemed to hold both curiosity, trepidation and just the barest hint of confusion.

"You have even begun to act as such with the child. Standing up for her." The Ape King spoke, though Lydia couldn't discern the emotions behind the tone he was using just then. Was it accusatory? Perhaps intrigued?

Either way, she shook her head.

"I just don't think she deserves those stares you give her. She's been through enough already, I can imagine, and it's not like she can talk back, now can she?"

"And the skins?" Caesar pressed, ignoring her question as he raised his brow almost expectantly. Where was this coming from now?

Lydia shrugged. Why did she have to explain her reasons for interacting with the child? For helping her? Why did Caesar even have a problem with this kid to begin with?

"It's getting cold. Just because she's not _my_ child doesn't mean I don't care." Came her truthful reply

"She is a human." Caesar spoke matter-of-factly, as if that was all the explanation he needed.

It wasn't.

Lydia moved her arms to stuff her hands down her coat's pockets to warm them, just a bit, and eyed the Ape King with a raised, slender brow.

"So am I." She spoke with the beginnings of a confused grimace appearing on her face. What was this supposed to mean? Why was this suddenly a problem? _He_ had been _mating_ with one for the past year or so, after all. "What of it?"

"The man with her was a soldier. She is from _their_ group. The _Colonel's_. You saw the mark on his neck."

Ah, so that was the issue. At least part of it. The girl seemed to represent that which Caesar was chasing… That which had brought him so much pain.

Lydia shook her head at the Ape King, sighing.

"They were clearly not with the soldiers anymore when we found them and either way, she's just a child, Caesar." She argued, though in a gentler, more imploring tone than the one she had used when the chimp had first dragged her here. "She wasn't the one to pull the trigger that night."

Lydia knew saying that last bit was a daring move, and she immediately feared triggering the argument about why Caesar had left all over again. That was one direction this conversation did _not_ need to take, now that they had finally started to at least _talk_ about what had happened between them.

And yet she felt like it had to be said either way. Caesar's animosity towards this poor child was ungrounded, seeing as she was completely innocent of the crime Caesar had set out to avenge in the first place. She was clearly just a poor, innocent kid caught in a desolate, unforgiving world of bloodshed and even though Lydia still felt awkward around the little human, the situation she came from still managed to resonate with the woman. She had been in a similar situation once, many years ago, and she hadn't even been this young when it had happened to her.

She did also speculate that his animosity might also have something to do with him feeling it somehow unfair that this helpless human child was alive when his own son wasn't, but Lydia wouldn't open _that_ Pandora's box tonight by asking.

The Ape King, instead of getting angry – like Lydia had almost expected him to – seemed to consider her words carefully.

"I know this, Lydia… It is just that… she is-"

"She is what she is, Caesar. Just like me." She was quick to remind the ape, reaching up to rub her arms – the night was chilling her skin, even underneath her shirt and coat. "Did you ever stop to think that maybe, if we showed her some kindness, there's a chance she would return it? That she wouldn't end up like the soldiers? That she could be one of us?"

Caesar pursed his lips at that, and Lydia could see in his eyes that the thought must have also crossed his own mind at least once – especially when one considered the fact that he didn't immediately reject the notion.

He seemed to concede, at last, with a nod of his head and a heavy exhale.

"Perhaps…" He spoke gravelly before looking up once more and staring with uncharacteristic uncertainty into Lydia's eyes.

"Lydia… I must know… Are we-? I mean, will you speak again now, at least?" Caesar asked carefully, taking a tentative step closer as he reached forward with his hand. He seemed to be waiting for her to take it. To accept him back into her good graces – or at least begin to do so.

She hesitated for only a fraction of a second, thinking it over. She was still mad about what he had said, that's for sure. But he had apologised now and what was more, he _did_ seem to mean it as well. His mind might still be clouded with thoughts of vengeance, but it was reassuring to know that he still had a conscience.

His hand was comfortingly warm as she grabbed it, and he squeezed her offered limb gently once it was enclosed within his own.

Lydia didn't verbally confirm anything, but she figured she didn't have to. The fact that she had reached out and reciprocated his gesture seemed to be enough, as Caesar's shoulders visibly slackened as the tension dissipated.

They didn't speak at all of the argument that had caused all of this in the first place, sensing it wasn't the time for that just yet. It would have to wait for another night.

Now had been a time to apologise, and Caesar had done that as best as he could.

After this, Lydia knew it was up to her how long it would take for her to fully believe it.

But this right here… This was a start.


	63. A Merciful Death

**Author's Note:** Yet another Friday and now a full year since I began posting this story over on AO3 (the first place it was posted)! :) The story has taken on quite its own life since then, and as many of you know by now, I never actually expected it to take up this many chapters (and still going on with no definite number in sight). Don't worry, though, I'll only stop once it's all done, and I do have the story all planned out right until the end ;) meaning you can comfortably stay tuned without fear of this being abandoned! Hope you'll all continue to enjoy the story - however long it may last! ;)

* * *

 _ **Caesar**_

It took them another week of following the soldiers before they reached the snow-covered mountains that lie far northwest of the forest the apes once called their home.

For now, they still weren't far behind the unsuspecting military group, though it was getting steadily more difficult to follow their tracks in the thickening layer of snow. Even Storm was beginning to have a hard time with it unless she ran directly behind the horses, which the dog seemed to greatly dislike.

And the canine wasn't the only one dissatisfied with the snowfall.

The Ape King himself was quite troubled by it, as he feared he and his group would lose their target in the wild, white flurry or simply not be able to sustain themselves long enough for the soldiers to lead them to their destination. Food was scarce up in the mountains at this time of year, and even Lydia, with Storm's help, was having a tough time yielding any results from her hunts now.

Caesar pursed his lips, rocking with his horse's movements as it trotted briskly through the snow.

At least he and Lydia were on speaking-terms once more. Had been ever since that night the Ape King had finally pulled himself together and apologised. He knew he had done so rather gracelessly, unceremoniously walking up to Lydia in the middle of the night and demand she follow him, but he had been at his wits end by then. Had felt like it had been the only way.

He was still giving her some space, though, even if, on most nights, all he wanted to do was to reach out for her and keep her close. To ground himself with her presence. The night was the only time he had ever been able to do so – ever since they had first become mates. Right now, however, Caesar knew he needed to give her some room to breathe, which he was more than willing to do if it meant they could go back to normal once this was all over.

Besides, he was as hell-bent as ever on finding the Colonel and bringing him to justice, which made it easier to ignore the coldness the Ape King felt without his mate's touch. At least in this instance, his mission proved a welcome distraction.

Caesar didn't get to dwell too much on this as suddenly, through the whirling snow, he spotted the red taillights of the soldiers' vehicles in the distance, unmoving. He could hear the humans' voices as they shouted to each other, though he couldn't discern whether it was in anger or fear, or just the usual barking of commands.

He pulled the reins on his horse and signalled for the group behind him to stop.

Something wasn't right.

He squinted as the wind lashed at his face and pointed towards the commotion.

"They stopped…" The Ape King spoke softly, confused and worried about what the Colonel's men were up to. They had never stopped like this before, in the middle of the day and with little to no warning.

Had they discovered they were being followed? Perhaps they were preparing to lure the apes into a trap?

But before Caesar could finish that thought, gunshots suddenly sounded from where the soldiers were, frightening the horses and prompting the entire group to dismount and run for cover.

"Get down!" Caesar yelled at them all as he himself jumped down from his steed and, out of instinct more than anything else, placed himself in front of Lydia as the entire group moved to stand by an exposed, jagged rockface not far from where the group had stopped.

The little girl stood cradled in Maurice's arms with her back against the wall of rock, gasping with fright at each gunshot, muffled by the furious winds.

Lydia, who had placed herself in front of the orangutan and his charge, crouched down beside Caesar, doing her best to soothe Storm, who stood with her hackles raised by her owner, growling angrily and flashing her formidable canines in response to the sounds.

"Shhh, Storm, be quiet now." Lydia spoke as calmly as she could, though Caesar could easily discern the worry in her voice.

" _What are they shooting at?_ " Rocket moved forward to ask, releasing breathy gibbers as he did so.

But Caesar couldn't tell any better than he or any of the others could, squinting once more against the vicious snowfall. Even without this flurry, it would have been impossible for him to tell what was happening over there – the trees and vehicles were also in the way, blocking him from seeing what exactly seemed to have the soldiers so riled up and trigger-happy.

And so, Caesar answered the only way he could, soft and breathy against the wind, sounding more as if speaking to himself rather than his second-in-command.

"I don't know…"

And it would take an excruciatingly long time before they were able to find out for themselves, not daring to go and take a closer look until several hours after the soldiers' vehicles had left the scene. It had been Lydia who had urged them to wait and instead scout the area to make sure this wasn't some sort of morbid trap that had been set up for them to walk right into.

It was unlikely, as they had been keeping a considerable distance between themselves and the soldiers – at this point more due to the fact that their horses' movements were hampered by the thickening snow rather than Caesar wanting to play it safe.

In any case, the group didn't make an approach until the weather had settled down, giving way to a calm, bright, winter-white sky that reflected almost blindingly against the snow-covered ground.

The Ape King, as always, lead the way towards the place the soldiers had made their stop, his gun in hand as Rocket and Lydia came up right behind him, the latter with her customary bow strung tight. Luca, together with Maurice and the girl, made up the rear of the group, with Storm prowling protectively beside the young human.

"What the-…?" Caesar heard his mate's faint voice as they all moved closer to the grim, yet curious scene that met them as they walked past a large boulder.

Three human bodies, all dressed in soldier attire and partially covered by snow, lie on the ground off to the side. Above the head of each individual, a few branches tied together to form an X-shape stood as a mark of the respective soldier's grave, accompanied by yet another branch with a helmet resting on top of it.

Even with these details in place, Caesar still had a hard time thinking of what he saw as three graves. Sure, the bodies would have been impossible to bury properly in a time and place like this, with the frost making the ground as hard as a rock – the Ape King knew this well enough, but...

No, it was the fact that all three bodies each had one large, easily recognisable gunshot wound in their chests, the blood having painted the once pristine snow and unsettling shade of crimson.

This… this _wasn't_ a gravesite.

This was the site of an execution. That was what they had heard – the gunshots from before. It had been the soldiers, killing three of their own.

But why?

With a mixture between curiosity and horror coursing through him, Caesar stepped forth and crouched down by the first body, peeling off the large hood that covered the human's face.

It was a woman, the gentle slope of her brows and the small, feminine nose a tell-tale sign of that.

But it was what seemed to have come from said nose that really caught Caesar's attention: copious amounts of dark red blood, coagulated upon her cheeks and upper lip.

To his side, Rocket moved over to the next body to examine that too, and Caesar looked on as his old friend pulled up the hood to reveal a man's face, his naturally red beard standing out starkly against his pale skin as well as the white snow. He too had blood coming from his nose, which had flowed down to dye his moustache.

Storm growled lowly as Rocket removed the hood from the man's face, but the group didn't get the time to react to her behaviour before, suddenly, the soldier's eyes opened wide and he drew a deep, heaving breath as if starved for air.

"Shit!" Lydia gasped beside Caesar, getting up from her crouched position and pulling her bowstring taut as she aimed down at the man with her arrow.

Caesar, Rocket and Luca did the same with their guns, releasing shocked gibbers and chuffs as they eyed the injured human, each of them sporting an aggressive grimace.

Storm was barking now, taking a defensive stance in front of Maurice and the little girl, the latter cowering behind the startled orangutan.

The soldier didn't seem to care much either way, though, as the moment he had drawn in his first gulp of breath, he released it from his lungs once more with an agonised shout of pain. He grasped for his right shoulder, writhing on the ground as blood seemed to gush forth anew from his wound.

Then he began gasping in fright as his pale blue stare once again found the apes and he reeled back in fright.

Caesar's first thought was to protect his companions – his mate in particular, even if he knew this man most likely posed no threat to her. Not to any of them, really, if his wounds were anything to go by.

How had he even survived this long, lying here like that?

The growling grimace that had appeared on Caesar's face was soon exchanged for one of confusion as his eyes connected with the human male's, who seemed to be calming down rather quickly from his initial bout of terror.

Now, the sounds coming from him were pained gasps of breath – the only noise to be heard as the apes and two human females grew silent. Even Storm had quieted down once more, standing there now with her ears flattened against her head as she stared apprehensively at the injured soldier.

The initial aggression and fear subsided quickly from the Ape King as he looked down at the helpless human, and he went forth to crouch by him. He cradled the man's head in his hand and pulled him, as gently as the ape could, into a more elevated position in the hopes that it would allow him to better ignore his pain. The man shouted in pure agony anyway, slightly gurgling on some blood stuck in his throat.

Caesar's features softened as he looked down at the suffering man.

"Why did they shoot you?" His voice came gently. More so than he ever thought he would be able to when faced with a soldier. One of the Colonel's men.

But this man… He clearly wasn't one of them. Not anymore, anyway.

But why? _Why?!_

The human seemed to _want_ to tell them. His blue eyes full of intent as his mouth opened to speak – began to move as if forming words.

Only none came forth.

Only raspy, nonsensible huffs and mumbles.

Caesar felt how his face contorted into a mixture of confusion and disbelief as he looked down at the man.

The way he tried so hard force his voice through but couldn't. The way his hoarse gasps seemed just short of enough to allow him to communicate…

Realisation slowly crept onto Caesar's face as he turned back towards the little girl they had brought with them, who looked both frightened and confused as she stared between them all.

Maurice seemed to understand, his small, green eyes widening as he stared back and forth between the Ape King and the girl.

" _Like her!_ " He signed with shock once it all seemed to slip into place for him as well. " _He cannot speak!_ "

 _What_ was going on?

But before Caesar could even begin to further contemplate that – something he wasn't even sure he really wanted to do – he noticed Maurice looking down at the human male with a sombre expression on his dark face.

" _He will die of those wounds._ " The orangutan pointed out and the Ape King immediately knew what he was implying by those words.

This soldier, this human, was in for a slow, excruciatingly painful death and he was clearly already in great pain. Unlike the girl, this was one person they couldn't save, even if they had wanted to – but what they _could_ do was give him a quick, painless death.

A show of mercy, as it were.

Caesar turned to look down at the man once more, watching and silently contemplating as the human's eyelids seemed to flutter halfway shut.

Yes, he could give this man mercy. He was not the Colonel Caesar was after. He wasn't even part of the group that obeyed him anymore. This man was a reject, cast aside for reasons the Ape King wasn't even sure he wanted to contemplate.

He lowered the man's head back onto the ground, receiving a soft, pained grunt in reply.

He was about to get up when Lydia's voice suddenly sounded behind him.

"Wait…" She spoke up as she stepped over to crouch down by Caesar, ignoring his stare, as well as everyone else's, as she began to speak to the dying soldier.

"You really can't speak?" She asked him, her voice gentle as if she was talking to an ape child frightened of the dark.

The man, seemingly calmed by Lydia's tone, or perhaps by the mere fact that it was a fellow human who spoke to him, shook his head in reply to her question. No, he couldn't speak.

"Is that why they did this?" She pressed on, her dark, slender brows knitting together.

He nodded his head and his eyelids fluttered shut again for a brief moment, but it was clear he was determined to keep up with the conversation and answer Lydia as best he could.

Neither Caesar, nor any of the other apes, did anything to intervene in this moment. None of them dared. The man's eyelids looked to be getting heavy as he started to relax. To give in to his wounds. But he did his best – Caesar couldn't fault him for that.

"Is it- Is it a… a disease?" The woman seemed to have a hard time getting that question past her lips, and for good reason. Caesar felt his heart still for a moment, fearing the answer to his mate's inquiry.

And much to the Ape King's regret, the soldier nodded once more. The look he shot Lydia as he did so almost seemed to be one of pity.

The hairs on the back of Caesar's neck rose, and not at all because of the chill in the air around them.

The Ape King laid a hand on Lydia's shoulder, doing a subtle shake of his head once she turned her head to look at him. He knew he didn't need to speak for her to know what he was trying to convey.

Don't dig deeper. For your own sake and for everyone else's. Don't ask questions to which the answers will only cause us worry and pain.

Lydia pursed her lips as she stared back at him, though he could tell by the look on her face that she wasn't about to argue. She was processing what she had just had confirmed. Gathering herself before she did a heavy exhale and nodded her head.

Then, she rose beside Caesar, casting one last glance down at the dying human male, whose eyes seemed full of apology as he watched the woman back off.

As soon as she was out of his limited, peripheral vision, the soldier's eyes turned back to stare at the Ape King, and the large chimp was almost floored by the gaze he was met with, so pleading and apologetic.

"Luca…" Caesar's voice came quietly as he inclined his head towards Maurice and the girl.

It was time to give this man a merciful end. It seemed only appropriate, given the circumstances.

The silverback understood and turned to gently guide them away, shielding the child from having to watch what was about to take place. Over the past week, Caesar had thought hard on what Lydia had said, and in turn he had slowly begun to see the little human for what she truly was: An innocent child, a leaf caught in the cruel winds of the adults' world. Of the soldiers' world.

And as that thought started to stick with him, the Ape King had found himself to be more comfortable around the child, sharing the water from his gourd with her as they rode and keeping an eye on her when they stopped to make camp – no longer because he feared she would run off to the soldiers, but because he was genuinely trying to keep her safe.

Lydia was right. Human or not, this was only a child.

And she didn't need to see this.

The Ape King heard Rocket give a gentle chuff and noticed out of the corner of his eye how the balding chimp put his large hand on Lydia's arm, inclining his head towards the others as they left. Caesar knew she had elected to stay without having to turn and witness the exchange. He could quite well imagine how Lydia would have shaken her head softly at Rocket before turning her gaze back to the man on the ground, electing to bear witness to this rather than leaving.

Perhaps it was a way to show respect to a man who had been betrayed by his own kind – something Caesar knew Lydia was quite familiar with herself. Or maybe it was to make sure the Ape King would go through with it at all and not just pretend that he shot the soldier in the others' absence and leave him to a slow death out of spite?

The thought _had_ occurred to him, Caesar would admit, but that had been before the man had tried to speak. Before the ape had caught a glimpse of what was going on.

And before the human male had looked at him with those eyes…

Lydia needn't worry about him not going through with this.

He chose not to turn back and argue with her about whether this was something she should witness or not. Lydia had seen death before. Had dealt it herself on more than one occasion and was ready to do so again if the need arose.

Besides, Caesar had an unnerving suspicion that the death of this man wasn't what was going to occupy his mate's mind once they would leave this grim scene behind.

The Ape King readied his gun, looking down at the soldier calmly and seeing the dying human's eyelids flutter one last time as he nodded at Caesar. He understood what was about to happen – had asked for it himself without words, only with the look in his blue eyes.

They weren't the same clear, deep blue as Lydia's eyes. No, this man's eyes were darker, less stark than the woman's…

But they were just as intense as hers when he had stared at Caesar, trying to explain what had happened and why, but lacking the ability to do so… A fact which struck the Ape King like a resounding slap to the face.

And it was that intense stare, even as the human male closed his eyes, accepting death, which flashed across the Ape King's mind as he finally pulled the trigger, ending the man's life with a pullet through the brain.

Plain and simple.

Quick and painless.

A merciful death.

It was something Caesar never thought he would ever be able to give one of the Colonel's men. Something he had never thought any of them could ever deserve after what had happened.

But this man… This man had been betrayed by the Colonel. By his fellow soldiers.

No, he hadn't been one of them. Not anymore.

He had just been a man. A sick man.

Like Will had been…

It had been a long time since anything had reminded the Ape King of his adoptive father. The world had changed much since his passing and everything that Caesar had once connected with Will, Charles and Caroline had either been forgotten or deliberately left behind.

It almost startled him when the thought crossed his mind as he stared down at what he had done just now. The result of the mercy he had provided. A mercy he could never have provided Will all those years ago.

Would his adoptive father have wanted something like this? For someone to end his suffering?

Would Caesar have been able to give it? And with such relative ease as he had done with this man?

What if Lydia would end up like this man? Or like Will?

Bile rose in the back of the Ape King's throat at the mere thought and he quickly turned away from the corpse, pointedly avoiding the eyes of Rocket and Lydia as he walked away, back to the horses.

It was time they moved on.

* * *

"I'm proud of you." Lydia spoke to him afterwards as they rode on, away from the bodies, following the now mostly-obscured tracks in the snow. "For what you did back there."

She hadn't needed to elaborate, but the Ape King appreciated her words nonetheless.

The deed hadn't been as satisfactory as he had expected something like that to be – to get to kill one of the people who had fought him and his apes for so long.

Then again, maybe it wouldn't matter how many soldiers he killed, or if they were deserters or loyal forces. Maybe the only kill that would ever matter, would quench Caesar's thirst for vengeance and justice, would be the Colonel himself.

His men didn't matter. His deserters didn't matter.

They were merely a means to an end.

The Colonel's end.

Caesar didn't say any of this to Lydia, of course, just as he hadn't shared what had gone through his head after having killed the soldier earlier. He merely offered a nod of acceptance and a soft look in her direction. It was good to know that she approved of what he had done – that didn't happen often these days, much to Caesar's regret.

Other than this, however, the human woman had been eerily quiet for most of the day after that, a far-off look in her eyes as they rode, though she performed her usual tasks just the same as she had always done, now with little hindrance from the gunshot wound the Colonel had dealt her.

At least there was that, Caesar supposed.

Two weeks after it had happened, it had begun to close up and where there had once been a brutal-looking gash in her flesh, there was now light pink, new skin surrounding a thin, dark tear which was still on its way to seal up. It was an immense relief to the Ape King that his mate's wound hadn't become infected – especially seeing as they were on the road practically from dawn till dusk, leaving little time to tend to the injury.

He figured he should be especially grateful to Maurice for his insistence on helping Lydia rebandage the wound from time to time as well – the woman could be frustratingly dismissive of her own injuries. The chimp knew it was an attempt on Lydia's part not to make people around her worry, but all it really did at the end of the day, at least in Caesar's case, was make him fret even more.

And now, just as her wound was healing up and the large chimp thought he could let his mind fully return to his quest for revenge, something new had turned up, posing a potential threat to his mate.

Caesar felt his jaw clench as he stared straight ahead once more, his brow furrowing against the onslaught of snowfall, which had begun only an hour after they had left the solders' bodies behind.

It forced the group to make camp without having caught up with the Colonel's men later that evening, all of them huddling together, sheltered by a sizable nook in a cliffside Rocket had managed to spot through the whirling snow.

The girl, swathed in the cloak Lydia had made for her, had managed to fall asleep with Maurice's huge arm wrapped around her for warmth, while the four apes and the human woman still sat, wide awake, around the small campfire.

It was a good thing their little shelter faced downwind – otherwise it would have been impossible to keep the flames alive.

" _Do you think the soldiers left because of it?_ " Rocket questioned, looking between Caesar, Luca, Maurice and Lydia interchangeably. " _The… disease?_ "

They hadn't talked much about the subject and truth be told, the Ape King preferred not to even think about it. It was like a new enemy had appeared – and one Caesar didn't know how to fight at that.

Something ominous and out of his control.

And if there was one thing that unnerved the Ape King, it was not being in control. Not having a plan. Not being able to protect the ones he loved.

But after what they had come across today – the knowledge they had obtained – the subject was the obvious elephant in the room (that was the phrase, right? At least that was how Caesar remembered it said).

Anyhow, it needed to be discussed, whether he liked it or not.

Lydia didn't seem to have heard the question, or if she had, she hadn't acknowledged it in any way. The woman was sat on a stump in front of the fire, huddled in all the clothes she owned and with her elbows resting on top of her knees, her folded hands obscuring her mouth as she stared into the dancing flames.

Caesar couldn't help letting his concerned gaze stray for too long in his mate's direction, though at least he could take heart in the fact that it wasn't just him who was giving her worried, sideways glances.

" _I don't know…_ " Maurice signed thoughtfully, his brow furrowed as he considered Rocket's inquiry. For once, the orangutan seemed to be at a loss for words, which only served to underline the mystery surrounding this new piece of the soldiers' puzzle.

" _Winter said they were going to meet with another army up north. He mentioned nothing about this. Nothing about humans not speaking._ " Luca pointed out, and despite his attention being divided between Lydia and the discussion he was having with the three other apes, Caesar easily noticed the careful look in the gorilla's eyes at the mention of Winter.

Truthfully, the Ape King didn't care much for the traitorous white gorilla. He was dead and gone – had been for over a week now, and Caesar had moved on. The only thing that Caesar still regretted about that incident was the way he had ended the ape's life, but not the fact that he had died in the first place.

He had betrayed his own people and submitted himself to the enemy. He had chosen the coward's way out, and it had resulted in Blue Eyes' death.

That had been unforgivable. He had been deserving of what he had been dealt in return.

The Ape King pursed his lips at Luca's words nonetheless, thinking hard on it. It was true, Winter had made no mention of this supposed disease.

"He may not have had the time to tell us." Caesar spoke his next thought out loud. "Or he simply did not know."

Maurice nodded at that. He hadn't been with them when they had infiltrated the military camp and interrogated Winter, but he had received a full recount of what had been said and done.

Lydia, meanwhile, remained quiet.

" _That might be true, but why kill soldiers just because they can't speak?_ " Rocket signed with a small, confused pout as his heavy brow lowered, almost obscuring his eyes entirely. " _Don't they need their men?_ "

Caesar had wondered about that too and yet the answer still eluded him.

As far as he could tell, nothing about these humans not speaking would prevent them from performing their duties, and they seemed perfectly capable of understanding spoken words, even if their own voice had been lost. In fact, there had been a very human spark of intelligence in the dying soldier's eyes, Caesar remembered, and the girl they had brought along still had it as well.

That was another thing that made this all the more puzzling. Why kill capable warriors? A workforce which Caesar knew the Colonel needed, even if another army would be joining him soon.

The Ape King knew that the humans of the past had invented sign to speak with those who could not communicate by conventional means. Be they deaf, like Lydia's younger brother had been, or mute like the girl sleeping by Maurice's side. Mute like Caesar himself had been before he had found his voice that fateful day at San Bruno's all those years ago.

Why couldn't the soldiers just teach some basic signs? Or invent their own, like the apes had had to do as they had faced things in the world that they hadn't known the words for?

What was it about this condition that made the soldiers fear it so much that they were willing to shoot their own kind – especially in a time of war?

What exactly was the Colonel's plan in all of this?

"There's one other thing I don't understand." Lydia spoke quietly, joining the conversation for the first time that night. Her voice had been so unusually soft and vulnerable that all four apes immediately felt compelled to listen, and they were now staring at her with a sense of quiet foreboding.

"If it's like the soldier said… If it _is_ a disease and it's affecting both this girl and the soldiers… Why haven't _I_ felt anything yet?" Lydia asked, lifting her deep blue eyes to stare at each of the apes in turn, though her gaze rested the longest on the Ape King.

As if he might have an answer.

As if he might protect her from this newfound threat.

They all knew he couldn't…

The question itself had everyone on edge – and no one more so than Caesar himself. But it was Lydia's stare that made his insides grow cold with a fear he hadn't felt since the night Blue Eyes had died.

It reminded him of the way the dying soldier had looked up at Lydia after she had asked her final question. The open expression of equal parts compassion and pity he had regarded her with, as if he had felt truly sorry for her.

As if he thought it was only a matter of time before she would fall victim to it as well.

The image that appeared inside Caesar's mind sent an almost violent chill rolling down his spine, feeling as if it bounced off each vertebra as it went, intensifying the sensation.

The Ape King was barely able to resist the urge to bite his lip in anxiety.

That image… Lydia's face, wide-eyed and begging like the soldier had been doing, with blood coming from her nostrils and her mouth opened as she tried, and failed, to speak to him.

 _Why haven't I felt anything yet?_ Her words echoed inside his mind, hollow and haunting.

Why indeed…

And how long would it remain that way?


	64. A Strange Thief

**NOTE:** Next week, on Friday 19th of April, I will be taking a little break from posting during Easter, so I can catch up on some chapter-writing :) This means there'll be no new Ape Inside chapter on this date - but fear not, as posting will continue as usual from Friday 26th of April once more! :)

* * *

 _ **Lydia**_

The next day, they had lost the soldiers because of the heavy snowfall, seeing as it had completely covered up the tracks their vehicles had made.

Caesar wasn't too pleased with it, Lydia could easily tell, but even the Ape King realised that they had had little choice on the matter. The weather had been too dreadful and had they actually gone through it to try and catch up, the little group would have been more likely to get truly and utterly lost instead.

At least now, in broad daylight and with the weather clear once more, they could make out their surroundings and do some proper tracking, rather than fumbling blindly in a blizzard.

And when they had found a tall power mast in a clearing, the apes had decided it would be a perfect opportunity to get a better view of their surroundings, while Lydia, not a keen climber herself, had elected to scout the perimeter, combining the task with some light hunting.

Though she wasn't having much luck with that either.

No animals, not so much as a single little rabbit, seemed to want to venture out from within their hollows in this frigid cold, and Lydia couldn't blame them. Still, it would have been nice to be able to return to the others with some results, be it either a lead on the soldiers' heading or a nice morsel of meat for them all to nibble on.

Storm, seemingly sensing Lydia's souring mood, gave a soft, seemingly compassionate whine and licked the tips of Lydia's cold fingers.

The human woman responded by scratching the canine behind her fluffy ear, noting how her stormy, dark grey fur had thickened considerably over the past few weeks.

"Let's head back to the others, huh, girl?" She spoke to her faithful companion, feeling compelled to keep her voice down due to the silence of the snow-clad forest.

Storm only stared silently up at her in reply, and it almost looked to Lydia as if she was trying, _actually trying,_ to decipher what her owner was saying.

She smiled fondly down at the dog, giving her one last stroke before straightening up again.

"Come on, then."

They hadn't gone far from the small clearing, as Lydia knew it wouldn't take all day for the apes to get an idea of where they needed to go. Besides, in some places, the snow was reaching all the way up to the middle of her shins now – not the best conditions for trekking.

And the white glow seemed almost blinding as Lydia finally emerged from within the trees together with Storm, and she had to momentarily hold up a hand to shield her eyes from the harsh glare as she looked up at the metal mast.

Caesar and the others were still up there, seemingly conversing, though Lydia couldn't quite tell what they were discussing from this distance.

Returning her attention to ground level once more, Lydia spotted the little girl sitting atop Maurice's horse, playing with her doll as she patiently waited for them all to return. She was a sweet, gentle little thing, this human child, and by now, she and Lydia had even developed a tentative friendship of sorts.

The woman thought back to last night, when they had all been sitting around their little campfire and Lydia had freed her hair from her braid to brush it and rearrange it – her dark tresses had been trapped in the same hairdo for a couple of days and were in dire need of some maintenance. When Lydia had let her long hair loose, the girl had looked on with something akin to fascination and curiosity in her eyes, observing quietly as Lydia had pulled the brush through the dark strands.

Soon discovering that she was under such intense scrutiny, the adult had paused mid-stroke and made eye contact with the kid, who hadn't seemed the least bit bashful at being caught openly staring – as most others would.

It had only taken a moment's hesitation before Lydia had offered to help the girl with her own, light tresses, noting how tangled they were.

What had been revealed to them the other day had still been gnawing at Lydia's gut, thinking about the sickness that seemed to plague the soldiers – and the girl who sat before her. The woman had been – and still was – worried that she, too, would lose her voice. That she also would get that intense, half-wild stare in her eyes that the dying soldier had regarded them with.

But as Lydia herself had pointed out to the others last night, she hadn't felt any changes – and she _had_ already spent a significant amount of time around the child. Granted, she had no idea how long it would potentially take for her to feel the symptoms, but the human woman figured that, after all this time, there was really no point in shirking away from the kid _now_.

The younger human had accepted the offer with a timid smile and pulled the hood of her thin coat and pelt cloak down to let Lydia deal with the tangled mess of long, blonde hair – and contrary to the way she dealt with her own tresses, Lydia was extremely gentle and careful.

"There, all done." The adult human had said once the final stroke of her brush had come through the blonde mass without any resistance, nodding in approval. "You want it up or just loose like this?"

The child had seemed to consider this question carefully, reaching up to run her small fingers through the strands before pointing to Lydia's own braid.

"Right, up it is, then." The adult agreed before turning to Maurice. All four ape males had been watching the interaction with varying levels of interest, though they had all seemed amused by it – even Caesar. "Come on over, Maurice."

The orangutan had grunted in mild confusion, but scooted over nonetheless.

" _Why? Do you need my help with something?_ " He had signed, perplexed, his small eyes narrowing as a teasing smile had stretched over Lydia's face.

"Nope, but I'm going to teach you how to braid. If you're going to take care of a human girl, you've got to know how to help her with her hair."

Lydia had nearly snorted in laughter, despite everything, when Maurice's eyes had widened in surprise. The other three apes had all chuckled, enjoying their orangutan friend briefly being thrown out of the loop – it was rare that it happened, after all.

Nonetheless, Maurice had accepted the lesson, looking on in deep concentration as Lydia's fingers worked through the girl's hair, slow and deliberate so that the ape could follow and imitate the technique later.

And throughout the whole thing, braiding, undoing and re-braiding about three or four times, the little girl had sat diligently through it, petting Storm as Maurice's much larger fingers tugged at her blonde strands.

Lydia found herself smiling at the memory as she trudged through the snow, stuffing her hands in the pockets of her coat to keep warm – clearly, there was nothing to hunt here, so she slung her bow back across her shoulder, opting instead to keep her hands, currently only covered by thin, fingerless leather gloves, free from potential frostbite.

The human woman picked up her pace through the thick snow, eager to get back to the others – even if she came back empty handed.

Her stomach growled angrily at the thought, so loud that even Storm stopped sniffing around to perk up and stare back at her owner, giving a soft, confused whine.

"Don't worry, girl. I'll figure something out later today, I promise." The woman was quick to assure her canine companion with another scratch behind the ear.

She didn't know if it was more of a reassurance to herself than Storm at this point. Finding food out here in this cold was fast becoming a serious issue and their dried meat had all but run out by now.

Also, she had subtly given portions of her meat to the kid, the idea of letting her go hungry not sitting right with the woman.

Another deep growl came from Lydia's gut.

She just hoped the others would come down soon. Even if she was already tired and sore from all this travelling, something she hadn't done in years, moving was still preferable to sitting still in this freezing weather.

Lydia stopped dead in her tracks, however, when she spotted movement over by Luca's horse.

It was like a switch was flipped inside Lydia's brain the moment she saw it, instinct and years of experience making her move almost automatically into a slight crouch, hand hovering near her bow as she studied the potential threat.

Assessing the danger.

Calculating the risk.

It was a small shape, a figure of a tiny stature, which seemed to be wearing… was that a parka?

Was it a human, then? It could be, but…

Lydia looked briefly down at Storm, who had also spotted the stranger and was now on high-alert.

However, she didn't react the way Lydia would have expected her to when encountering a human. The way Lydia had trained her to do. She didn't growl or raise her hackles at the figure, and her stance wasn't tense in preparation for a fight.

Instead, the canine seemed curious, her ears perked up in obvious alertness, though she didn't show even a hint of fangs.

She seemed almost… playful?

Lydia grimaced in confusion, eyebrows furrowing and mouth slightly agape.

What was this? _Who_ was this? What were they doing out here?

And were they alone?

But one thing Lydia _did_ know – this person, whoever they were, was looking awfully sneaky as they rummaged through Luca's saddlebags.

Which in Lydia's book was _not_ a good sign. Especially when the stranger, after having pulled out the binoculars and storing them away once more, took out the shotgun Luca carried with him.

A lump appeared in Lydia's throat as she watched the weapon gleam in the pale daylight, her blue eyes quickly flickering towards the unsuspecting little girl.

She had to do something – _quick!_

But before the woman could even get as far as figuring out what this 'something' ought to be, a deafening roar sounded from above them all, startling Storm into barking.

It all happened in a flash from that point on, as the tiny stranger quickly jumped onto the white steed and galloped away as fast as the horse would go. Lydia ran over to her own mount and practically scrambled into the saddle as the apes came down from the mast and hopped onto their horses, Rocket riding with Luca now that they were one steed short.

She rode just behind Caesar most of the way as the chase went on, taking them through the wintry landscape at break-neck speeds. Lydia had no doubt that she could catch up with the thief if given the opportunity. Her horse was of a faster, more nimble kind than the ones the apes rode, and Lydia's lighter body meant that her horse didn't have work as hard to maintain its pace.

But Caesar signed for her to stay back the one time she tried to ride past him, and Lydia quickly understood why when the thief turned in his saddle and pointed Luca's shotgun back at them, firing the weapon.

Though his aim was, luckily, very poor, and he hit the branches of a tree a few feet above their heads instead of his pursuers. It was then that it became clear to Lydia then that this person, whoever they were, seemed prepared to harm them if they got too close.

And so, she stayed back, lowering herself in her saddle every time the thief turned around to shoot at them. Behind her, Storm was running in the wake of the horses, barking whenever the shotgun was fired.

The bullets pinged against the metal frame of an old ski lift as the group rode underneath it, and Lydia became aware that the thief seemed to follow the structure up the side of the mountain, deftly avoiding the few old, rusty seats of the lift, which were still dangling from the cable above.

 _Where is he going? Where will he run to up here?_ Lydia's mind raced as she squinted her eyes against the icy wind. _I hope this isn't a trap…_

Losing their target about halfway up the mountainside, the group came to a sudden halt at the top, looking on in confusion as Luca's white steed, seemingly abandoned, walked calmly towards them without its mysterious rider in the saddle. Behind it stood a tall, strange-looking building with a sloping roof, several gaping holes exposing its beams to the elements. The entire structure was mostly made of large wooden beams, though the walls were halfway buried in snow.

Lydia immediately recognised the place as an old ski resort, and as if to prove her right, an elaborately designed metal sign in front of the building read: "1907. The Inn at Kettle Ridge."

 _Cosy_ … Lydia thought as she passed it together with the others, grabbing the reins of Luca's horse as she rode past it. The beast followed obediently, seemingly just happy to not be separated from its herd anymore.

They tied their steeds up to a tree nearby as they dismounted and cautiously went towards the old resort.

For such a large building, it was eerily quiet here.

"Lydia." Caesar spoke softly as they came up to a broken window through which they could get inside. "Protect Maurice and the girl. We will go first."

 _Well, at least he didn't tell me to stay behind and do nothing… That's progress, I guess._

Besides, it made sense, and so Lydia didn't argue. She only had her bow and hunting knife, so if push came to shove in there, it was better that those of them with guns went in first.

She nodded, hoping that her eyes conveyed what she wanted to say as he prepared to go inside.

Be careful.

Don't get killed.

You and I are not done.

She and Caesar hadn't exactly gone back to being downright affectionate with each other just yet, but they were on speaking terms once more, and it was clear that he was still trying to protect her.

She stayed outside the building with the orangutan and the child as the Ape King and the others made their way in, the trio in the back only entering when the others deemed it safe.

Despite the tenseness Lydia felt in that moment, she couldn't help the soft ache in her heart as Maurice stopped the little girl from following the three apes inside immediately, deep, protective chitters emitting from the aging orangutan's throat.

No doubt the child had grown on him.

Lydia inched her way inside before Maurice and the girl when Luca waved back at them, signalling that the area was safe to enter. Though, even as she kept her weapon ready and was still on high alert, she couldn't help but dwell momentarily at the sight that met them as they stepped further and further into the long-abandoned ski resort.

The interior of the building was, despite years of decay and exposure to the elements – or perhaps _because_ of these things – strangely beautiful.

The structure was held up by large, carved wooden pillars, and a winding staircase with naturally gnarled, wooden banisters led down to a huge, open space, above which a tiered chandelier of elk antlers hung proudly. Everything, even in here, was covered in ice and snow, and icicles of varying sizes reflected the light streaming in from an enormous façade of, surprisingly, mostly intact windows.

To Lydia, it almost looked like a fairy-tale setting, perhaps the castle of an ice queen? The thought would have been amusing if she hadn't already been so tense, walking in front of the orangutan and his little charge with careful steps as she watched the three other apes further down the stairs. Storm walked close as well, though she was by far the most relaxed of all the group's members.

And Lydia still couldn't figure out _why_.

The Ape King and his armed commanders were following a set of booted prints in the snow, which lead to the giant stone fireplace on the level just below Lydia's part of the group. Once they reached that point, the prints disappeared into the dark, sooty hole in the wall.

What the hell was going on?

She, Maurice and the girl began tentatively making their way down the stairs, but stopped the moment Caesar, Rocket and Luca stood in front of the cave-like hollow, hesitating briefly before cocking their guns. The sound was loud in the otherwise eerily quiet room and was underlined by a quiet snarl from Luca as the trio pointed their weapons at the dark opening of the fireplace.

It was a warning. A threat to whoever was hiding in there.

And in response, a clatter sounded as something was thrown out of the darkness.

From her current position, now at the bottom of the winding staircase together with Maurice and the girl, Lydia could only just catch a glimmer of Luca's shotgun hitting the snow-covered floor. It was soon followed by the pair of binoculars the group had scavenged earlier on their journey.

And then, a moment later, a small figure inched out of the dark fireplace – the same, small figure who had stolen Luca's horse, their head lowered and obscured by a large, fur-lined parka hood.

Though they held their hands up in surrender and Storm continued to seem unconcerned by the stranger, Lydia still tightened the grip on her bow – ever vigilant, as experience had taught her to be.

But her suspicion and alertness were both soon exchanged for total and utter surprise as the stranger raised their head to look up at Caesar, Luca and Rocket, their face scrunched up in regret and fear.

Their _ape face_ , that is. Wrinkly, weathered and distinctly male.

A small male chimpanzee, who then _spoke_ , loud and clear to them, his voice echoing throughout the large room.

"Bad… Ape."

Lydia loosened her bowstring, her arms going lax as she stared, mouth slightly agape, as the small chimp spoke again.

"Bad Ape."

And if Lydia thought she had been confused before… now she was completely bewildered, much like the three apes standing in front of the stranger were. Luca and Rocket both started asking him questions in sign – who he was and what he was doing there – but the strange chimp only gave a gentle start at their jerky hand movements before staring at the apes in front of him in obvious confusion.

Caesar remained quiet for now, still with his gun in his hands, though he seemed too preoccupied with studying this strange ape in front of them – Lydia did much the same, only looking away once to share a brief, flabbergasted look with Maurice.

" _I don't think he understands._ " Luca deduced as the small chimp cocked his head curiously at their continued signing.

Well, _that_ was plain to see. Lydia had plenty of experience with that, having watched people's confused faces when her brother, Matthew, had tried to sign with them, thinking – or perhaps just _hoping_ – that he would be understood.

" _I don't recognize him._ " Rocket added matter-of-factly. " _He's not one of us._ "

Caesar pursed his lips for only a moment at that, before he finally addressed the ape himself, his voice dark, yet soft as he spoke to the obviously confused chimp in front of them.

"Are you alone here?"

A spark of understanding finally seemed to glow in the stranger's green gaze and he nodded vigorously at the Ape King in reply, the hood of his parka bouncing with the movement.

It was only then, as Storm gave a soft whine which echoed in the large space, that they all became aware of Lydia, Maurice and the girl standing at the bottom of the stairs, and Lydia quietly stowed away her bow and arrow after a brief moment of eye contact with her mate.

This little ape posed no threat to them, she had decided.

Though the three apes in front of him seemed to think differently when, all of a sudden, the stranger began reaching for the zipper of his parka, prompting them all to turn back sharply and point their guns at him once more, Rocket chittering in warning.

The stranger immediately stopped what he was doing to look up at the trio, his lips pushed into an o-shape as he tried to explain his actions.

"Cold…" He said gently, earning himself several confused stares as he began shedding his parka to slowly reveal a mostly-hairless body.

It was then that it struck Lydia that this ape must have been old. At least older than she had first been led to believe. He sported thin, greying fur on his arms, shoulders, back and legs, and the last, wiry hair on his chin was as white as snow.

She involuntarily shuddered at the sight of his bare chest and bald head, almost able to feel the frigid air hitting her own skin by just looking at the poor chimp.

Though her heart immediately warmed when he held out his parka for Caesar to take, pointing at the little human girl still by Lydia and Maurice's side.

"Cold." He stated once more, making everyone turn to look at the little human.

And sure enough, she was shivering, having moved closer to the aging orangutan for warmth. The fur cloak Lydia had made could only do so much, and the woman doubted her summer jacket would be of any help.

But this ape, this stranger, upon seeing the girl, was exposing his nearly-naked body to the freezing cold to offer her his own shield against the elements.

Lydia tilted her head, staring at this new ape in quiet fascination.

Who _was_ this ape? What was he doing all the way up here? Why was he all alone?

And why would he show such kindness to a complete stranger? A human, no less?

And just then, it seemed to Lydia as if, with every turn they took on this trip, a new mystery lie in wait.

* * *

 _ **Rocket**_

Sitting by a large campfire inside the building later that night, the group got to know the strange ape a little bit better.

At least Rocket couldn't help but think so – that he was strange, that is.

Physically, he was rather small for a male chimp, and had even less fur than Rocket himself. He seemed in good health, though, despite the freezing temperatures.

The strange ape sat with his back towards the fire, seeking warmth in the absence of his human clothing, and Rocket sat beside the Ape King in front of him. On Caesar's other side was Lydia, Maurice and the little girl, who had Storm lying against her side for extra warmth. Luca had elected to sit a bit away from the group, facing the large wall of windows to act as a guard, should anyone notice the light or smoke from the fire.

Rocket doubted that anyone would, though. They were high up in the mountains in a desolate, wintry wasteland, after all.

Pursing his lips, the balding ape's mind returned to the conversation at hand once more.

Even now, after a few hours with them, the stranger still seemed ecstatic to have discovered that he had encountered other apes, seemingly unbothered by the presence of Lydia and the little girl now, except for when he reprimanded the latter on picking up things lying around the floor.

"How long have you been here?" Caesar asked with no small amount of astonishment and curiosity in his voice.

"Long time. Long, long time…" The new ape replied, his voice growing quieter towards the end of his sentence.

Then, suddenly, his face changed, his eyes widening and his mouth making a large o-shape as he did a single, excited hoot. He quickly rose to his feet and darted over to a pile of things in the corner, shoving items aside until he found what he was looking for and promptly returned, holding it in hand.

It was an old human toy. One of the soft ones made of fabric, sown into the shape of some animal – a crocodile, if Rocket remembered correctly. He had heard some of the apes from the zoo talk about them, as well as other creatures trapped in there.

The strange ape handed the toy to Caesar as he explained that it was home. His old home.

It was indeed from a zoo, Rocket learned as he leaned over to inspect the item in his king's hands. He had learned his letters well enough to read what the text sown into the toy creature's belly said.

Sierra zoo, it read, in bold, black lettering.

It seemed to stir Caesar somewhat, and he lifted his gaze from the toy in his hands to once again speak to the strange ape.

"Are there more like you? more apes from zoo?"

It would have been a tantalizing prospect, Rocket had to agree. If they could find more apes like this one, more apes from other places who had become smart… More apes to join them. New blood. New possibilities.

But the small chimp immediately answered in the negative, killing off that possibility with a few, matter-of-factly spoken words.

"Dead. All dead… Long time" He replied, his voice transforming into a mere rueful whisper, and Rocket felt a pang of sympathy for the smaller ape. "Human get sick. Ape get smart. Then human kill ape."

It was a simplified version of what had happened, Rocket could easily tell, but it covered what needed to be. It wasn't difficult for anyone, even the dullest of apes, to imagine how the story had played out in detail by themselves.

"But not me!" The stranger was quick to clarify. "I run!"

Throughout this talk, Rocket couldn't help but quietly marvel at the ease with which this ape talked out loud – something Rocket himself was still not comfortable with doing, even after all these years. The small chimp's speech was choppy, though Rocket deemed it to be the result of a lacking vocabulary rather than inadequate practice. At no point did this ape stop to take in heaving breaths between words, and the dark, balding chimp couldn't help but wonder how he had managed to get to that point with no one to practice with.

And why he would bother to do it at all, completely alone as he was?

It seemed like the Ape King was wondering the same thing.

"You learned to speak…?" Caesar asked, disbelief clear on his face.

"Listen. Human." The strange chimp replied with wide eyes and a finger pointing to his ear. Then, his face turned serious, brows furrowed and a frown on his face as he directed his index finger towards Caesar. "Bad Ape!"

Just as quickly, the stern look disappeared, and he pointed at his own chest.

"Bad Ape."

He seemed to believe that was his name… Maybe it _had_ been – the one given to him by the humans, or he had another name once, but the humans he had known hadn't bothered to use it. That wasn't uncommon either, Caesar's second-in-command remembered.

Out of the corner of his eye, Rocket saw how Lydia's expression turned sad as she, too, came to this conclusion. She often felt guilty for what her kind had done to the apes – what they were _still_ doing.

It was foolish, of course.

She had no control over other humans' actions and besides, she had turned her back on them long ago.

In that moment, the girl picked up another item lying around, and the chimp… Bad Ape, Rocket internally corrected himself, moved over to gently pull it from her hand and place it back down.

"No. No touch." He gently reprimanded her, and Rocket noted how Maurice seemed slightly agitated at the correction. He was becoming very protective of the little human.

"Tha-That's mine." The smaller chimp spoke softly once he turned back towards the Ape King, as if to explain his action, though he quickly rose to his feet once more with an excited gibber and ran back towards the piles upon piles of objects he had stacked all around the place.

He disappeared completely from view and a loud crash was heard from beyond the darkness.

"I'm okay!" The strange ape was quick to reassure, and Rocket couldn't help but stare past Caesar to share a doubtful look with Lydia.

" _I think being alone has been hard on his mind…_ " The woman signed rather than spoke, being discreet, even when the ape in question was not close enough to hear.

Caesar nodded, a thoughtful look on his features as he pursed his lips.

" _Still, it is amazing_." Maurice signed, chittering lowly in his throat as the strange ape still rummaged wildly through his belongings. " _Aside from Orion and Roy, we have never met others. Apes like us… And now we find one all the way up here. I often wondered how many there might be in the world._ "

" _Well, counting by the zoos alone, I'd say quite a great number… unless they got killed or captured to be tested on for a cure._ " Lydia answered, her brows furrowing gently.

It was what they had done to Roy and Orion when she had first found them, Rocket knew, and even now, the mere thought of someone doing that to those she held dear seemed to make Lydia tense.

Yet she kept it in check when Caesar's hand gently brushed against her arm, the woman breathing a subtle sigh as the king withdrew his limb once more. The contact had been brief. Fleeting. Barely noticeable, even.  
But after the look Lydia had sent Caesar's way the day they had found the girl, Rocket had begun noticing these little things more and more, even when the two hadn't spoken at all.

He didn't try to address it, though. Didn't even know how he would have gone about it.

And he didn't want to either. It wasn't his place to do so.

But he _did_ wonder when it had started. Exactly how much had he been missing in his absence from the colony? How had it even come about?

Surely, the spark which he now saw hadn't been there when he had left the apes two years ago.

Suddenly, Bad Ape was back, startling Rocket out of his musings as he came hopping over while carrying a package. He quickly opened it and spilled its contents on the floor in front of them as he sat back down, panting with what seemed to be equal parts exertion and excitement.

"Eat!" He encouraged, putting the bag aside as he stared at each of them in turn, even Lydia, who he gave a tentative smile. "New friends! Special day!"

They all grabbed one brown package from the small pile that had come out of the bag, examining them closely – though in Rocket's case, mostly to find a way to open it. Their hunts hadn't been very successful recently, and the balding ape was beginning to feel the dark void of hunger in his belly by now. The one who suffered the most because of this, however, was probably Lydia, who had discreetly forgone both half and whole meals in favour of offering them to the little girl. Rocket had pointed out to her that it wasn't ideal to do so, seeing as she was one of their best hunters – in fact, hunting was Lydia's primary task on this journey (if one didn't count her goal to make sure Caesar came back to the colony alive – a goal they all shared).

The fact remained, though, that if Lydia couldn't perform her duty because she was starving, then it would soon reflect on the rest of the group as well. The girl included.

Clearly, both her and Caesar had more restraint than Rocket, as they each examined the packages closely before even attempting to open them.

"Where did you get this?" The Ape King asked urgently, catching everyone's attention.

"Bad place. Long time ago." Bad Ape spoke after having partially chewed on some of the food.

Everything that ever happened to this ape seemed to have been a long time ago, Rocket thought as he finally managed to rip open his own package.

"I go look for food. I find human zoo. Zoo for sick." He spoke before swallowing his food to speak more clearly as he made broad movements with his arms. "Big walls. Sick human climb. Bad human kill… And then all get sick. All dead for a long time."

Throughout his explanation, Rocket noticed how Caesar's face got steadily sterner, his brows knitting together as he connected the dots.

"Bad humans?" He asked, eyes narrowing. "Soldiers?"

Rocket looked on with bated breath as Bad Ape's expression morphed into one of sadness and regret. It was clearly not a memory he was comfortable returning to.

And by the look of it, neither was Lydia, who looked quite disturbed by what the strange chimp had told them, staring blankly down at the still-unopened package between her hands.

Rocket left her to her own musings for now, as he realised what conclusion Caesar was beginning to reach.

" _A deserted military camp!_ " The balding ape exclaimed. " _On the border!_ "

It made sense. Now, after having looked at the empty packaging of his own food and read the words, Rocket realised what Caesar was pressing Bad Ape to tell them.

This place. The border Winter had spoken about. The one the soldiers were headed for – it could be the one where Bad Ape had found these bags of food.

Which meant that Bad Ape could potentially lead them to that place.

" _Maybe the Colonel and his troops are going there?_ " Luca caught on soon after, having followed the conversation even if he was technically on guard-duty.

"Is it far? Can you take us?" The Ape King asked with a voice now brimming with urgency.

But the answer wasn't the one he had hoped it would be.

"Human zoo?" Bad Ape asked, his expression quickly turning into one of fear. "No. No go back there. Everyone dead. I come here, very safe. Never go back!"

"Please, you must take us!" Caesar pleaded, though his voice was bordering on anger. It had Rocket gibber in warning as Bad Ape jerked back harshly from them.

"No! No! Cannot take!" He kept saying, the terrified expression never leaving his face.

And then, Lydia seemed to return to the present from whatever dark place her mind had been visiting, her deep, blue eyes regaining their focus as she reached out to her right.

"Caesar." Came her voice, calm and imploring as she put a hand on the Ape King's forearm, distracting him and lessening his anger instantly as he turned to stare down at her. "Don't push it. Please."

It had never been more obvious to Rocket what was going on between his two dear friends – the way Caesar's huffing breaths immediately seemed to slow and even out as he stared into Lydia's eyes. The manner in which Lydia squeezed his arm, only letting go when his posture was relaxed once more.

The look on her face as she spoke, as if haunted – and the Ape King's fingers twitching in response, as if he wanted to reach out to comfort her.

"I can understand why he doesn't want to go back there…" She spoke softly, and to Rocket, it seemed as if she knew more… as if she had seen something akin to what Bad Ape had described.

The strange chimp must have had the same thought.

"You… you see it too?" He asked tentatively, speaking to Lydia specifically for the first time that night. "Human zoo?"

And just as the balding ape had suspected, Lydia nodded, making both Rocket, Luca, Maurice and Caesar stare at her in surprise. She had never spoken to Rocket about this and, evidently, she hadn't revealed it to any of the others either.

Not even Caesar.

"Yeah…" She replied quietly, and even the little girl stared at the woman with a soft gaze – Rocket had no idea whether or not she understood exactly what it was they were discussing, but she was sensing moods expertly nonetheless.

"When was this?" Caesar asked, confusion evident on his face. His demeanour had completely shifted from impending anger at Bad Ape's refusal, to concerned by what Lydia had revealed. "You have never spoken of it."

The woman shrugged.

"It was when we moved to the human colony back in Minneapolis. Saw it on the news first – then drove right past it when we came to the city…" She explained, her voice still quiet. "In the beginning these places were meant as quarantine zones, to keep the sick from spreading the disease, though it was already too late by then. Didn't take long before people started wanting out of there. These places were notorious for their horrible living conditions. If the virus didn't kill you, it was the lack of food and clean water… Or the military in charge shooting you as you tried to escape."

She was trying to be dismissive, even casual about it, but Rocket could hear the catch in her voice. The underlying, barely-there tremble.

Rocket couldn't really blame her for, as Caesar had pointed out, never having spoken about this. It was only on rare occasions that Lydia had ever talked about her life during the time the apes now referred to as The Change, and the balding ape had little doubt that this time had been horrible for the woman – as it had been for all humans. No wonder she didn't want to revisit such memories, much less discuss them with others.

Lydia seemed to notice the sympathetic stares from the apes around her, straightening somewhat and clearing her throat.

"Anyway, it's snowing again out there, which means that, in any case, we're not going anywhere right now. We might as well stay here, at least for the night and sleep on this matter, huh?"

"Yes! Stay here. You eat! You rest! Stay here with me! New friends!" Bad Ape was quick to agree, nodding eagerly and pushing the piled food packages towards them all. Then, he turned towards the little girl, picking up the metal item she had tried to examine several times before, and gave it to her. "Here, you keep."

He turned back to Caesar as Maurice and the child studied the metal object intently, the latter running her fingers softly across its surface.

"She keep." Bad Ape explained once more, slightly placating as he looked at the Ape King.

Rocket could tell Caesar wasn't too pleased with the delay, or the small chimp's obvious reluctance to take them where they needed to go, but a brief, sideways glance at Lydia, who discreetly nodded her head, seemed to seal the deal for the Ape King.

They would stay the night. Rest and eat, storing their worries away for now.

That suited Rocket just fine. The balding ape didn't think he would be up for a long, cold night of riding through the mountains anyway. He doubted any of them would, honestly.

And so, Rocket, together with everyone else, made himself comfortable for the night, feeling better than he had in a long time with his belly finally properly full and his body going slack with fatigue against the soft pelts underneath him. It was pure bliss compared camping out in the open, shivering through the night while trying to keep a dying campfire going against the frosty winds of winter.

And yet, even as he laid there, beside a roaring fire with his stomach quiet at last, Rocket still felt oddly dissatisfied.

Restless and disquieted.

Wondering where his mate might be right now.

Rocket sighed heavily against the furs, trying his best to mask it as one of relief rather than longing as he finally closed his eyes.

Despite these comforts, he knew it would be a long night.


	65. Talking Things Out

**Authot's Note:**

Back again from my little posting-holiday, and we start off with a heartfelt and smutty chapter :) (I swear, I don't mean for these sorts of chapters to always happen after I have a break from posting - it just sort of happened xD ) This chapter was actually originally written as a stand-alone oneshot featuring Caesar and a nameless OC, with Cornelia's death as canon. It has since been adapted for Ape Inside, both due to the fact that I was actually quite pleased with how it turned out, but also because I can't really imagine Caesar wanting to start off another romance such a short time after his wife's murder (which is also why I changed Cornelia's death from the canon version all those chapters ago :) )  
Anyway, I hope you enjoy it - I certainly had fun writing it!

 **WARNING: This chapter contains smut - this will be clearly marked and is skippable (though as always, this is not recommended)**

* * *

 _ **Lydia**_

Lydia startled awake with a sharp intake of breath, her blue eyes wide in shock. She quickly lifted her head from her backpack, which she had been using as a pillow, to take in her surroundings as her heart calmed down.

The roaring fire they had been sitting around earlier was now only a small, insignificant flame flickering pathetically among the ashes. The low light it provided danced across the features of her traveling companions.

They were all asleep.

Her eyes first found Maurice, just beside her, who had elected to sleep in a sitting position with his back facing the large wall of windows making up the ski resort's façade. The snores that came from the huge orangutan were even and deep as usual, and beside him, with his arm slung over her for warmth, was the little girl, curled up on top of a spare pelt. She looked to be sleeping peacefully, clutching her doll and Bad Ape's gift to her, a small trinket which Lydia recognised as the wordmark of a Chevy Nova.

Rocket was lying on his side opposite Maurice and the girl, on the other side of the fire, with another of their pelts draped around him to shield his almost bald skin against the bitter cold. A bit away from the group, breathing deeply as he slept, was Luca, leaning back onto the rubble by the large staircase. The one they had descended in pursuit of Bad Ape when he had stolen their horse and the supplies it carried the day before.

Speaking of Bad Ape, he was huddled up against the side of the enormous fireplace he called home, buried in a scavenged, patterned blanket for warmth and mumbling incoherently in his sleep.

It looked sweet and ridiculous at the same time.

Lastly, her eyes landed on Caesar, who was lying opposite of Lydia on the edge of the camp. He was sleeping in a sitting position opposite Bad Ape, but unlike the strange chimp, had nothing to cover himself with to ward off the cold. Even so, his rugged features were, for once, relaxed rather than set into the stern, almost menacing frown he usually wore, and his broad chest steadily expanded and contracted with each breath.

So, she hadn't woken anyone else up with her startled noise. What a relief.

Lydia let her eyes rest on the Ape King for far longer than on the others. It seemed like it had been ages since she had last let herself openly stare at him like this, taking in every detail of him and let herself be enthralled by them, just for a moment. For now, his features were relaxed and the deep creases on his heavy brow not nearly as pronounced as when he was awake, making him look several years younger.

And despite the fact that he had always looked more like his mother, Lydia couldn't help being reminded of Blue Eyes as she stared at the Ape King just then.

A stab of grief shot through her chest as she thought of the diseased prince.

Two years ago, the death of the Cornelia had been a devastating blow to the entire colony – most of all to Caesar himself. But he had managed back then, doing his best to be there for his sons and for the colony that needed him so desperately in the wake of Koba's betrayal.

Now though, Caesar seemed like a ship which had lost its anchor, and which was now drifting into dangerous waters as a result.

Lydia knew it also had much to do with the way it had happened this time around.

With Cornelia there had been plenty of time to say their final goodbyes once they all knew that her death was inevitable, and apart from Koba, whose actions had ruined any chance of obtaining the medicine the queen had needed, there had been no obvious target for Caesar to direct his anger at back then.

It had been a disease that took his wife. Something he couldn't challenge or reason with. Something intangible and invisible – but very much _there_ all the same.

The human woman bit the inside of her cheek in thought. This time around, there _was_ someone Caesar could hold accountable and she knew she couldn't blame her mate for wanting justice for his child – she wanted justice too, if she was honest with herself. Lydia had watched Blue Eyes grow together with Orion, the prince taking her son under his wing together with Ash, teaching him the ways of the apes like the human woman never could have… She would always be eternally grateful to the two of them for that…

And after this two-year journey, Lydia had hoped that she and Caesar could have somehow made it work and bring their families together.

Sure, she knew that she would never replace Cornelia as Blue Eyes' mother, and Caesar would never be able to take on Roy's role as Orion's father, but… She had truly hoped that they could have made it work. That their sons would be true brothers.

Perhaps it had been a foolish notion on her part. A misty-eyed fantasy. Their two broken families coming together to create a new, whole one? It seemed preposterous now, as she lie here in an abandoned ski resort in the middle of nowhere.

Pursing her lips, Lydia finally averted her eyes from Caesar and rolled onto her back.

There was no way she was going back to sleep now. She could barely remember the dream that had caused her to wake up, but the sudden adrenaline-rush it had instilled had woken her entire body in readiness for a fight-or-flight response. Besides, the train of thought had been set in motion now, and Lydia knew her own mind well enough to tell that there would be no way to stop it.

 _Looks like I'm in for another sleepless night_ , she thought, resisting the urge to sigh in irritation at her predicament.

Ever since the war between humans and apes had broken out two years ago, she had been waking up in this state more often than ever before. It frustrated her to no end, really. Especially since Maurice in particular had noticed it now that they were on the road and he seemed to be concerned by it. Well, concerned about this _as well_ – adding to the pile.

And it wasn't just Maurice.

As recently as this night, while they were settling down to go to sleep, Luca had offered her to lean against him while she slept, under the pretence of keeping her warm. It was a kind gesture made out of concern from a good friend, but Lydia didn't want to depend too much on such actions. It might be silly of her, but she somehow felt that it would undermine her independence.

Maybe it also had something to do with her being able to feel Caesar's intense green eyes on her when Luca had made the offer, noting his expression somewhere in her peripheral vision. For some reason, his gaze had felt almost scorching then, making Lydia resist the urge to shiver pleasantly – for the first time in so very long now.

She knew that look hadn't been brought on out of any form of jealousy, but it was… territorial.

Alert.

Agitated, even.

And something had told her that she shouldn't take up Luca on his offer, even if she had wanted to. That doing so would somehow be an affront towards Caesar. An insult to his claim.

A claim he hadn't reaffirmed in quite some time now.

So, she had declined with a reassuring smile and told Luca that she'd be fine, to which the gorilla had responded by laying a heavy hand on her shoulder, using the other to slam his fist once against his chest and giving her an approving nod. As if to tell her that she was somehow strong for wanting to face the cold night alone.

Lydia sat up and combed her fingers through some stray locks of hair that had fallen out of her braid. She needed to stretch her legs and get some air. Clear her head. Lying around here and letting her mind wander like this had never been good for her.

So, getting up as silently as she could, she grabbed her hunting knife for safety and quietly walked towards the large wall of windows, where she had spied a door earlier that evening.

A walk around the premises, perhaps a stop to check up on the horses – yeah, that sounded good to her.

Stepping outside, she noticed that it had stopped snowing and the clouds had disappeared to reveal a pale, full moon. The bright orb lit up the pristine layer of snow quite nicely, making it much easier for Lydia to find her way in the otherwise dark night.

She sighed deeply, revelling in the cold, refreshing feeling of mountain air entering her lungs, and trudged aimlessly through the thick snow, her thoughts continuously returning, unbidden, to the brooding Ape King, and his uncanny ability to make her heart pound faster every time he got near.

* * *

 _ **Caesar**_

Caesar was conflicted as he cracked open one of his eyes and watched Lydia's back as she left the safety of their small camp. When she was out of sight, he opened his eyes completely to stare blankly at the gaping, empty doorframe leading out into the night, where he had last seen her form.

He had been woken by her sharp intake of breath as she startled awake from one of her nightly terrors. Instead of going to her, lay down beside her and wrap a strong, comforting arm around her waist, like he had _wanted_ to do, he had chosen to feign sleep.

And while doing so, the Ape King had silently chided himself for having turned into a coward, all the while trying to keep his features as relaxed and neutral as possible when he had felt her eyes land on his face.

Then he had heard her move about and realised she was leaving, probably to take a walk, as she usually did when this happened.

He did _not_ like it when she did that – at least not _here_. It was one thing to get up and take a nightly stroll while they had still been in the relative safety of the Ape Colony. He had often done the same. But out here, there were no protective walls or caves to shield her against any predators lurking in the dark and no army of apes to react, should she run into trouble.

Also, after everything that had happened, and the closer they got to their goal, the Ape King became still more protective of her. More possessive… Even if she had felt less and less like his in these last couple of weeks.

It was his own damn fault, Caesar knew. He had been the one to push her away, leaving her behind – or at least he had _tried_ to – for her own and Cornelius' safety, he had said…

It had been true, at least partly.

But then they had argued, and he had said… _that_ … And it had taken him _days_ to apologise.

The Ape King pursed his lips. He was pursuing a fight with an entire army, doing so without a shred of fear as his hatred drove him onward… And somehow that didn't seem nearly as difficult as making up to Lydia for this horrendous blunder.

By now, he just longed for things to go back to a semblance of normality between them. Back to being close with her. Back to them taking comfort in one another again…

He sat there for quite some time, thinking hard about what to do about the situation he was currently finding himself in.

Apart from the night he had finally apologised, they hadn't had a private moment to talk – not in depth, at least, and certainly not about their relationship and where it stood.

The Ape King felt like he would have to do that soon, though.

He had talked to Bad Ape earlier that same night, when everyone had fallen asleep and only he and the strange chimp had still been awake. He had agreed to take them after hearing about Caesar's reason for wanting to find the soldiers.

He didn't even know if his target would be there or not, and yet Caesar couldn't help but feel an insistent need to go and be with his mate before they would ride on in the morning. To seek comfort and support from her and give it back tenfold like he felt he owed her.

Perhaps this would be his last chance to do this… To set things right between Lydia and himself before they would confront the Colonel? Before he would seek justice for his son, however that may turn out.

In the end, deciding that he should go after her to at least keep her safe, Caesar rose with a low grunt, careful not to wake the others, and silently walked out to find her, following her tracks in the deep snow.

The air was clear, and the stars were bright, with no wind to ruffle the Ape King's thick pelt. Even so, it was still far too frigid for the ape's liking and as he stalked his mate's footprints like a hunter looking for a deer, he found himself wondering how she could stand these temperatures, even with her winter attire in place.

She had been ghosting around the edge of the trees surrounding the large building, probably taking a patrolling route to look for danger, simply out of habit, before going to check on the horses. Caesar could see she had fed them with some crackers she had saved from the military rations Bad Ape had provided, the crumbs resting lightly on top of the snow under the horses' lowered heads.

His own black Frisian horse looked up and whickered at him, which he answered by petting its neck briefly before trudging onwards to continue his search.

After having retraced her steps for about thirty minutes more he came upon a small, white metal shed with windows facing out towards the valley between the mountains. It was situated near the ski lift they had passed the previous day in pursuit of Bad Ape, and Caesar reasoned that it must be some kind of control room, with its many different now-broken antennae on top of the roof.

And Lydia's tracks came to an abrupt end at the metal door leading into the small building.

Reaching forward, Caesar tentatively opened the metal door, which gave a low, metallic squeal of protest, and immediately his eyes landed on his mate sitting there in the dim room. It was a small space lit only by the bright moonlight filtering through the windows overlooking the valley, but at least it provided a makeshift shelter from the chilling air outside.

Lydia was sitting on a chair in front of a control panel that was angled slightly down towards her sitting place, the entire thing full of small buttons that had now been rendered useless due to the lack of electricity.

Turning her head at the sound of the opening door, their eyes quickly met across the small space. She nodded briefly at him once she realised who it was, greeting him with a slight, but nonetheless welcoming smile, before turning her head back to face the windows.

She was looking at the moon and stars rather than the mountains and valley, which were all shrouded in darkness at this time of night anyway.

Caesar entered the room fully and closed the door behind him.

"You should not have gone out alone in the dark." His gravelly voice reverberated against the walls. He had meant to sound sterner, but the silence around them had made him soften his voice.

Or maybe it was the serene look on her pale face, illuminated by the bright moon, which had prompted him to do so? She _did_ look quite stunning in this light.

"Sorry, I just had to. Couldn't sleep." Came her low reply.

He stepped over to her and laid a large, heavy hand on her shoulder, making her look up at him with a questioning expression on her face. She seemed surprised at his touch, which he supposed was understandable enough. They hadn't done that much recently…

"You could have woken me up. I wouldn't have minded." It was true, as he tried to make clear to her with his eyes by purposely softening them as they stared into hers.

She smiled lightly up at him before retorting playfully. "Seems to me that I _did_ wake you up, Caesar." Then she gave a slight frown, more at herself than at him, he guessed. "Sorry about that, by the way…"

His lips, usually set in a thin frown, quirked up somewhat in a small smile. It was one of the very few times he had found himself able to do so since Blue Eyes had been killed.

He didn't remove his hand from her shoulder.

"And as I said, I don't mind that you did. I mind that you went out alone. You could have been attacked and we wouldn't have been able to help you. I don't want anything to happen to you…" It had slipped out before he realised he was even saying it.

Now she was looking at him with a raised eyebrow, looking almost surprised at his admission before her expression turned somewhat thoughtful. Like she was weighing her next words carefully.

Then, she sighed, her shoulders slacking under his palm.

"You do realise that's exactly the reason why I came along with you on this trip, right? Because I don't want anything to happen to you either…" She said it evenly, looking straight forward again instead of meeting his eyes.

Her voice had grown tense, though.

So, they were having _this_ conversation now…

Well, he _did_ want to make things right with her. Perhaps she was of the same mind as him? After all, Lydia wasn't one to dance needlessly around a subject, something which Caesar had always appreciated in her.

"Sometimes, it almost seems like you're angry at me for that…" She spoke, her voice so uncharacteristically small that she might as well not have said it at all.

But she had.

And at first, Caesar remained silent, regret creeping into his heart. He hadn't meant for her to feel that way – of course he wasn't angry at her for this. For her caring like this about him. For wanting to keep him safe.

What had angered him was that by coming along, she was putting herself in danger too, and adding to that, she had left Cornelius after Caesar had specifically asked her to protect him.

But he could never fault Lydia for caring about him. For loving him like he loved her.

He would have to remedy this somehow.

She rose from the chair she had been sitting on, making its sturdy metal legs scrape against the concrete floor as she pushed it back. His hand slipped from her shoulder as she stepped forward to lean against the control panel, resting both of her hands on it and sighing deeply at his lack of response.

"I want you to know, Caesar… I- I didn't come along just to spite you. I was angry and hurt… But now…" She trailed off, but with a slight break in her voice that tugged at Caesar's heart with every word she uttered.

"Now?" He asked when Lydia didn't elaborate further.

He stepped up behind her, so close that he could almost feel the tips of his hairs touching the back of her coat.

Caesar resisted the urge to reach his arms around her and embrace her. To hold her close, knowing it was too soon to do so just yet.

"Now I'm just afraid…"

The Ape King was somewhat taken aback by that statement.

"Afraid?" He echoed the word, his heavy brow knitted together in confusion. Lydia rarely seemed afraid of anything. In fact, she was probably the bravest person he knew.

His voice was a deep rumble and it seemed to startle her that it had sounded so close to her after she had moved away.

Nonetheless, Lydia calmly turned around to face him, then nodded softly.

The way she worried her bottom lip between her teeth had Caesar concerned that she might make it bleed.

Then, he spotted the tears glistening in her deep blue eyes.

"Yes…" Lydia confirmed softly, with a trembling exhale. "I'm afraid you'll die from me… Just like Roy did… And not just from me, but Cornelius too… He doesn't deserve that, Caesar…"

The Ape King's green-and-golden eyes widened slightly at her admission before he brought his hand up to place it gently against her cheek, wiping away tears with his thumb as they fell from her deep blue orbs.

"That was never my intention, Lydia. You should know." He spoke as softly as his dark voice would allow him. It still felt too loud in here, as it echoed against the metal walls of the room.

Lydia shook her head at him, though she did nothing to remove his hand from her face.

"I _don't_ , Caesar. That's the thing… That look you get in your eyes all the time… Like nothing else matters but you getting back at the Colonel for what he has done. At _any_ cost." She answered with a hint of desperation in her gaze. "I'm afraid that cost may end up being your life and… I can't do that again, Caesar, I just can't! I-"

"Shhhhh…" He hushed her gently as still more tears spilled from her eyes, and he realised that he had to calm her down. It was rare to see Lydia this distraught, even when they were alone together, and it only served to underline how sincerely afraid she truly was for him and for the future.

Caesar would gladly be her shoulder to cry on – it was his duty as a mate to provide such support – but he _hated_ the fact that he was the cause of her tears to begin with. Hated that his desperate need for vengeance clashed with his wish to protect those he loved. He was partially doing this for Lydia, after all. For what the Colonel had done to Blue Eyes – and tried to do to her – that night.

And yet it seemed that all his actions really did was making her hurt even worse.

He had to do something to soothe her. To reassure her that she wasn't going to lose yet another love.

So, Caesar did what came natural to him.

He brushed his thumb against her cheek one last time before moving it to the back of Lydia's neck, pulling her head towards his own. Their foreheads met, and he briefly closed his eyes, exhaling deeply through his nose. His other hand took hold of hers and guided it towards his solid chest. There, he placed her hand over his heart and held it firmly in place, willing her to feel the raging beats against his ribcage.

"I will not die, Lydia." He spoke as he stared directly into her tear-glistening eyes, the conviction in his voice so firm that Caesar himself was almost startled by it.

He meant it nonetheless. While he may have set out on this mission without knowing whether or not he would return, he realised now that dying was just not an option.

It never had been.

"And I _was_ angry – at first. I wanted you and Cornelius to be safe. Together… But…" It was difficult for him to put his feelings into words. Even if he had come to rely more on verbal communication rather than sign, he still preferred actions above all else to speak for him.

Way back when, it had been like that with Cornelia too. Luckily, she'd been able to catch on easily and understand the meaning behind Caesar's rather quirky approach to romancing. Having been brought up by humans and never having interacted with other apes before had left him socially inept when it came to females of his own species. Cornelia had understood and because of this, in time, Caesar had learned.

Of course, with Lydia, it was entirely different once again.

And not so much because she was a different species, but because she, much like Caesar, had been the one most in need of emotional support in her previous relationship. Roy had provided for Lydia what Cornelia had for Caesar and now, the two of them were stuck in this awkward dance where they each had to give and take in equal measures.

That had been easy to figure out – the hard part had been putting it into practice.

"I understand, Caesar…" The sound of Lydia's voice brought the Ape King back from his reminiscing and he directed his verdant stare up at her eyes once more. "But I don't suppose you can blame me for wanting my mate to come back alive, now can you?"

She had regained some of her composure, though her voice was still thick with emotion. At least she wasn't crying anymore, the only remnant of her tears a slight redness of the whites of her eyes and wet trails down her cheeks.

He brushed her cheek with his thumb once more.

"No… I can't." His voice sounded almost grittily as he felt her breath against his lips. "But right now, I am glad you came too, Lydia."

It was a struggle to get those words out, but she needed to hear this and he needed to get it off his chest. Lydia, despite sometimes being just as stubborn as Caesar himself, was great at keeping him somewhat grounded – like today when Bad Ape had refused to take them to the 'human zoo', as he had called it.

"And I'll stay with you, right through it all, whether you'll like it or not." Lydia answered with a barely-visible upturn of the corner of her lip.

The Ape King mirrored her smile, glad that she no longer seemed distraught.

"Promise?" The he asked as his thumb moved back to gently brush the area just beneath her ear.

"Mhmm" Lydia nodded against his brow in response, her expression now one of fondness and acceptance.

 _Good_ , Caesar thought in relief. It seemed like he had gotten his point across.

He let go of the back of Lydia's neck and the hand against his chest, moving to stand up straight again. Her eyes never left his as they softened, and her lips parted slightly, causing sudden, strong urge to reach up and touch them with the calloused tips of his fingers. He chose to ignore it, in case she would reject his advances.

Judging from her expression, though, that was not her intention.

"Caesar…" Lydia whispered so quietly, he almost didn't hear it. The sound sent a shiver up his spine.

Then, she reached up with her own hand towards his face and ran her fingers slowly through the greying beard on his chin. It tickled pleasantly and made his bottom lip quiver slightly in response.

She let her hand travel further up then, carding her fingers through the thickening hair up along his jaw and temple, to rest her palm against his cheek.

He couldn't help but lean his face into it, her soft hand a stark contrast to the harsh, wintry winds that had lashed at his face these last couple of weeks.

Caesar took her gesture as a silent invitation and stepped closer to her, so close his chest was touching hers now.

The Ape King could feel his hardened features go soft at her gentle touch, could literally _feel_ the hard lines across his brow smoothening out as he relaxed into the hand that cradled his cheek. He had needed this, he realised. After all this time with them not speaking or being close, and feeling nothing but pain, anger, sorrow and regret, Caesar craved this rare moment of tenderness.

He laid his long arms around her form, effectively caging her in his embrace, and guided her back towards the control panel until she was trapped against it.

There was a mutual understanding between them in this moment. Lydia's gentle touch had told him all he needed to know. That she felt the same as he did. That it was finally okay for him to approach her – that she had missed their closeness just as much as he had.

Caesar's arms tightened possessively around her.

Having her pressed close to his chest, he leaned forward to nuzzle the crook of her shoulder, taking in the sweet scent of the soft skin he found there. Lydia, in turn, reached her arms around his shoulder and torso, returning his fierce embrace, and beginning to softly run the tips of her fingers through the fur on his back.

The Ape King sighed deeply against her neck at the sensation, feeling how it served to both soothe and excite him at the same time.

They stood like that for quite some time, silently enjoying each other's touch. It brought a sense of peace to Caesar's mind that he had almost forgotten about. A peace he had almost stopped believing he could achieve after everything that had happened.

He began to run his rough lips up the side of Lydia's neck to her jaw, and a sharp intake of breath close to his ear encouraged him to continue his ministrations. The mood in the room was slowly changing.

 **(Smut Begins Here)**

His hands snuck beneath her open coat to grab her hips where he started to run his fingers tentatively under the hem of her shirt. Caesar let his hands venture further up to gently rub his thumbs against her hips soothing, circular motions.

He was going to take his time with her tonight. It had been too long, and he wanted to revel in her touch at last.

He was starved of it.

Soon, though, Lydia let go of him and started to shrug the restricting coat she was wearing off her shoulders until it fell back onto the control panel she was leaning against, providing Caesar better access to her shoulder and neck. Conveniently, it also provided more space to run his hands further up inside her shirt.

Her own hands went to his chest where she began to stroke up and down his body with increasing urgency, her breath hot against his ear.

As was her custom, Lydia was quickly beginning to make it _very_ difficult for Caesar to not just rip off the rest of her clothing. He let out a low growl close to her ear as a warning not to get ahead of herself, which resulted in her unexpectedly arching her back toward him and baring her neck further to his mouth.

It sent a pleasant jolt of primal longing through the Ape King's entire being to have her submit to him so readily, and he swiftly lifted her shirt over her head and threw it carelessly to the floor.

Caesar couldn't help but temporarily marvel at the feeling of her soft skin as he ran his rough palms up Lydia's sides, which made her tremble pleasantly. The chest guard she wore was now the only barrier between him and her breasts.

He could hardly wait to be rid of that thing as well.

As a matter of fact, it was getting harder and harder to keep himself in check. Every primal instinct in Caesar now screamed at him to get on with it. To renew his claim to this lithe, soft, intoxicating woman in front of him. To take her for his own once more.

He felt his hardening cock twitch at the thought.

Perhaps next time, for there _would_ be a next time, he would do that. For now, though, he was still planning on taking things slow. Wanted to repair their bond and rediscover this exotic body in front of him.

To say that he hadn't realised how much he had missed doing this with her would have been a blatant lie – he had been very much aware of what he had been missing out on, but simply hadn't allowed himself to dwell on it until now. It had been a distraction from his goal and besides, he had known his advances would have been unwelcome after what had happened.

But right now, he needed this distraction more than anything else as his body grew fevered with desire.

And he knew Lydia did too. Could feel it in the way she touched him. Hear it in the way she whispered his name against his ear.

Caesar groaned as he pressed himself to her hips, giving Lydia's neck an appreciative nip of his teeth as he felt her hands clutch at his shoulders for support.

Meanwhile, she had begun to kick off her boots. A difficult task, to be sure, but she still managed to do it before he could move to help her with them.

So instead, he chose to focus his attention on loosening her hair from its braid and bury both his hands in her wild, soft locks. With his fingers tangled in her tresses, the Ape King took hold of the back of Lydia's skull and once again pulled her forehead towards his own, staring intensely into her hazy eyes and breathing harshly through his nose.

For a moment, they both kept completely still, the only sound around them being their own heavy breathing.

Then he felt her hands press lightly on his pectorals, pushing him gently backwards. Caesar was surprised enough by this action, this sudden shift in dynamics, to momentarily forget himself and let confusion flash across his features.

It didn't take him long to realise what she had in mind, though, as the back of his legs hit the chair she had been sitting on when he had first entered the room. He noticed her half-lidded eyes, now filled with lust, and the way her hands kneaded his shoulders as she pressed him gently downwards.

He did as she wanted and sat down while still looking up at her with hungry eyes, letting his hands slide out of her hair and down her body as he seated himself. From their very first mating, it had always managed to arouse him beyond anything that this woman, this _human_ woman, who was physically so much weaker than him, would take charge like this.

And this moment was no different from that time, as Caesar felt the warmth in the pit of his stomach intensify at the way she pushed him to lean against the chair's backrest.

Lydia took one step back from him but made sure to maintain eye-contact as she began to unbuckle the belt keeping her pants securely around her shapely hips. When they slowly slid down her smooth thighs, it was all Caesar could do not to lurch forward in blind carnal desire and simply yank them down himself.

He somehow knew this was part of her plan. To entice him and work up his desire further still.

It would seem like she wanted to take her time with this too.

And so, the Ape King, not used to being told to wait, willed himself to keep his hands off her. For now.

She finally kicked her pants aside and stood before him clad only in her chest guard and panties. Her eyes were still connected with his intense, green stare and he saw her visibly shiver under his hard gaze. Then her hands went up her own body, toward her chest, where she slowly started to undo the buckles keeping her leather chest guard in place.

It was agonizing and intensely arousing at the same time, to watch her slowly remove the last concealments of her body. Sure, he had seen it all at least a hundred times before by now, but the fact that Lydia's body was hidden away beneath layers of clothes at pretty much all hours of the day only made an unveiling like this all the more special.

Particularly because it was only _him_ who got to see this. It was him and no one else in the world who could feast his eyes upon her naked flesh.

Caesar let out a loud growl of pure, undiluted want when the leather clothing finally left her chest to join her shirt, pants and boots on the floor. Lydia's rounded breasts fit perfectly with her slender form, her nipples perked by arousal and the cold air of the room.

Oh, how he wished he could just _devour_ her entirely. It had been so awfully long since he'd had the chance.

Caesar was practically quivering with desire when his mate finally slid her panties down her long legs and, at last, stood fully naked before him. He could smell her desire for him on the air around them – could see it in her eyes – and he felt his male pride being stoked at the notion.

She moved towards him now, her eyes full of intent and he pressed his lips into a hard line. Then, she straddled his waist, pressed her chest to his, and finally, his hands shot up to pull her flush against his torso.

Her body was all luscious curves and smooth skin under his rough touch. Lean and soft at the same time.

And Caesar loved it.

He knew, somewhere in the back of his mind that, logically, he shouldn't feel attracted to the body of a human female. He did, though, and he didn't exactly know who or what to blame it on. Maybe it had been his upbringing among humans. Maybe it was the serum that had made him the way he is.

Maybe it was simply a quirk of his.

Right now, though, he really didn't care either way.

He ran his hands along Lydia's thighs, all the way to her hips, where he slipped them around to grab her ass firmly, pulling her abdomen against his own and trapping his hot, twitching member between their bodies. Caesar was barely able to contain a pleasured hiss at the sensation. His breath was leaving him harshly through his nose, his lips set in a thin line with the sheer effort of keeping the sound from being uttered.

For the first time since she had directed him to sit on the chair, he broke eye contact with her to run his mouth down her throat, past the dip between her collar bones, until he finally reached her chest. Once there, he started running his tongue against her full breasts, anywhere his mouth could reach – like she had instructed him to do the very first time they had done this together.

The moan that escaped Lydia's lips was positively obscene and only served to encourage Caesar further.

There was an urgency to his movements now. After watching her undress like that, he just couldn't help himself anymore. Especially not when she started moving her hips sensually against his, creating wonderful, hot friction between their bodies. His hold on her ass tightened and he groaned deeply while kneading the soft flesh. Caesar could feel Lydia's fingers digging into the fur on his shoulders as she held on to him, steadying herself in his lap and pushing her chest towards his teasing mouth.

Her moans and soft pants echoed against the metal walls of the room, egging him on.

He had not even entered her heat yet and she was already driving him wild!

Just as that thought crossed his mind, as he was leaning his face against her chest, gritting his teeth in pleasure, Lydia lifted herself slightly, reached down to grab hold of his throbbing member, and lowered herself onto him in one swift movement.

A breathless gasp left Lydia then.

Caesar practically roared.

His head shot up from against Lydia's chest and his wild eyes found her face twisted in pleasure. He then felt her hands move up to his head, where she laid them against his cheeks and looked down at him with half-lidded, hazy eyes from her slightly elevated position.

Then, she began moving languidly up and down on top of him, sliding along his shaft.

And it was the best thing the Ape King had ever felt.

Deep groans started coming forth, now unhindered, from deep in his chest as he helped her movements along with his hands still on her ass, her throaty moans spurring him on. The way she fit snugly around his cock all the way down was intoxicating to Caesar, especially when he could feel her walls already sporadically convulsing around him.

Lydia kept a steady pace as she rode him with firm downwards thrusts, her legs quivering ever so slightly as her feet braced against the floor. He figured, in the far back of his mind, that it would probably be uncomfortable for her to do so, if it wasn't for the fact that she seemed so caught up in her passion that she hardly noticed. Her lips were slightly parted, and her eyes were glazed over with pleasure, unseeing.

She was the most erotic thing Caesar ever laid eyes on.

And she was all _his_.

Lydia suddenly lowered her face down to his. She wasn't able to press her forehead to his at this angle, as the Ape King had expected her to do. Instead, she leaned forward and captured his bottom lip between her teeth, biting gently before swiping her tongue across the area.

That was when the last of his control left him.

A mighty, threatening growl came from his throat as Caesar suddenly stood from the chair, still holding onto Lydia, and carried her the few steps towards the control panel in front of him. There, he laid her roughly down onto her coat, which was still splayed across the sloping surface, and, leaning his formidable form over her, began rutting into her core with the ferocity he had originally intended to save another coupling.

She just made it so damn hard to resist his most primal instincts.

Not that Lydia seemed to mind the sudden change in pace, Caesar was pleased to discover.

He kept a fast, even rhythm, her legs tightly wrapped around him and her moans getting considerably louder than before. He liked the sounds coming from her, encouraging him to thrust even deeper into her and making him bare his formidable canines once again with the effort.

Her hands were all over him, carding through the fur on his back, his arms, his chest, his shoulders. Anywhere she could reach.

She seemed to settle them at the back of his head, though, when his mouth found her breasts again and he began alternating between licking and gently biting at them. Her back was arching up against him and he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her ever closer.

He was absolutely overwhelmed by her scent, thick and heady with her arousal. It made him want to encompass her completely.

Caesar was utterly lost in his mate as he felt her need for him. Everything from her slender hands pressing his face further towards her breasts, to her legs holding his hips in place like a vice. From his name leaving her throat in the form of passionate moans, to the pathetic jutting of her hips as she tried to reciprocate his unyielding thrusts.

The way her slick core gripped around him desperately.

Everything about her screamed need, want and desire for him and him alone.

The Ape King groaned loudly at the mere thought, the sound vibrating against her heaving chest.

He continued his vigorous thrusts as he looked up, intending to fix her eyes with his intense, verdant stare. Instead, he discovered that Lydia had moved her head to the side, deep blue eyes closed in pleasure, and he found himself staring at his reflection in the window behind her head.

His image in the glass was positively feral, pupils blown, his maw opened over a supple breast and his fur standing on end.

This was the effect Lydia had on him, laid bare before his very eyes. _This_ was what she did to him – _for_ him.

And just then, an idea popped into the Ape King's head.

He lifted himself off her and, untangling her legs from around his hips, pulled out of her core, earning a weak moan of protest from her. Then he dragged her up with him to stand on her wobbling feet, supporting her with firm hands on her hip and shoulder.

Lydia's eyes were confused, her expression dissatisfied, and Caesar almost felt bad for stopping so abruptly.

 _Almost._

Her voice was husky and shaky as she spoke.

"Caesar? What are you-?"

"Turn around." Came his gravelly voice. Even in his dishevelled state, it still held its customary authority.

Trusting him, Lydia immediately obeyed.

The moment she caught sight of his reflection in the window, he saw her eyes widen in understanding and heard her breath quicken in raw anticipation.

He couldn't help the smirk that graced his lips just then as he leaned forward to ghost his lips across the back of her shoulder and neck.

And his smirk only broadened at the way she shivered in response.

From behind Caesar guided Lydia towards the sloping panel once again, placed a calloused hand on the back of her neck and gently pressed her upper body down against her coat across the panel. He then leaned over her again, shifting his hand from the back of her neck to reach under her left arm, where he gently but firmly took hold of her throat and jaw.

As he directed her face towards the window in front of them, he guided his thick, eager member back into her with his other hand.

 _Back where I belong_ , the Ape King thought almost smugly as he slipped inside his mate's tight heat with relative ease, placing his now free hand on her hip to guide her movements against him.

Lydia let out a slow moan of contentment as he did so, obviously pleased with having him back inside her as well, and Caesar felt his member swell further with desire at the sound.

He started his unrelenting pace anew and her hands reached forward to grab the top of the control panel tightly, her knuckles turning white from the strain.

His face hovered over her shoulder and his warm breath hit her ear as his voice sounded just beside her head.

"Look at me."

Lydia did as she was told, staring straight ahead at the window in front of them, where their reflection mirrored the pair's primal lovemaking.

Caesar immediately transfixed her with his own stare and from then on, neither of them could tear their eyes away from the image before them as they continued to move roughly against each other. Lydia's eyes were half-lidded, her mouth opened slightly and her dishevelled hair falling around her shoulders.

He groaned from deep within his chest at the sight of them in the window. Seeing for himself how he was taking her so thoroughly for his own heightening the king's arousal like nothing else ever had.

Caesar pushed Lydia's hair away from her right shoulder, lowered his mouth to the junction connecting it with her neck, and gently ran his teeth against her soft skin. He wanted _so badly_ to just bite down and fully renew their union. Mark her as his for all to see. The urge was so strong that the Ape King, in his lustful haze, decided to steadily increase the pressure of his teeth on her skin. He just couldn't help himself.

Lydia leaned up in response, as much as his heavy, dense body on top of her would allow, into Caesar's waiting jaws, moving her head to the side to give him more space.

That was all the encouragement he needed to bite down. _Hard_.

He didn't draw blood. That would have been too much. But he knew that his teeth would leave four dark bruises on her otherwise pristine skin, and that would be more than enough to satisfy his urge.

By now, Caesar could feel that Lydia was close to coming undone beneath him. Her moans were louder than ever, her pupils dilated to the point that there was almost no trace of the deep blue irises left and she was trembling violently around his member.

He was close too, throbbing heavily within her and every thrust another step closer to that blissful abyss of release.

What she did next surprised him, though.

Lydia let go of the panel she had previously clutched with her right hand, grabbed his own limb, the one that was guiding her hips against his thrusts, and pulled it down between her trembling legs.

His rough fingers met her clit, and Caesar immediately understood what she wanted him to do. What she _needed_ him to do. If he hadn't been so caught up in a lusty haze, he would probably even have chuckled. This human woman, panting and writhing beneath his hard body, so pliant and willing, still had it in her to tell him what to do.

Feeling merciful, he complied with her silent demand and moved his fingers in rhythm with his jerking hips.

It worked wonders, Lydia's wanton gasps and fluttering eyelids a testament to that fact.

Her walls started convulsing ever more tightly around him and Caesar could feel himself reach his peak just as quickly now. She cried out loudly as the tidal wave of white-hot pleasure washed over her, keening his name while she rode out her orgasm, grinding desperately back against his hips. A couple of frantic thrusts more and Caesar tumbled over the edge as well, his cock pulsing deep within her heated core.

He very nearly collapsed on top of her back as the pleasure began to wear off and left him nearly boneless but caught himself leaning on one elbow above her. He lowered himself to rest his flushed cheek against her shoulder while their breathing evened out.

The Ape King struggled to remember the last time he had felt _this_ content.

After a minute or two of them basking in the post-coital afterglow, he felt hit mate shiver beneath him and realised that she was probably beginning to freeze, now that the heat from their vigorous activities had begun to dissipate and her bare skin was finally feeling the wintry air of the abandoned control room.

Caesar ran his warm lips over her shoulder briefly. Affectionately. Then he slowly moved away from her to give her the space she needed to get up and dress, a groan leaving the both of them as he pulled out.

 **(Smut Ends Here)**

Lydia turned to smile light-heartedly, almost shyly, at him before going about picking up her clothes from the floor. He decided to help her and watched her intently as her body was once again, piece by piece, being hidden from his eyes.

When she had managed to put on most of her clothing, Lydia sat down on the chair to pull on her boots. Before she could get that far, however, the Ape King moved forth and bent down in front of her, taking the footwear out of her smooth hands, so unlike his own rough ones, and began to help her with them himself.

He could feel her eyes on him as he did this, but he kept his own gaze focused on his task.

When he had pulled the second boot up her calf, Caesar's hands paused briefly before continuing slowly up either side of her clothed thigh, quickly followed by his lips, and he heard her breath hitch sharply.

"Caesar…" He looked up at her at the sound of his name. Her voice was soft, if a little hoarse, and her hands went up to lay gently against the sides of his face.

The expression she wore was one of deep affection, and Caesar felt his heart skip several beats at the pure emotion he found in Lydia's deep blue orbs. She hadn't looked at him like this since… well, before all of this mess had begun.

And seeing that expression on her face now was as welcome as a warm summer's breeze to the Ape King.

He didn't remove his hands from her thigh.

Lydia leaned forward, her breath ghosting across Caesar's rugged face for just a moment before she tilted his head further upwards and their lips met. It surprised him at first, even though it really shouldn't have – they had just mated and after all, it wasn't like they had never kissed before. The sensation was quite familiar to him, probably more so than to any other ape.

And yet it felt like this was somehow different. Like a seal. A promise.

It didn't take long for him to ease into it, and his green eyes slowly closed while he hummed lowly from deep in his throat.

When she pulled back from the kiss, he was loath not to follow her in an attempt to prolong it.

"We probably shouldn't tell the others about this…" Came her quiet, calm voice.

"No. We should not." He replied simply. He wasn't sure how well the others would take all of this, even if they _had_ come to see Lydia as part of the Ape Colony a long time ago. He wasn't even sure how much each of them could tell by now, from the way Caesar and Lydia behaved – or if they could even tell at all.

Maurice knew about them – had for a long time now, but there had been little to indicate that Rocket and Luca had figured it out as well… And just thinking about having to explain this arrangement to Bad Ape almost had Caesar sigh in exasperation already.

No, though he _had_ considered coming clean about it to everyone for some time now, it would be better to wait a little longer still. He didn't want to complicate things further on this journey.

Just then, Caesar's eyes landed on the dark purple marks his teeth had left on Lydia's shoulder, just beside her necklace. The mark was slightly exposed by the wide opening of her shirt, and the Ape King groaned in frustration over his own carnal urges.

He might as well have climbed up into one of the power masts outside and roared his claim to her out across the valley for all to hear.

So much for subtlety.

"I'll cover them as well as I can with my coat collar, Caesar. Just like I always did. Don't worry about it." Lydia smiled at him as she said this, brushing his cheek with a thumb.

He was glad that she didn't seem to get the wrong idea when he voiced his frustration upon seeing the markings. It wasn't like he _wanted_ her to cover them up. In fact, he could feel a deep desire to just throw caution to the wind for once and have her openly showcase them.

But that would have to wait for now.

He nodded at her before laying his hands on hers and remove them gently from his cheeks. getting up going to retrieve her coat. She was still lightly shivering, though Caesar could see she did her best not to let it show.

"Let us go back to the others." He said, voice low and gravelly as ever as he placed the coat over Lydia's shoulders.

She stood up as well.

"Yeah. I guess we should."

She leaned forward and pecked his lips before turning around and going for the door leading outside, the barely-noticeable wobble of her long legs making the Ape King's chest swell with a sense of accomplishment.

He paused as his mind wandered back to the camp.

"Lydia… Listen, I know that… _this_ ," Caesar gestured between them with one hand, vaguely referring to what they had just done. "has not solved things… Not entirely."

His voice was apologetic. He didn't want her to think that he believed it all to be fixed by a single night of passionate sex. He knew that was far from being the case – but it _was_ a start.

"Not at all, but that's okay, Caesar." Lydia answered with a soft, understanding smile on her face, grabbing his hand to intertwine their fingers. It always managed to surprise the Ape King how slender and fragile her hand looked inside his own large and rough one.

"I know now this is something you have to do. It's not like I can't understand why you feel so strongly about it either – believe me, I want justice for Blue Eyes too… It's just the way this whole thing happens that's completely messed up." She elaborated with an exhausted sigh.

Caesar nodded, thinking to himself that this, this right here, was the way they _should_ have talked about it several weeks ago. With calm voices and open hearts instead of spewing words like poison at each other.

He reached up with his other hand, grasping her chin between his forefinger and thumb so that he could gently pull her head up to face him. Even in the relative darkness of the room, Caesar could still make out the startling deep blue of her irises, as well as the slight tinge of red that tainted the whites of the orbs.

Whether this was from tears or fatigue, he couldn't quite tell.

"When this is over… When I have killed him, and we return to the other apes... I will tell them all, Lydia. They will know, and we will be a family. We will not hide like this anymore. I promi-"

Lydia silenced him before he could finish his vow, learning forward to capture his lips in a deep, searing kiss. The kind that always seemed to send pleasant sparks down Caesar's very spine.

She pulled back just as quickly, though she stayed close enough for her warm breath to caress his lips as she spoke.

"If that's the motivation you need to get through all this alive… But please, Caesar, don't make any promises you can't keep. For now, just focus on coming back to us. To me and to Cornelius. Okay?"

He nodded, his eyes staring fondly into hers as she reached up to lay her free hand on his chest.

"I will, Lydia." Caesar's voice reverberated against the metal walls around the two of them, strengthening the ape's resolve as his words bounced back at him from all around the room.

"That's all I ask." She answered, relief clear in her expression. "Now come on. I want to try and get some sleep before Bad Ape starts to lead us to that awful place tomorrow."

The Ape King raised a curious brow at his mate.

"You heard?"

"Told you I had trouble sleeping, didn't I?" Lydia retorted as she removed her hand from his chest. Her tone was teasing, but there was a hint of exasperation lurking just beneath the surface that managed to irk Caesar slightly.

"Right…" He spoke ruefully, squeezing the hand still in his grasp. "I wish I could do something about this."

He truly _did_ want to just lay down beside her, more so than ever before, pull her close and fall asleep with her body against his own.

She turned her head to meet his eyes for the umpteenth time that night, a mischievous glint in her gaze.

"Oh, after what we just did, I think it's safe to say you've helped plenty. I'm exhausted!" She spoke coyly, dispelling his regret as quickly as it had manifested. "Let's just hope I can sit properly in the saddle come morning. Otherwise I'll probably give us away."

And with that, Lydia opened the creaky metal door to the cold outside world, gently pulling him along.

His huffed out once in laughter and started walking out of the small building with her in tow.

His mark on her would fade in time, so the chance of the others noticing _that_ was minimal. He'd be sure to never let it leave her completely, though.

Not again, anyway.

After tonight, he was more than certain of that.


	66. A Simple Ape

_**Lydia**_

Lydia had gone to get the horses together with Luca and Rocket from behind the large ski resort, leading the beasts carefully down the sloping road around the building. Caesar, Maurice and Bad Ape had stayed inside, packing up some things Lydia had picked out together with the strange chimp earlier that morning. He had been combing the place rather thoroughly through the years, the human woman had quickly realised, even if most of the items he had gathered could only be considered junk.

But the few rooms Lydia _had_ been going through to double check for something useful had all been gapingly empty, so she didn't even bother to check further after that. Bad Ape had had a lot of time to pile everything up down by his cave, after all.

As they reached the stately-looking front gate of the abandoned resort, spotting the little girl already outside and admiring an early-blooming cherry tree, a mighty yawn was pulled from the adult woman.

" _Tired, Lydia?_ " Rocket looked over at her in slight concern as they came to a stop and Luca went over to the little girl by the tree.

Lydia shrugged, fiddling with her horse's reins.

"I couldn't sleep most of the night. Had to take a walk to clear my mind." She replied easily, since Rocket knew her habit of taking random night-time strolls to calm down. It usually served to calm her down.

 _And a thorough rutting helped too_.

The thought flashed through her mind unbidden, prompting the woman to pull at her coat collar to further conceal the now-purpling marks at the junction of her shoulder and neck.

Lydia could still feel the slight, pleasant ache between her thighs, and her legs had felt dangerously wobbly when she had first gotten up that morning. She liked to think she had hidden it well, though, as nobody had even stopped to ask her about it as they had all made their preparations to leave.

Or maybe it had just been due to the fact that they had all been so busy that they hadn't had the time to really take notice.

Either way, it had worked to Lydia's advantage.

" _Alone?_ " The balding ape signed with a somewhat disapproving stare. Like a concerned parent who had just gotten to know that their child had wandered off alone without an adult for guidance.

At least that was what it felt like to Lydia, though she knew she was probably putting too much meaning behind the chimp's words. He was, after all, just a well-meaning friend.

"I didn't go far, Rocket. Don't worry." She swiftly sidestepped his question.

It wasn't exactly a lie, but also not the entire truth, and Lydia felt slightly guilty for being so evasive with Rocket.

And the look he shot her gave Lydia the impression that he knew very well that this was the case, yet he said nothing further on the matter as the pair got distracted by the interaction between Luca and the little girl over by the tree.

It was a heart-warming sight that temporarily had Lydia forget all about her little, nagging guilt as the large, burly gorilla carefully placed the delicate cherry flower by the girl's ear. The smile she offered in return was one of the most sincere and innocent the human woman had ever seen.

Then Caesar and Maurice appeared from behind the gate and Luca immediately straightened himself in the presence of the Ape King, gave a soft huff and trudged back over to the horses – where both Lydia and Rocket were sharing amused looks at the gorilla's little slip-up. He really _was_ a big softie under all that tough-guy silverback exterior.

And then Bad Ape came into view beside Maurice, and Lydia barely managed to keep from chuckling at the small chimp's appearance just then. He wore a thick blue and green vest and a patterned winter hat made of wool and Lydia, not at all used to the apes around her wearing clothes – certainly not _human_ clothes – found the sight strangely comical.

 _Come on, woman, he's practically hairless – of course he would need some clothing to keep warm!_ She chided herself in the back of her mind, though it didn't stop the smile pulling at the corners of her mouth.

The optimistic thumbs-up the strange chimp offered Caesar served to break Lydia's resolve, however, and the laugh that had threatened to bubble up from within her gut now came forth with little to no restraint. She just couldn't help it – this ape was so unintentionally amusing and, if she was completely honest, provided a much-needed light-heartedness to their little group.

And though both Caesar and Maurice initially rolled their eyes discreetly at the strange ape's antics, the Ape King's gaze seemed to soften considerably once he turned to see Lydia's smiling face. She knew it had been a long time since she had laughed, _truly_ laughed, and it surprised herself just as much as it seemed to do Caesar, whose smouldering, admiring eyes on her as they all finally mounted their horses almost had her reprimand the Ape King for being too obvious.

 _Seems like last night is all too fresh in his memory as well_ , Lydia thought once she finally was somewhat comfortably settled in her saddle and waiting for the others to do the same…

– and currently being _very_ grateful for the fact that she didn't have to walk too much on this journey.…

* * *

Later that night the group once again found themselves around a crackling fire sharing stories both old and new.

Their camp was located under a natural, rocky outcrop, not entirely unlike the one Lydia and Caesar had made their nightly escapes to back in Muir Wood Forest, only this one faced a dense stretch of pine forest rather than a river, and it was far smaller as well.

Still, the comparison made it feel somewhat homier to Lydia, who had soon found herself sitting beside the group's strange new member, doing her best to help answer his seemingly endless barrage of inquiries.

Bad Ape wanted to know more about where they had all come from and was obviously excited at the prospect of yet more apes like himself – more friends, as he put it. He also seemed very eager to learn at least rudimentary sign, but soon found that he struggled to properly memorise the movements, more often than not mixing them up completely.

Lydia couldn't tell if it was due to him being quite easily distracted or simply because he was too eager altogether.

Or maybe it had something to do with his advanced age. From what Lydia could tell, he was even older than Maurice who, at 27 years old, was currently one of the oldest apes in the colony.

But it _did_ help when the little girl and Lydia scooted over to partake in the lesson, Lydia acting as verbal translator while the child helped keep the pace reasonable – even if she _did_ know most common signs the apes used by now. She also helped Bad Ape by occasionally reaching over and gently direct his hands into the correct position whenever it wasn't exactly right, which Lydia found extremely adorable.

And, looking to her left, she noted how both Luca and Rocket stared at the scene with small smiles on their dark muzzles, while Caesar, sitting across from her, merely observed with his ever-keen gaze, his expression neutral.

 _Well, at least it isn't a sour frown or sneer_ , Lydia thought as the little impromptu lesson came to an end after about an hour, Maurice deciding that it was time for the girl to get some much-needed rest.

It _was_ getting a bit late, and even Lydia had to admit that fatigue was beginning to get to her. She hadn't had much sleep last night – obviously – and following that up with a full day's ride through the mountains only added to her tiredness now.

In fact, the human woman was just about to call it a night herself when she felt a gentle nudge at her arm and turned to see Bad Ape stare at her with those large, innocent eyes of his.

"Thank you." He spoke softly, giving a tentative smile as he looked between Lydia and Maurice. "For help."

The woman shrugged easily.

"No problem at all. I have to admit though, it's been a long time since I had such an eager student." Lydia replied with a lopsided smile and a wink, which had the other apes huff in mild amusement at her antics. In truth, she had quickly gone back to her old habits of witty quips and banter with Bad Ape now a part of the group, even if he didn't always understand the underlying meaning of it all. He just went with the flow, which was part of the reason Lydia found him so easy to be around.

No ulterior motives or secret agendas from this chimp. No, only a burning desire to be part of a group again. To be able to have relations after such a long time alone.

 _Now,_ here _is a simple ape_ , Lydia thought as her conversation with Rocket over a week prior crossed her mind.

In any case, Bad Ape nodded, looking somewhat sheepish, though she could tell that he recognised the teasing note in her voice for what it was.

"Get excited. I want to learn to speak with new friends." He reasoned, which instantly sparked a fondness in Lydia's heart.

"It'll come eventually. You just have to be a little patient."

Once again, he nodded, his gaze slowly turning to the little girl now lying across from the two of them, past the campfire and with Maurice's hairy arm safely draped over her small form.

"Sweet girl. Helpful. Very gentle." The old chimp mused, his eyes almost fond.

"She's a good kid, yeah." Lydia agreed softly, also directing her gaze towards the now-snoozing child with a smile on her face.

She soon realised her expression must have somehow seemed wistful to him, as he turned back to regard her with pursed lips and an expression that made it seem like he didn't know if he should even be asking her the question that was on his mind.

He did anyway.

"You have child?" Came his light voice, as gentle as can be as he stared up at her.

Lydia's eyes stayed on the girl for just a while longer as she thought of how to respond.

Then she inhaled deeply, fidgeting with the edge of her coat's sleeve as she looked to the other apes for guidance. Should she reveal something like that to this ape? Would he understand it? How her family came to be? Would he be appalled by it?

Something told Lydia he wouldn't be, though experience told her to be cautious. She didn't know this ape _that_ well, after all.

In the end, it was Maurice and Caesar's nods of their heads that tipped the scales, and she turned back to the old chimp with renewed resolve.

"Yeah. I do." She answered softly, biting her lip in yet another moment of hesitation. Then, she turned to grab her old, weathered backpack. "Uhm, here, I can show you."

She rummaged through it for a time, Bad Ape cocking his head to the side in open curiosity as she did so. Truthfully, even as she fished the old picture frame out, Lydia wasn't entirely sure she _should_ show him – it wasn't only Orion inside that frame, after all – but then again…

He hadn't been hostile towards her or the little girl at all, which in itself had surprised Lydia – what with the experience he must have had with humans in the past. No, he had accepted them almost as readily as he had the apes and, in fact, seemed rather interested in Lydia as a person after having spoken with her throughout the day's ride.

She was, after all, the only one besides Caesar who spoke out loud well enough to be able to have a conversation with him.

"This one right here, in the smaller picture." She pointed at the tiny chimp inside the frame, who sat snuggly on her lap at the very centre of the photograph. "His name is Orion."

The strange ape scooted closer, carefully grabbing the other side of the frame to get a better look and giving a soft hoot of curiosity once his large, green eyes landed on the image.

"Ape son?" Bad Ape's tone was perplexed and surprised all at once. "And so small…"

Relieved at his reaction, Lydia waved her hand somewhat dismissively, giving a small, reassuring smile to the elderly hermit chimp.

"It's an old picture. He's a grown ape by now." She said with just a hint of pride in her voice – she just could help it, being a mother and all. Besides, she would _never_ have left the colony like she had if Orion had been this age now, no matter how much she had wanted to make sure Caesar came back alive.

But then, Lydia's thoughts turned to Cornelius and a slight pang of guilt hit her. He wasn't much older than Orion was in the picture she had in this very frame and she _had_ left _him_.

Then again, Cornelius had something that Orion never really did.

"He's looking after his adopted little brother while we're away." She spoke fondly, to which Bad Ape nodded in what seemed to be understanding.

Out of the corner of her eye, Lydia didn't miss the semi-startled glance from Caesar, which held warmth, but also a tentative warning for her not to reveal too much. She understood, of course. It would be hard to explain to Bad Ape how Lydia had also adopted Cornelius, but that she wasn't raising him together with Caesar.

It would also be a blatant lie to say that they weren't together as well, and that was a line Lydia wasn't prepared to cross – lying in front of her closest friends… Like she had _almost_ done to Rocket that very morning. Neither she, nor Caesar might have told them about the development their relationship had undergone, but it was a whole lot different to straight up deny that it had happened at all.

But Bad Ape didn't seem too concerned with that at the moment, choosing instead to point at Roy's image next, eyes ever-large and curious.

"Who is this?"

His tone was so innocently curious to the point that it reminded Lydia of a child. There was no hint of judgement or scepticism on his wrinkled face at all, and yet the woman _still_ hesitated for a brief second, not sure how to properly explain it to the strange chimp.

How do you even being to explain an interspecies relationship brought on by circumstance like that? How do you even begin to put the nature of such a relationship into words?

But she would have to, Lydia realised. It was part of who they were, both of them, that they had had this together. To deny it, cover it up or explain it away was not an option – it would be an insult to Roy's memory, both as Lydia's mate _and_ Orion's father.

Lydia would never – _could_ never – do such a thing.

The apes around her seemed to eye each other as well, their expressions cautious.

"His name was Roy. We raised Orion together." Lydia spoke the words at last, balancing on the edge between sounding tender and matter-of-factly.

"Human and ape? Together?" Bad Ape questioned with no small amount of wonder in his voice. "Like… couple?"

It was the first time she had heard an ape use that term, which caught Lydia a bit off-guard at first. Caesar had always referred to Cornelia as his wife, having picked up the word during his childhood spent with humans. Every other ape she had ever met spoke of their 'mate', and it was only on rare occasions that apes closest to Caesar used the terms wife and husband.

Perhaps it shouldn't shock her that Bad Ape, having 'listened to humans', would have picked up on some things, just like Caesar had.

Once the initial surprise had passed, Lydia bit her lip at the question.

Sure, Caesar, Maurice, Rocket and Luca all knew the extent of her and Roy's relationship pretty well by now, but it had always been something… unspoken. Something private. To confirm it openly like this in front of them all, and to someone she barely knew as well seemed… Transboundary at best.

And yet, at Bad Ape's curious stare, its innocence so piercing, the human woman found herself softly nodding in confirmation.

"Yes… We were." She answered, to which the small chimp's mouth opened in an amazed o-shape. "I know it's… strange."

Those words were an afterthought, spoken in an attempt to somehow justify her relationship even before the ape in front of her had had a chance to condemn it. She had subconsciously prepared herself for it, after all.

Only that was not what happened once the small chimp got a brief moment to digest the information.

"Strange… yes, very strange… But good strange." Bad Ape spoke, surprising not only Lydia, but also the other apes present, who all regarded the old chimp now with brows furrowed in confusion.

The woman tilted her head at the ape in front of her. Now _that_ was a new one for sure.

"Good strange?" She questioned, disbelief clear in her voice.

Lydia knew this chimp was… odd in his ways, to put it mildly, but she had honestly thought that even he would be appalled by the idea of an ape and a human being a couple.

And she wasn't the only one to have thought this.

"How so?" Caesar asked suddenly from across the small campfire, his gaze intense as he regarded Bad Ape for an answer, looking somewhat ominous.

Obviously, he would be just as curious about this as Lydia was…

The little hermit chimp seemingly didn't take too much notice of the Ape King's piercing look. Instead he focused on choosing his words very carefully as he scratched his chin, his expression turning uncharacteristically thoughtful.

"Human and ape fight. Always fight. Hurt and kill. No good… Not for ape. Not for human… But if can be together, love and raise child… That's good." He spoke quite simply, yet his explanation struck a chord within Lydia. "If all ape and human did that, then everything better."

She was quite dumbstruck at the deep insight the odd chimp showed with those words. Truthfully, though he seemed to be a kind soul, Lydia hadn't thought him to be too bright.

Evidently, neither had Maurice, who chittered from deep within his throat at the small chimp's words, nodding in approval after sharing a meaningful look with Caesar.

The Ape King himself took in Bad Ape's words with what appeared to be an indifferent look, merely nodding silent agreement at the chimp's statement. And yet Lydia knew it had stirred something in him – could tell by the hopeful flicker in his green-and-golden eyes.

Hope that he and Lydia could perhaps find that same sort of acceptance, not only from Bad Ape, but from the colony as well once they would return.

It was a hope that Lydia very much shared, though she wasn't going to divulge that little piece of information anytime soon.

"Yeah…" The human woman replied softly instead, thoughtfully rubbing her thumb against the picture frame in her grasp. "I suppose that's true…"

Bad Ape nodded for the umpteenth time that evening, that soft smile back on his aging face.

"You miss them? Sons?" He asked gently, though his voice was so shrill in its quality that his near-whisper carried as easily across the short distance between them as if he had spoken normally.

Lydia took a moment to stare fondly down at the picture in her hands before answering, finding herself wishing that she had one of Cornelius too. Goodness knows she missed him, the nights of him sneaking into her nest to sleep with his cheek pressed to her sternum seeming like ages ago already.

And with Orion it was just as bad. She had barely had him back again for a full 24 hours before they had separated once more…

It hurt just to think about it, really, as Lydia's stomach churned with worry for the apes she had come to see as her children.

She released a longing sigh as she nodded, pursing her lips in an effort to keep her emotions in check.

She felt more than saw Caesar's sympathetic gaze and took comfort in the fact that while he couldn't reach out to hold her close, Lydia _knew_ that he wanted to, and that made it all just a little bit easier.

But it was Bad Ape's next words, as sincere as anything anyone had ever said to Lydia, that truly managed to warm her heart on this cold winter's night.

"They very lucky apes." The aging hermit chimp spoke, reaching over to pat the hand holding on to the old picture frame. Despite his readiness to accept Lydia and the girl, it was the first time he had dared touch the woman physically, which only served to heavily underline his words.

And all Lydia could do in return, though they seemed so inadequate in that moment, was to offer two little words to show her gratitude.

"Thank you."

It would seem like this ape wasn't as simple as Lydia had first thought.


	67. The Ambush

_**Maurice**_

They found the 'human zoo' in the afternoon the next day, staying a safe distance away from it, perched on top of a nearby mountain outcrop as the snow fell thickly all around them.

The place was bustling with activity – human activity – though even with the binoculars, it was hard to tell whether or not these were the humans they were looking for.

The vehicles and uniforms seemed to fit, but with the knowledge that another army from up north was coming to meet the Colonel's, Caesar soon opted to go down for a closer look, taking Luca with him as back-up.

Maurice didn't much like that idea, and if the look on Lydia's face told the orangutan anything, it was that she liked it even less. Especially when Caesar turned to Rocket next.

"Keep them safe." The Ape King had softly ordered his second-in-command, to which the balding ape had chittered in concern, but otherwise offered no further protest on the matter.

The quick glance in Lydia's direction didn't go unnoticed by the aging orangutan's keen gaze, though he was relieved to find that it seemed to be a look of reassurance rather than preparation for an argument.

Lydia must have recognised this as well, for she kept quiet and subtly nodded at the Ape King in response.

All in all, the two had been less tense around one another for the last day and a half, and though the wise, elder ape _could_ make a few qualified guesses as to what had brought on this change, he pointedly chose to ignore that inclination altogether. He didn't want to assume anything.

He was just relieved to have found that this awkward tension that had permeated the atmosphere in the group had finally gone away. It had been excruciating, to say the least.

Rocket hoisted his gun onto his arm and nodded as Caesar and Luca turned to leave, stealthily making their way further down the rocky mountainside to get a closer look at what the soldiers were doing down below.

Storm whimpered at their departure, not liking for the 'pack' to be split up – at least that was the explanation Lydia had given.

But after the initial separation, even she had to admit that the dog seemed uncharacteristically anxious, prowling back and forth with her tail low but still wagging, seemingly very interested in the camp down below.

And after about half an hour or so, a timespan wherein the snowfall had intensified, and the sky had darkened considerably, Lydia herself became just as agitated, convinced that something was wrong for her dog to continue this odd behaviour.

That's when Rocket hooted lowly at them, with an urgency that told Lydia and Maurice to stay alert.

Before they could inquire as to what was wrong, the balding ape had turned and handed Lydia his gun, not even bothering to explain the reason behind his actions before he bolted down the same path Luca and Caesar had taken just a few moments prior.

Maurice laid a heavy hand on Lydia's arm as she attempted to follow the chimp.

" _Stay, Lydia. Trust them._ " He implored in sign before discreetly eyeing the girl and Bad Ape, who were both watching the exchange with large, curious eyes. " _You are needed here_."

For a moment he didn't think she would listen, what with the way her head turned to stare concernedly in the direction the other apes had disappeared, biting her lip in what Maurice interpreted as deep anxiety.

He was anxious too, he wouldn't deny that – but while large and several times stronger than any human male, Maurice wasn't a fighter. Wasn't a warrior.

But Lydia was, and she was needed here in the absence of the others.

Finally, the woman turned her head back to him and nodded, although reluctantly, and Maurice breathed a sigh of relief and gratitude as she sat beside him.

There was an uneasy silence from that point on, in which Maurice desperately wanted to say something, _anything_ , to distract both Lydia, Bad Ape and the little girl. But it was hard to do when his own mind was so preoccupied with everything – what they had found, what it meant and what they were going to do about it. What _Caesar_ was going to do about it.

Part of Maurice had hoped that they would never find the soldiers again. That the border base would be abandoned, and the Colonel's trail would be forever lost in the snow. That, eventually, the Ape King would give up on his endeavour to get revenge and accept that the humans were gone.

But as it had been proven to Maurice so many times before, nothing was ever that simple.

Which only became all the clearer in the most horrific way as Caesar, Rocket and Luca returned, the latter practically being carried up the slope by the other two, huffing out strained breaths.

"Oh no…" Lydia spoke, her voice all but a silent gasp of dread.

She was the first to get up and hurry over, followed shortly by Maurice himself, Bad Ape and the girl.

Luca was laid down on the ground as everyone crowded around him, horrified at the obvious, deep stab wound between his ribs, the injury bleeding profusely and staining the pristinely white snow beneath him.

Storm began whimpering again, head low as she inched close to Luca to lick at his fingers. He only briefly acknowledged the canine, brushing his large hand over her head once before returning his attention to the Ape King standing over him, cradling the gorilla's head.

His huffing was getting shallower by the second.

" _At least this time… I was able to protect you._ " He signed with difficulty, though it only seemed to enhance the distraught look on the Ape King's face as he stared down at Luca.

Maurice had laid his arm around the little girl's shoulders in an attempt to comfort her, wanting more than anything else to shield this innocent child from this, but was struck by worry and surprise as she went closer to kneel beside Luca, across from Caesar.

And then she began crying, tears trailing down her cheeks with a look of pure sorrow on her small face as she took the flower resting behind her ear and placed it by Luca's instead.

It broke Maurice's heart to watch as he sat down beside her.

Vaguely, the orangutan was aware of a soft sniffling and small, strained breaths behind them and knew without a doubt that Lydia was crying too, if more discreetly than her smaller counterpart.

But cry she did, and the distinct sound of crunching footsteps which immediately followed told Maurice that Rocket had stepped over to comfort her – Caesar clearly wasn't going to, after all.

No, he was staring at the girl instead, a mixture of sorrow, slight confusion and surprise on his face at the affectionate scene between the human child and the dying gorilla. Would this be what it would take to finally make Caesar understand what she was – or more importantly, what she _wasn't_?

It seemed a needlessly cruel lesson to Maurice, who pulled the girl away once Luca's breathing ceased, his gruff face relaxed as the pain – and his life – slowly left him.

The child continued to cry as the elderly orangutan laid his large arm around her shoulders, squeezing her gently in a comforting manner before he turned his attention to the Ape King.

" _Caesar…_ " He signed after having gained the chimp's attention with a gentle huff. " _This must stop… It's not too late to join the other apes._ "

But even as he said it, the look in Caesar's eyes, deadly beneath his heavy brow, told Maurice that his king wouldn't listen.

But he had to try anyway.

" _We cannot turn back! Luca gave his life!_ " Rocket argued, his dark face indignant and hurt by the notion.

Maurice knew it wouldn't sit well with the balding ape to turn back any more than it would Caesar, but the two of them possessed a warrior's sense of honour that Maurice simply didn't. Yes, Luca had sacrificed his life, but he would have done so no matter the threat to Caesar's life – be it a vicious bear on a hunt or the cunning, deadly soldiers they had found here. It had been his duty as a gorilla guard and he had known that it might happen when they had all first set out with the Ape King.

It could have happened to any of them. To Rocket, to Maurice himself – even to Lydia.

And speaking of the woman, why wasn't _she_ saying anything? If anyone could convince Caesar to turn back now, Maurice suspected it would be her… Right? The two of them had reconciled, hadn't they?

But looking back over his shoulder, Maurice found the woman, still with fresh, wet streaks of tears down her pale cheeks, staring with trepidation at her secret mate.

Waiting, watching – not _saying_ anything.

But then he realised that she _was_ trying. Trying to catch Caesar's eye. To capture his gaze and hold it hostage until he would cave.

But it wasn't working. Caesar seemed to know what she was trying to do, because he pointedly avoided her gaze. Avoiding the sway he undoubtedly knew she held over him.

And Maurice knew that he would do so even if Lydia spoke to him.

"Please…!" The orangutan begged again as he turned back, watching with bated breath as Caesar looked down at Luca's face once more.

Maurice's heart dropped when his king shook his head.

"They must pay." He spoke resolutely, his tone as tight as the pull of his lips over his teeth.

That sentence jolted something inside Maurice's chest, an unpleasant memory of an ape long dead.

That expression.

Those words.

This _hatred_ ….

A daring impulse overtook him then, and he reached out to lay a hand on Caesar's on top of Luca's chest.

Then, he signed the words he had been wanting to sign since the beginning of this journey but hadn't had the courage to make.

" _Now, you sound like Koba._ "

He knew it wasn't what Caesar wanted to hear, but at this point, Maurice felt that he _needed_ to hear it. Things had gone too far now, and the orangutan felt at this point that he could no longer sit idly by and ignore the change in his king because of his own deep sense of loyalty. Even someone as patient and understanding as the aging orangutan had his limits in that regard.

And, unsurprisingly, Caesar took it about as well as Maurice had expected he would, his breathing getting heavier as anger overtook his features.

"It was a mistake bringing you all. This is my fight." He spoke harshly – accusingly – as he looked from one to the other. "I will finish this alone."

Maurice felt how shock overtook his features as his king rose to his feet, a firm hold on his firearm.

And his words seemed to startle Lydia out of her silence as well. The woman suddenly straightened beside Rocket, eyes wide and disbelieving as she stared at her secret mate.

"Caesar?!" Came her voice, almost reprimanding at his tone and harsh words.

He ignored her just as he had before, the only sign that he had heard her being the quick flicker of his eyes towards where she stood.

Then, they were back at Maurice and Rocket interchangeably.

"Caesar don't be-" Lydia started, though she didn't get to finish before the Ape King spoke again.

"Go. Now!" His dark voice sounded through gritted teeth. "Join the others."

There was an underlying, mocking tone to his words. Like he thought they were cowards running scared. Like he resented them, and Maurice in particular, for wanting to go back. For wanting to turn tail _now_ , when they had come so far and one of them had just been slain.

Then, he turned away and stalked menacingly back down the trail, ignoring both Rocket's worried chitters and Lydia's calls of his name, her voice turning more desperate with every step he took away from them.

"Caesar, come on, don't do this… Caesar! Caesar!"

And he was gone between the trees.

They all stood there for several minutes, quiet as they stared down the trail their leader had used, the lot of them equal parts hurt, saddened and dumbfounded.

It was, unsurprisingly, Lydia who broke the heavy silence.

"That fucking idiot!" She cursed, startling both Maurice and Rocket. She had been angry at Caesar before, furious even, but neither of them had _ever_ heard anyone speak of the Ape King like that. And at this point, Maurice wouldn't put it past her to dare say it directly to the chimp's face.

Which seemed to be exactly what she intended to do.

" _Lydia, what-?_ " Maurice began as she angrily picked up her bow and quiver from beside her backpack on the ground.

"I'm going to see if I can't talk some sense into him… Or at least try and keep his sorry, reckless hide safe, whether he likes it or not." She answered before he had even finished signing his question.

Had the situation not been so dire, Maurice might actually have laughed at that.

"There's a few rations in my backpack. Help yourself to them and keep out of sight. Storm will warn you if anyone is nearby."

Before they could say anything else, the human woman trudged down the path after the Ape King, shoulders tense and her long steps underlining her anger and determination.

She was gone just as quickly as Caesar had been, leaving Maurice, Rocket, Bad Ape and the human girl to set up camp – at least that was what Rocket began doing, a heavy sigh leaving him as he set about gathering twigs for a small fire.

Maurice urged the girl and Bad Ape to go take shelter in the large hovel they had found in the cliff face further back from the ledge. He and Rocket would lay Luca's body to rest with dignity later, when the others were asleep and didn't have to watch. It seemed the most appropriate, given the sensitive nature of the two. Especially Bad Ape, who had been uncharacteristically quiet during this whole thing.

Storm cuddled up to the little girl, keeping her warm as the four of them sat around the small campfire Rocket had now started.

And that's how they stayed until the girl and strange chimp had fallen asleep, both swathed in spare pelts from Lydia's backpack and saddlebags.

It was peaceful enough, though the orangutan was beginning to get anxious as darkness fell. If Rocket had been of the same mind, which Maurice suspected he was, the chimp did not mention it.

No, it seemed to be something else that occupied the balding ape's thoughts right now.

" _Maurice… I don't like to ask this but… I have speculated it for some time now._ " Rocket began, and the aging orangutan somehow knew exactly what he was going to ask even before the balding ape had gathered himself enough to fully articulate the question.

" _Caesar and Lydia… They are mates now, are they not?_ "

 _I shouldn't really say anything_ , Maurice reasoned. He had always firmly believed that this was his friends' secret, and that they would reveal it to everyone when they felt the time was right. Maurice had no right to take that choice away from them.

But what was the use at this point? If Rocket had already come to the correct conclusion on his own, what harm was there in confirming it?

And so, Maurice nodded his large head, sighing in unexpected relief. He hadn't realised what a burden it was to be the only one in their little group who knew for sure, especially with the tension that had been going on lately.

" _For how long?_ "

Ah, that question. Maurice should have seen that coming as soon as Rocket had asked. They had both known Cornelia long before Caesar had turned up at the Ape Prison all those years ago, and neither would have stood for it had the relationship begun immediately after the Ape Queen's death.

Not that Caesar would've ever done that to his beloved wife, nor Lydia to her dear Roy – but nonetheless, Maurice couldn't blame Rocket for wanting to know either way.

" _A little over a year._ " The aging orangutan replied, warming his large hands by the small campfire.

They couldn't make it as big as they usually did, since it would most likely attract the attention of the humans down below, but they also needed the flames to keep the cold at bay come nightfall. This small fire, in this regard, was a compromise that so far seemed to keep everyone present somewhat content – Caesar and Lydia's absence and Luca's recent death aside.

" _You worried it had been longer?_ " The aging orangutan asked curiously.

The balding ape pursed his lips thoughtfully, stoking the fire with a wet branch.

" _I'm ashamed to admit it has crossed my mind…_ " Rocket signed in a sheepish manner, shoulders hunched. " _I should know that they would not be disrespectful like that… It's just that Roy and Cornelia were good friends, so when I first noticed, I could not help but wonder._ "

Maurice nodded at that, rubbing his hands together for warmth before signing.

" _I understand._ " He said with his usual, slow movements. " _How did you figure it out?_ "

Rocket shrugged modestly, still staring at the military facility down below. It was beginning to get dark already, the glare of several artificial lights now dotting the buildings.

" _The way they are together. Look at each other_." He explained, pursing his lips. " _Reminds me of Tinker and me. The way she gets frustrated with me when I don't understand. Lydia looks at Caesar in the same way sometimes. That was what had me thinking._ "

The aging orangutan couldn't help but be impressed at his friend's keen eye and attention to detail. Rocket had never prided himself on being the smart one out of the Royal Ape Council's members, leaving that particular contest to Caesar, Maurice and, in the now distant past, Koba. Instead, Rocket had focused on brute force and carrying out Caesar's orders down to the smallest detail, his abilities in battle unmatched by most other males.

Perhaps that was why, with his concise attitude and straight-forward approach, that Maurice hadn't thought he would figure out the relationship between their king and the human woman by their behaviour alone. Especially since the two hadn't exactly been on the best of terms almost since the moment Rocket came back with the boys.

The orangutan shook his head, more at himself than at his old friend, slightly ashamed of having doubted him like this.

" _And you call yourself a simple ape, my friend?_ " He signed, brow raised in both intrigue and slight amusement, despite recent events.

At those words, Rocket looked over at Maurice, and a slight smirk gracing his dark lips.

" _Simpler than Caesar and Lydia, that's certain._ "

And how very true that was.

* * *

 ** _Lydia_**

Lydia sat crouched on top of one of the many smaller, snow-covered ledges that dotted the mountain. This place provided her with a good vantage point from which she could see most of the soldier's camp as well as the strange X-shaped contraptions they had placed on top of the hill further down that same day.

Both were quite a distance from where she sat now, but mercifully, the snow had stopped some time ago, and she now had a moonlit vision of the Ape King as his dark form purposefully glided through the thick snow down the steep slope of the mountainside.

Anger welled up inside her chest at the sight of him, her mind returning to the conversation – or rather the argument – that they had had an hour or so prior to her sitting down on this little ledge.

"Caesar!" She had called once he had come into view through the trees, and she had almost fallen as she miss stepped in her effort to get closer.

The only sign that had given away that, yes, he had indeed heard her, had been the slight hunching of his shoulders and a barely-noticeable turn of his head. Seemed like he was still ignoring her.

That had just served to irk Lydia further.

"Caesar!"

Still nothing – and thus, more kindling to the pyre that was Lydia's rising temper.

"Will you just stop and listen to me for once in your life, you insufferable ape!?" She had finally snapped, literally able to feel the deep crease forming between her eyebrows as she had stared hard at the back of the chimp's head.

At that, Caesar had abruptly stopped, though he remained with his back to her as Lydia had made her way to him. As she had gotten closer, the woman had clearly been able to see how the chimp's shoulders moved with each deep, restrained breath as he tried to control his temper.

"What do you want, Lydia?" He had asked evenly, still with his broad back to her. "I told you to go join the others."

Lydia had stopped a few feet away from him, doing her best to hide how out of breath she had been as she had crossed her arms expectantly over her chest. She had known he couldn't see her face with them standing like this, but that hadn't kept the woman from regarding the Ape King with an unimpressed sneer all the same.

"I wanted to talk some sense into you! What exactly do you think you'll be able to accomplish all on your own, huh? You'll have enemies all around you if you go down there alone with no one to back you up!"

He hadn't moved a muscle and, more importantly, hadn't acknowledged her inquiry with any sort of response.

So, Lydia had continued.

"Listen, I know you're angry about what happened back there, trust me, I do, but abandoning everyone in the last moment isn't the way to do this. You _need_ us, Caesar… So please, _please_ come back with me and let's sort this out…"

The quiet that followed those words had stretched on for an unbearably long time, neither of the two moving an inch as she had waited for his reply.

When it had finally come, it hadn't at all been what Lydia had imagined.

"Do you agree with Maurice?"

"What?" She had asked then, a puzzled frown appearing on her features.

It was only in that moment he had turned around to face her, and the human woman had almost been floored by the severity of the ape's frown, mouth twisted and eyes aflame with barely-suppressed fury.

Almost.

"Do you agree with Maurice?" Caesar had asked again, much slower this time. "Do you also think that I am like Koba?"

Lydia's shoulders had slumped then as she took a moment to study the chimp standing in front of her, hackles raised and eyes flinty as he regarded her with a critical stare – like he already knew the answer and just wanted her to confirm it so he could let his anger truly show.

Had there been a shred of vulnerability in his voice, any sign that he actually regretted any of this, Lydia might have answered differently.

"Right now? I'm beginning to." She had spoken drily instead, an unimpressed look on her face as he continued to breathe heavily, those green-and-golden orbs staring into her own deep blue ones with not a flicker of the tenderness he usually reserved for her.

No… It had been _that_ look again. That same dangerous glint in his eyes. The one that had scared Lydia beyond anything else since that dreadful night. The one that sought only one thing.

Vengeance.

Lydia had chosen to disregard it completely.

"And I know you're not _this_ angry because of what happened to Luca. That's only part of it." She had continued, knowing she was treading on thin ice at this point. He had already been furious and at this point, with that look in his eyes, the human woman quite honestly had no idea how the Ape King was going to react.

And by then, she hadn't much cared anymore, too furious herself to stop.

"You're _this_ angry because you _know_ that it's true. And because someone finally built up the courage to call you out on it."

Caesar's eyes had been mere slits at this point, his nostrils flared and his broad chest expanding as he had drawn in a deep, laboured breath – obviously in an attempt to calm himself.

It hadn't worked all that well.

The simmering fury in his voice had told Lydia as much.

"Don't pretend that you know-"

"Know what's going on inside your head? Oh, trust me, I gave up on doing that a long fucking time ago." She had interrupted him tersely. "But don't you for a second think I haven't heard how you mumble his name while staring into the campfire at night, when you think everyone else is sleeping. When you think, or maybe hope, that nobody's noticing – because trust me, _I_ _do_ notice!"

That had seemed to be the straw that broke the camel's back for Caesar, as he had stepped forward, quick as a flash, to stand only a hair's breadth from her, his face twisted in quiet rage. Had he been anyone else, she might have feared that he would strike her for something like this. Truthfully, she had been preparing for it either way, because this Caesar wasn't the one she knew and loved.

No, this Caesar was someone completely different.

That was the very root of the problem.

"Go. Back. Now" He had spoken almost threateningly. "Leave."

It was the most severe tone he had ever used on her, and there had been no trace of tenderness in his eyes just then. Nothing to indicate that she, out of everyone in the group, might be able to reach him right now.

 _Nothing whatsoever_.

But a part of Lydia – the stubborn, bordering-on-insolent part –simply refused to accept that.

"No." She had said with a voice full of defiance, refusing to show the hurt that had lurked just beneath the surface.

She would have showed that side to the old Caesar. The one who was loving and understanding and not hell-bent on destroying everything around him. But _this_ Caesar? She couldn't show her vulnerability to _him_. He hadn't earned it.

Effectively, it had felt to Lydia like their relationship was back to square one – even worse, it was like she had never known him to begin with.

Especially when he had heaved in a deep breath, as if preparing himself for something, and Lydia found herself resisting the urge to flinch in case he actually _wanted_ to hurt her this time, on purpose, unlike that time a few weeks ago.

To her shameful surprise, he didn't hurt her. Not physically anyway.

"Fine. Then stay here, then." The Ape King had growled instead before he had whipped back around to stand with his broad back to her, hackles raised in obvious irritation. "And _don't_ follow me."

And then he had marched away, just like that, leaving Lydia standing there in the snow, visibly shaking with anger and with no opportunity to reply as he took to the trees in order to avoid further pursuit from her.

She hadn't realised how much she had been shaking until he was out of sight and the only sound around her had been that of her trembling breath. A small, pathetic sound in the quiet of the forest, coupled with hot tears suddenly flowing unbidden down her pale cheeks.

Betrayal. That was the emotion that had flooded through her in that moment – utter and unadulterated betrayal. And it had been from the one she loved. The one who was supposed to love _her_.

More tears had come forth as that thought had struck her, the hot trails down her cheeks turning cold and painful as the frigid winds had hit her face.

But after a few, short moments of letting herself give in to the heartbreak, Lydia had soon exchanged the sadness and hurt with anger and defiance – as was her custom.

 _Ape King my ass!_

She hadn't done either of the things he had ordered her to do.

Instead Lydia had opted to search the area for a place from which she could easily scout the area, getting a closer look at the military facility down below, as well as an opportunity to act as a lookout for Caesar – whether he actually _wanted_ her assistance or not.

Because while he might be angry with her, while he might not be the same ape, and while he might have forgotten her promise from a few nights ago to stay with him through this thing no matter what, _Lydia_ certainly remembered.

And she intended to go through with it despite her mate's recent fall from grace.

She was nothing if not a woman of her word.

…And also, that same, stubborn part of her still hoped, still _believed_ that somehow, her Caesar was still in there somewhere.

Which was why she was now sitting here, freezing her ass off as she kept a close eye on his progress through the wintry landscape, having made his way to the strange, blockade-like structures on the hill further down towards the military base.

Lydia squinted and tilted her head to the side as his progress came to a slight halt once Caesar reached the first of the crosses, only for him to go from one to the other in an almost panicked-looking manner.

What was he seeing down there that she wasn't from up here?

She inched closer to the edge, mouth slightly agape as she studied the ape.

He had reached the edge of the outcrop the crosses had been placed on, having come to a complete stop before he seemed to fall to his knees.

The hairs on the back of Lydia's neck stood on end, the woman alarmed by this odd behaviour.

 _What_ was going on!?

Panic slowly replaced the anger that had previously simmered inside Lydia's chest, coming into full bloom once Caesar suddenly got up, turned to one of the crosses and then seemed to pull a figure from it, cradling it as it slumped into his arms.

Was that… Was that an ape?!

Lydia's blue eyes widened in horror and she quickly rose from her crouched position, ready to go down and help the Ape King when a sudden, soft crunch behind her made her whip around…

And just in time, as a rather large, camouflage-wearing man quickly stepped forward and, with a grunt, attempted to hit her in the head with his gunstock.

 _What the hell?!_

She dodged with only an inch to spare, dropping down and rolling to the side as best she could while reaching for her hunting knife – the bow would be useless with her assailant so close.

"Damn hellcat we've got here!" He spoke menacingly, though he didn't immediately charge at her once he realised he had missed.

That confused Lydia for only a moment, and she didn't get to grab her knife before she felt an arm reach around her neck from the back.

Realising what was going to happen, she put her chin down to prevent being choked and reached up to grab the offending limb, pulling it as far down, away from her neck, as she could.

It had been years since she had last properly been able to train her jiu-jitsu, with the few months of her training Malcolm and his family two years ago being the only refresher on the techniques in recent memory… But somehow, instinct and muscle memory kicked in in that moment, and Lydia bent forward, using her hip for leverage and pulling the new attacker forward over her shoulder to drop him on the ground with a dull 'thump'.

"Argh!" The man groaned painfully as he hit the rockface beneath the snow, landing with all of his weight on his shoulder.

It _would_ surely bruise – Lydia _hoped_ it would break something.

She didn't get to ponder too long on the outcome of her move before the first attacker was back at it, charging towards her menacingly, though his large bulk made it hard for him to move as quickly as the nimble woman, who sidestepped him every time.

But avoiding blows and grabbing arms wasn't going to get her out of this situation anytime soon, and Lydia was hard-pressed for ideas as the second soldier began to recover from the takedown and slowly got up to help his companion.

She cursed herself for having been so careless.

How had she not heard them coming? She _should_ have!

But then Lydia remembered that she had always relied on the dogs to warn her of such things and suddenly felt immensely stupid for leaving Storm with Rocket and Maurice. What had she been thinking, going out here alone without her dog?!

 _No_ , Lydia reasoned, the group had needed the canine too, to warn them of oncoming dangers just like the one she was facing now.

She just hoped that other soldiers hadn't found the rest of the group as well.

Suddenly, from out of nowhere, a deep, distinctly _non-human_ grunt sounded behind her, and a pair of long, hairy arms wrapped around Lydia, locking her arms in place against her sides as they grabbed her, vice-like, from behind.

She was pulled to a hard chest, immediately aware of the fact that it was a chimp holding her in place once she felt the size and shape of the body against her back.

The force with which they held her squeezed precious air from Lydia's lungs and her struggle, no matter how vicious, was useless against the new assailant's inhuman strength.

"Hold her there, Donkey, hold her still!" Barked the soldier who had first appeared behind her and as soon as Lydia looked up, face full of fury, something unforgivingly blunt hit her against her temple.

Hard.

 _Must have been the gunstock he tried to hit me with before…_ The woman only just managed to think as darkness began to creep forth from the edges of her vision. A horrifying dizziness soon overtook her as well, and Lydia felt herself involuntarily go limp in the traitorous ape's hold.

Whoever he was, he promptly let go of her once he seemed to realise that she wouldn't be able to put up a fight anymore.

 _Fucking asshole…_ Lydia's mind echoed disdainfully as she fell unceremoniously to the ground, feeling the sharp edges of the rockface beneath the snow poke at her pliant flesh through her thick leather clothes.

A large boot kicked the knife, which had fallen to the ground in the commotion, away from Lydia's limp hand.

"Pick her up and let's get back. It's fucking freezing out here." Came a hard, distinctly male voice, sounding far away and blurred as Lydia struggled to keep conscious.

"Wonder if the others caught that straggler down below, huh?" Another voice sounded somewhere above her.  
She couldn't tell exactly where from.

"Like I give a shit, I just wanna get back inside." The first voice responded, now barely-decipherable.

 _Straggler down below…?_ Lydia's mind groggily registered, her head swimming as realisation flooded her. _Oh no…!_

But there was nothing she could do about it now…

The last thing Lydia was able to think of just then was how very cold the snow beneath her felt against her cheek.

Then, everything turned black.


	68. Choosing To Suffer

_**Caesar**_

Though he had been slow to regain consciousness, Caesar's awakening had been a rude one all the same.

He had returned to the waking world to find himself a prisoner of none other than the Colonel himself, finally coming face to face with the man who had taken so much from him yet being unable to go through with what he had planned to do once they would finally meet.

And the way the man had spoken, so calm and nonchalant as he had asked who exactly it was he had killed that night…

It only served to fuel Caesar's mounting rage the longer this man drew breath in front of him but finding himself chained and at the mercy of Red's brutish gorilla strength, there was nothing the Ape King could do about it.

Not a _single thing_.

Not even as he was being rudely brought out into the blinding spotlights outside the building they had held him in, the Colonel making sure to show the Ape King off as a grand prize to both the soldiers – and Caesar's own apes.

Shock didn't sufficiently describe the feeling that overtook the chimp just then.

Now he was getting a close-up view of what his departure from the colony had resulted in, as his people stared back at him through the bars of their enclosure, eyes dejected and decrepit.

The shame Caesar felt just then was almost unbearable.

But what _really_ tore at the Ape King's heart were the sounds of his son, desperate and haunting as the little chimp tried to reach for his father through the thick bars of his cage.

And Cornelius' piercing cries continued to echo throughout the compound as Caesar was pushed towards the opposite pen by Red, each shove more insistent than the last until finally, the gate was opened, and the Ape King was thrown to the ground face-first.

It didn't hurt per se, but it did manage to briefly knock the wind out of Caesar as he landed and was turned on his back, Red undoing the chafing shackles with a key provided by the accompanying soldier with the crossbow. Getting them off was a small relief, with the cold metal no longer digging into his skin or weighing down his limbs.

But as the gate was slammed shut and the Colonel, the soldier and Red disappeared from Caesar's peripheral vision, a new, yet familiar kind of weight was placed onto Caesar.

The weight of deep, gut-wrenching guilt that filled his heart once he managed to prop himself up onto his elbow and look up at the apes, _his_ apes, who now sat there all around him, staring down at him, eyes in countless shades of green filled with betrayal and disdain.

And there the Ape King lied, in the dirt, defeated as his apes, one after one, turned their backs to him, collectively rejecting Caesar for the first time ever since they had escaped to the forest over a decade ago.

All of them… All but Lake and Orion, though the latter's stare was considerably harder than the former's as they sat facing him.

 _All the same_ , Caesar thought ruefully. He wasn't sure he could even properly meet the young male chimp's eyes right now… not after the way he had left his mother behind in the woods… Not after…

Caesar spoke Lake's name in recognition and slight awe instead. She had always had a good heart, and had loved his firstborn dearly, which had been plain for all to see. But right now, Caesar was just baffled and grateful that someone, _anyone_ , would not turn away from him. Would still look at him with kind eyes.

"Forgive them." She signed gently. "They've been through much."

Orion merely nodded, his frown deepening.

 _Yes, I see that now…_ Caesar thought, feeling an unbearably tight clenching inside his chest.

It had been his fault. His own damn fault.

Another wave of guilt washed over him, this time consuming his entire being as the desperate chitters of Cornelius reached his ears once more and Caesar turned around to look at his last living son, who was still desperately trying to reach for him.

"What have I done…?" The Ape King whispered to himself, stricken with horror.

But he didn't get much time to dwell on this as suddenly, the doors of the central building, the one Caesar had been led out of just moments ago, opened once more.

"NEXT PRISONER!" Someone shouted, and once his green-and-golden gaze saw exactly _who_ this prisoner was, it was like a boulder hit the bottom of the Ape King's gut.

The entire adult ape pen grew eerily quiet, while Cornelius' wailing in the children's' cage seemed to intensify.

It was Lydia being brought forth, a soldier walking beside her and directing her with a firm hold on her upper arm. Her hands were shackled behind her back, the heavy chains clinking with every step.

And yet Lydia's posture was poised, her head held high and her calm face etched in stone as she walked with purposeful strides. Had her clothes not been dirtied and rumpled, and had she not been bound and held in a vice-like grip by an armed soldier, one might have been led to believe that she was merely taking a purposeful stroll.

The man charged with bringing her out looked frustrated beyond belief in trying to keep up with her strides, attempting several times to discreetly jerk her backwards by her arm with a slight grunt. Lydia ignored it completely and continued her pace once more each time it happened. Her blue stare was cold as it focused straight ahead, zeroing-in on the Colonel, who stood calmly between the two ape enclosures, ready to meet her.

At his right side stood the young soldier with the crossbow, at his left Red's hulking form.

It was an imposing sight, even from the side-lines, and yet Lydia seemed largely unaffected by it, the pace of her strides making her seem almost eager to get right up into the Colonel's face. It was clear that she was trying to make the soldier holding her look incompetent in front of his superior by having him fall behind. Whether it worked or not, Caesar couldn't tell.

He wasn't looking at the Colonel now.

Only at her.

She didn't look back.

"Oh." The Colonel's voice sounded, his tone one of feigned surprise. "Another familiar face."

Lydia said nothing as she and the soldier came to a halt in front of the him.

"Last time I saw you, you had a great big beast backing you up – what happened to that, hm?"

"Last time I saw _you_ , I had your face all scratched up and bloody. Things change, it would seem." Lydia responded with a shrug, the movement hampered by the soldier still keeping her arm in a bruising grip, further rumpling her deerskin coat.

Caesar would've broken the man's arm without hesitation if he hadn't been chained and behind bars already.

"Looks like we've got ourselves a jester here." The Colonel spoke, the smirk on his lips barely there at all. Then, he reached up to gently grab the frame of his shades, pulling them off his face and hanging them on his breast pocket.

His pale eyes, previously hidden behind the dark, reflective glass, were revealed to be calm and calculating as he stared at the woman in front of him.

"You know," He began. "I was quite surprised seeing a woman there that night. Caught me off-guard, to say the least… Trust me, that's not something that happens every day."

He didn't receive a response, though it seemed like that suited him just fine.

"Tell me," The Colonel continued as he gestured towards Caesar and the other apes in the pen with a sideways jerk of his head "What were you doing there? With them?"

"Living." Came Lydia's simple reply, her expression now one of slight annoyance.

Caesar knew that this was a far cry from what she was truly feeling. He had learned all her little tells through the years, even before they had become mates. The crease of her brow, the sneer in her voice, the flinty glare in her eyes.

Lydia was far from being merely annoyed right now – no, Lydia was absolutely disgusted and simmering with rage.

And maybe, just _maybe_ , a tiny bit fearful – but she hid that extremely well.

"Aha." The Colonel exclaimed slowly, either oblivious or simply indifferent to the woman's state of mind. Caesar guessed it was the latter. "And why is that? Why choose animals over us? Your own species?"

As he said this, he raised his arm, gesturing first to himself, then the soldiers he commanded, who were to be found scattered around the compound. Most of them were observing the exchange with great interest.

Lydia shrugged, and once again the action was made difficult by the soldier's grip on her arm.

"A hard-learned lesson resulted in me taking some drastic measures, I guess… It was a choice I made a long time ago." She spoke matter-of-factly, before shooting a pointed look at Red, her stare cold and piercing before it returned to the Colonel once more. "Nonetheless, even now, I stand by my decision."

The meaning behind this stare and the words that accompanied it wasn't lost on Caesar and judging by the deepening frown on the red-furred gorilla's face, he understood too.

The Colonel noticed the interaction as well, brow raised in mild curiosity, perhaps even slight amusement at Red's expense before he turned back to Lydia, pursing his lips.

"A hard-learned lesson, hm? I wonder…" He spoke, still in that drawling, almost bored-sounding voice. "What happened to you that was _so_ much worse than it was for anyone else, hm? What happened that was so bad that you chose to reject your own kind?"

The Colonel leaned a fraction closer to Lydia, and Caesar felt his hackles raise in what would have been a warning, had he been in any position to pose a threat to the human male. Luckily, he wasn't the only one, seeing as just beside the Ape King, Orion too had his fur beginning to stand on end at the sight of the enemy so close to his mother.

The Colonel was completely oblivious to it, one brow raised as he continued questioning the woman.

"How did you become _this_ ashamed of being human?"

In response, Lydia shot the man an unimpressed look.

"I'm not ashamed of being human. Never have been." She spoke calmly, her stare even as she looked directly into the Colonel's eyes. "I'm ashamed _you_ are. You and all your ilk."

A low murmur could be heard from around the compound, in places where soldiers were gathered and watching, either while taking a break or while being on guard-duty. Many whispered to each other, though Caesar could hardly make out anything from his current position. The onlookers' expressions, however, were easier to read, and as Caesar briefly took his eyes off the scene to take notice of this, he saw how the soldiers' expressions ranged from wary to indignant, angered to curious. A select few even seemed impressed at Lydia's foolhardiness, much like Caesar would have probably been if he hadn't currently been fearing for his mate's very life.

The Ape King chose to ignore the few leering stares at Lydia altogether, instead electing to focus on the more immediate threat.

The Colonel.

Always the Colonel, who gave raised a brow at the woman in front of him.

"Tell me, then… Would you beg for them? Would you beg for me to let them all go, hm?" He asked with a mixture of intrigue and disdain in his voice. "You'd plead for the lives of these animals?"

"I would." Lydia replied without hesitation, poised and proud and oh-so frustratingly reckless. "I would be on my knees right here and now, pleading with everything I had."

"Then why don't you?" The Colonel asked, his voice feigning softness. It was like the calm before the storm.

"Because I know something like that wouldn't work on a man like you."

An amused chuckle, short and barely-audible, sounded from the Colonel, as if he somehow found Lydia's words entertaining.

"And what do you know about men like me, pray tell?" He asked then and to Caesar it sounded almost condescending. Like he thought her to be a naïve little girl, a child speaking big words with no true bite behind them.

But that illusion was quickly shattered with the woman's sharp reply. One that had Caesar wish he could clamp his hand over her mouth to prevent her from uttering it in the first place.

"Safe to say I've had to kill a few over the years." Lydia answered with a sneer, eyeing the Colonel as if to tell him that he would be next.

It was an obvious threat as much as it was an answer to his question, and the Colonel knew it too – hell, everyone who had been listening knew! A quiet hum of murmuring had begun around Caesar as well now, the apes taking an obvious interest in Lydia's open defiance. Her show of courage – or recklessness, as Caesar would prefer to call it.

To openly challenge this madman like that, in front of his prisoners _and_ his men… What was she even thinking?! Did she _want_ him to kill her?

Caesar definitely knew the Colonel would, should he find it necessary. This was a man without mercy, nor time for games.

The commander of the soldiers pursed his lips, seemingly in thought, as he openly stared Lydia up and down. It wasn't a predatory or lustfully appreciative stare, like some of the surrounding soldiers'. No, he didn't see Lydia as a vulnerable female…

He saw her as an opponent now, just as much as he did Caesar.

Someone he needed to make an example out of, in front of the apes _and_ in front of the onlooking soldiers.

And the Ape King knew that that was _way_ worse.

A lump formed in his throat as the Colonel turned his head towards Red, giving a single nod to the traitor before he turned back to watch his silent order being carried out.

The Ape King's breath came out in panicked pants as the enormous gorilla stepped forward, ominous as he towered over the human woman, who stared up at the ape with blue eyes full of defiance.

Then, with only a huff of warning from Red, a resounding slap echoed through the compound, the noise bouncing off the concrete walls and steel cages as Red's hand connected with Lydia's cheek.

She would have been sent sprawling onto the muddy ground had it not been for the soldier still holding onto her arm, forcing her to keep on standing, but doing nothing to straighten her as she bent over sideways from the force of the slap.

Knowing the strength of a gorilla, Red could have easily broken her neck, though he had obviously held back this time, keeping this a show rather than a public execution.

Even so, it was hard for Caesar to take comfort in that fact, what with his mate being treated like this with no way for him to step in and defend her.

Now, her face was turned towards the adult apes' pen, and everyone, including Caesar himself, got a clear view of how red liquid began dripping from Lydia's mouth. Her bottom lip was split, and she was squeezing her eyes shut as she heaved in strained breaths in an obvious attempt to bite back the pain.

Caesar's pants became heavier than ever, his nostrils flaring and his green-and-golden eyes glinting with a newfound rage as he saw how they abused her. A defenceless female, a member of his Ape Colony, _his mate_!

Beside him, Orion released a deep, protective growl, his fury matching Caesar's own. Had he been in a position to do anything, Caesar was certain that the younger ape's state of mind alone would have been enough fuel for him to have taken on Red by himself, chimp against gorilla or not.

The rest of the apes had similar reactions, waves of outrage and indignation rolling through the entire group and making them all hiss, growl and gibber.

The Colonel and those around him turned to stare at the reaction the scene had caused, the leader of the soldiers beginning to slowly reach for his belt, where his gun sat snugly against his hip.

Whether he intended to give a warning shot or actually kill Lydia to make the apes settle down, Caesar didn't know. Didn't _want_ to know.

And he wasn't going to find out, because in that same moment, his eyes finally locked with Lydia's, the woman, still standing bent over, staring from between the dark tresses that had come loose from her braid to hang in front of her face.

She was mouthing the word "don't" while discreetly shaking her head.

The flow of blood intensified with the movement of her lips, the crimson colour kindling Caesar's rage. How did she expect him to just sit idly by while she was being dishonoured in this way?! How was he supposed not to respond to something like that? How was _Orion_ not supposed to respond to that?!

But nonetheless, both he and the apes closest to the scene chose to listen to her silent urging and began to reluctantly quiet down once more. It travelled backwards through the ape enclosure like rings in the water and soon, the entire gathering was back to staring silently at the scene just beyond the bars.

The hateful stares remained, however, Caesar knew this even without looking behind him to check.

The Colonel raised a brow at them before he had Red move back and lifted his hand from his gun. Then, he inclined his head at the soldier holding onto Lydia, having the man promptly pull her back to stand up straight as the woman released an annoyed grunt

It only took a moment for her eyes to find the Colonel's once more, brow furrowed and her frown severe, even as blood trailed down her chin and onto her coat collar.

He met her stare with cold indifference.

"And now?" He drawled with feigned interest, gesturing towards Red as he spoke his next words. "Would you still beg for your precious apes? To me, they seem just as likely to betray as humans…"

Lydia remained silent, the only acknowledgement she was willing to give his question being the straightening of her posture and a slight upturn of her chin, making her stare down her nose at him, even if he was several inches taller than her.

The eerie silence stretched out for what seemed like an eternity to Caesar, the only interruption being Cornelius' soft whimpers as he stared at his adopted mother. No doubt seeing her being treated this way was affecting him as well, probably even more so than it did Caesar himself.

"Hm." The Colonel huffed in what Caesar interpreted as part amusement, part resolve, before he jerked his head towards the pen with the adult apes. "Lock her up with them and put her to work in the morning. If she wants to be an animal so badly… why, it's only appropriate she works like one."

What Caesar felt wasn't exactly relief as Lydia was led towards the pen he and the other apes were currently kept inside, but it _did_ put a small damper on the anxiety he had been consumed with since they had first brought Lydia out.

The Colonel didn't even stay to watch as the woman was thrown onto her hands and knees into the pen by Red, the ape putting a shackle around her ankle, just like the captured apes had, before following the soldier with the crossbow back out of the enclosure.

The moment the gate slammed shut, Lydia seemed to be surrounded by apes, many of whom came forth to comfort her after her ordeal and examine the injury Red had dealt her, and none of them doing so more diligently than Orion, who had rushed over as soon as the traitorous gorilla had turned away.

And despite it all, his apes being imprisoned and rejecting Caesar for having left them, despite the cold, the despair and the chafing chain around his leg, the Ape King looked on with a flicker of relief and warmth in his heart as his mate was so readily welcomed back among his people.

 _Her people_ , he corrected himself inside his own mind. _They're her people too_.

Lydia chose them. Had made a show of doing so. Had _suffered_ for doing so.

And she would continue to do so, Caesar was certain of it.

* * *

 _ **Lydia**_

Tinker and a female orangutan named Daisy were the first to reach Lydia once Red and the crossbow-wielding soldier had closed the gate behind her, several other apes soon joining the first two until Lydia felt quite swarmed.

The attention was overwhelming, to say the least.

Many hooted worriedly and offered comforting pats on her back or encouraging slams of fists against their own chest, while others signed gentle reprimands about the recklessness of her defiant display.

Some apes, like Hillock, who Lydia had trained in archery, couldn't come over to greet her due to the chain attached to his ankle being too short, but he did manage to convey an approving nod above the heads of the other apes once Lydia managed to look up. She returned the gesture.

Then, all else fell away as a familiar voice reached her ears and Lydia turned her head to see Orion make his way over to her, Ivy close behind him.

Caesar stayed where he was, observing rather than interacting.

Perhaps that was a good thing. Lydia wasn't sure what she would even say to him, had he come over to greet her as well.

"Mother!" Orion exclaimed worriedly once he reached her, and Lydia immediately extended her arms to wrap them around his broad shoulders.

Thank goodness he wasn't hurt and that he wasn't stuck on the other side of the pen, away from her!

Lydia wasn't sure if she would have been able to stand having him be so near and yet not being able to reach him.

It was the little things that counted, she supposed.

The hug didn't last as long as he would have liked it to, Lydia could tell as she drew away after only a brief moment to look suspiciously at the soldiers scattered around the compound.

When Lydia was as sure as she could be that none of the soldiers were able to see what she was doing through the wall of apes surrounding her now, she reached up and grabbed hold of the necklace she wore. The very same as the one Orion was wearing right now, as he sat in front of her.

"Mother…?" He spoke confusedly, with just a trace of hurt in his voice. Beside him, Ivy hooted softly, touching Lydia's arm as if to stop her as Orion spoke again. "What are you doing?"

"They can't know, Sweetie." The human woman attempted to explain as she pulled the necklace over her head. She hadn't had it off in years, having worn it even when she had bathed and slept…

Now, Lydia felt oddly naked without it, and unsettled by the weight of the decorative claws and fangs suddenly missing from her upper sternum. It was like shedding a part of her very identity, not unlike she had done when she had left her human colony all those years ago… Only now it wasn't liberating, but rather something akin to suffocating.

But even then, it was nothing compared to the hurt present in Orion's green gaze as she stuffed the piece of jewellery deep into her coat pocket, making Lydia's heart ache with shame and regret. This was their family's symbol, after all. Roy had been buried wearing his and throughout Orion's absence these last two years, Lydia had found comfort in tracing hers every single day… It was a proof of what they were. It connected them.

Which was precisely why she couldn't wear it now. Not _here_.

"Orion, if _he_ or any of the other soldiers notice that we're somehow related, they'll take advantage of it. I _know_ they will, and I can't let that happen. Please understand…" Lydia spoke, not being able to keep the plea out of her voice. The whole world could be mad at her for all she cared – if only not her son. "I have to protect you…"

Orion's lips formed a thin line as he tried to keep the desperation and sadness at bay, and the sight alone was enough to make Lydia's eyes moist with unshed tears. She wanted nothing more than to put the necklace back on and embrace him – truly embrace him this time – like she knew they both needed.

But it wasn't an option right now, if she wanted to keep him safe. She knew the Colonel sought to make an example out of her now – otherwise he wouldn't have kept her alive. That was just how men like him worked. How _places_ like _this_ worked.

Her son, though clearly not at all pleased or even slightly at ease with her explanation, nodded despite everything and reached for Ivy's hand, seeking comfort and reassurance. At least he had her. That, if nothing else, soothed the aching in Lydia's chest.

She reached over and embraced the small, silver-furred female chimp as well, offering a pained, yet sincere and thankful smile once she pulled back. Ivy returned the gesture, accompanying it with a subtle squeeze of Lydia's shoulder.

"You should let someone look at that." Her daughter-in-law spoke gently, nodding towards Lydia's injured lip. It hadn't stopped bleeding completely, but the cold of the air had helped greatly in hampering the flow, meaning Lydia only had to wipe the crimson liquid off her chin from time to time now.

The pain that accompanied the smile tugging at Lydia's lips had the human woman wince, but it did nothing to put a damper on the warmth she felt at being reunited with her family once more, dire circumstances put aside.

"I've had worse, but thanks for the concern, dear."

" _Where have you been all this time?_ " Tinker signed next, her movements gentle and careful. " _Where… where are Maurice and Luca… and…_ "

So, either they hadn't had time to question Caesar about this, or they simply hadn't bothered. Considering how he sat slightly apart from the group instead of being at the centre of it like usual, Lydia assumed it was the latter option.

Either way, she chose not to worry herself with that fact right now, focusing instead on easing her old friend's worries concerning her mate and the fate of their group.

"Luca… Luca is dead…" Lydia spoke with a pained look, her stare downcast at the collective gasps of those surrounding her.

"How?" Another ape, a silverback member of the Gorilla Guard, asked grittily.

"Ambushed by soldiers." She was quick to explain, though she didn't feel the need to go into details right now. It hurt too much to do so. "He managed to take the man down, but…"

The gorilla who had asked, along with several other members of the colony's official guard corps, nodded solemnly, respect clear in their eyes.

Lydia turned back to Tinker once more after a brief moment trying to gather herself.

"Rocket and Maurice were safe last time I saw them. I left Storm with them for protection when I went to scout around this place. That's how the soldiers manage to capture me – I didn't have her to warn me that they were coming."

The relief that emanated from Tinker as Lydia spoke those words was almost tangible, the sigh that accompanied the emotion visible as hot fumes of breath in front of the female ape's face.

 _At least I can provide some sort of comfort_ , Lydia thought ruefully, regarding her old friend with a sympathetic stare.

Suddenly, a low, threatening growl came from Orion, and Lydia's gaze shifted to see her son stare above her head at something behind her. Before she had had the chance to turn, several other apes around her, including Ivy and Tinker, also began growling, huffing and hissing, the sounds varying in intensity from one ape to another.

It was only when Lydia's head had fully turned that she saw exactly what had caused this reaction.

Or rather, _who_ had caused it.

It was Red, standing at the other side of the bars, his gaze locked onto Lydia and completely ignoring the threatening behaviour from the enclosure's other occupants.

Her gaze turned stone-cold at the sight of the red-furred gorilla, someone she had hoped never to meet again, and the cause of her currently-throbbing bottom lip.

Orion made to get up, a mighty and angry huff accompanying the movements as he took a step forward, only for Lydia to lay a hand on his furred arm, stopping him.

She only shook her head at the confused look he gave her in response, silently urging him to sit down again and keep calm. Her son wasn't usually one to be controlled by his emotions, even-tempered and patient as he was, but Lydia knew better than anyone that what had just happened would have been more than enough to set him off.

Though she was touched at his protectiveness of her, they didn't need that right now – a stand-off between him and Red through the bars of the ape enclosure. That would only draw attention to the fact that there was a deeper connection between them, something Lydia wanted to avoid right now at all costs.

And besides, she had a faint idea of what it was Red wanted, and it had nothing whatsoever to do with any of the apes inside this pen.

None of the surrounding apes, not even Orion or Caesar, said anything as Lydia slowly got up from the ground to walk towards the edge of the enclosure. Oh, there were plenty of confused and warning hoots, alright, but no outright protests as she walked towards the traitor, the chain of her shackle chinking as it was dragged across the ground.

Soon enough, she stood before Red, only casting a brief, reassuring look back over her shoulder at the colony's apes before turning to meet his unnervingly dark gaze with her own flinty stare.

"Come to apologise, huh?" Lydia asked, though she kept her voice low, so the other occupants of the pen wouldn't hear – especially not Caesar or Orion. That'd just be a mess. Then, making a show of narrowing her eyes at him, Lydia tilted her head. "No… You wouldn't do something like that, I suppose."

He avoided her pointed stare as she spoke those words, which told Lydia that he, at least, _did_ seem somewhat sorry for having slapped her – at least that's how she chose to interpret it. Then, once he found it within himself, Red's eyes sought out Lydia's once more, though he ignored her words completely.

"You should have. Listened to me." The large ape spoke darkly, almost as if _he_ was blaming _her_ for all of this. "Back in the forest... Then, you would. Not be in there."

Lydia couldn't help the sneer that found its way to her face just then. Had he really just come here to gloat? To point out that he had been right all along and rub it in her face? Especially after having split her lip open like that?

It still fucking hurt, but she wasn't going to let him know that. Even if the wound felt like it was going to tear her mouth apart from the severity of her frown.

"You think he'll spare you once you cease to be useful to him?" She spoke with a scoff, crossing her arms over her chest. "You're just as much a prisoner as I am. Only difference is that _your_ shackle is up here instead."

She reached up to tap her own temple, obviously referring to the branding the soldiers had made in that same spot on him, where the letters AO were written in white, scarred flesh.

His nostrils flared as he inhaled slowly, those small, green eyes full of anger as he stared at her.

"It does not change the fact. That you chose the losing side." He spoke, head held high. "You could have joined them. Lived good. You still had the chance. Speaking with the Colonel."

"You're saying I should have betrayed the apes to save my own skin, huh? Reject the best thing that's ever happened to me, just like that? My _family_?" Lydia asked, indignant and disbelieving all at once, while Red's expression remained stony and calculating. "No, Red. That was never an option. These… _people_ you serve – they're not _my_ people. The apes are, and I won't abandon them just to save myself."

For a moment, Red said nothing in response to her words, opting for merely staring her down with a hard, searching gaze, as if she was a mysterious object he was trying to pick apart with his eyes to inspect each individual piece. To try and understand her.

Evidently, he didn't succeed in this endeavour, considering his next statement.

"So, you will die. Just like them…" He spoke coldly, inclining his head towards the large group of apes chained up behind her. "Just like I said. Back then."

The look he regarded her with just then was one of pity, which soon turned into a leering stare as his eyes travelled down her form and back up again. He had looked at her in a similar fashion two years ago, back in the forest. Lydia hadn't forgotten _that_ , nor the way his fingers had ghosted across her cheek, sending unpleasant chills down her spine.

But Lydia was not going to give in to that feeling a second time around, and she was pretty sure she knew _exactly_ how to wipe that look off his face.

She had had enough.

"Well, since you like being right so much…" She answered coldly, reaching up to her coat collar and pulling it aside as discreetly as she could, but also with enough of a jerk in her movements to underline her words. "Here's something else you were right about."

Lydia knew he saw them. The purple bruises Caesar had left on her a couple of night's prior. Even if she wasn't standing directly underneath one of the projector lights placed at the top of the enclosure's high fence, she knew Red saw them. The sharp intake of breath and hardening of his gaze told her as much.

He raised one of his massive hands but didn't reach through the bars to take hold of Lydia as she had initially thought he would. Instead, his fist closed around the bar itself, squeezing hard – she could tell by the sharp protrusion of his knuckles.

Red was staring down at her underneath a heavy, lowered brow, his eyes glinting ominously.

"Him…!?" He asked darkly, letting the word hang dangerously in the air.

She didn't ask who he meant, nor did she answer his question. They both knew _exactly_ who he was referring to and the only thing Lydia did was raise a slender brow at Red, letting the barest hint of a triumphant smirk touch the corners of her lips. It felt good to finally be able to get under his skin. To get back at him.

Two years ago, back in the forest, she had only managed to sense Red's… lusting for her, when he had caught her alone and had come so close she wouldn't have been able to escape if he had actually done something to her. Even then, she hadn't truly understood the true extent of it until after he had left the Colony and Lydia had had the time to let what he had done and said truly sink in.

He had intruded on her personal space, his touch on her cheek and the look in his eyes having conveyed his intent. All the while, he had insulted Roy _and_ her, and made her aware of her vulnerability. To a point where she had been paranoid for weeks afterwards, fearing he would come back for…

She didn't even want to finish that thought.

It didn't matter right now, anyway.

Now, thick steel bars kept him away from her just as much as they prevented her from escaping, and she had the entire colony behind her in case he would try to _actually_ reach through and attempt to harm her.

And though she was aware that what she had just done might have repercussions, Lydia still felt an immense wave of satisfaction wash over her at the way his face looked just then: Bitter, resentful and defeated.

And still he tried to come out of this argument on top.

"He led you here." Red's voice sounded, more a low growl than actual speech by now. "Choosing him. You choose to suffer."

"And still, I stand by that choice." She spoke, just as she had to the Colonel earlier, her voice full of conviction. "And deal with the consequences."

Red's eyes narrowed into slits, glaring at her as if looks alone might break her apart.

Then, with a mighty huff and a death glare at every ape inside the pen, he stormed off – where to, Lydia had no idea, and truth be told, she didn't care much either.

What she _did_ care about, however, was the ape child that came into view once the giant gorilla moved out of the way. The child currently whimpering for her in the pen across from where Lydia now stood, his green eyes watery and his hands signing one simple word.

" _Mother_."

 _We have to get out of here…_ Lydia thought, her anger at Red exchanged for that now-familiar ache of maternal love, thumping in tune with her heart as she stared back at Cornelius.

 _Somehow, we just have to…!_


	69. Already Brothers

**Author's Note:** Please note that there will, sadly, be no new chapter this upcoming Friday (May 31st).  
This is because I, due to work and a busy schedule in general, have fallen behind on writing and would like to catch up once more. I want to keep having fun with this story and keep writing the same length and quality of chapters for you guys, which I haven't been able to do recently.  
I aim to remedy that these next 2 weeks, and expect to be back on track once more on Friday 7th of June. I hope you'll all understand and that you'll keep on commenting/reviewing - it really does help! :)

* * *

 _ **Orion**_

They all watched as Red, together with a couple of soldiers, unceremoniously pulled Caesar down from the X-shaped perch they had tied him to earlier that day and led him away into the Colonel's headquarters. Even with the traitorous gorilla harshly pulling him along by the chain around his neck, Caesar still had that same air of defiance about him that had put him in this very situation earlier that same day. His face, though tired-looking, was set in that severe frown of his, eyes hard and fists clenched as he walked between the two ape enclosures.

But… There was also something decidedly broken about the ape, Orion thought. A hunching in his posture and a staggering in his steps which told the younger chimp that Caesar was on his way to giving in.

To giving up.

A hand, smaller than his own and smooth to the touch, snuck its way across the back of Orion's own, squeezing it as the Ape King entered the dark building and the heavy doors slammed shut behind him.

Orion turned his head to find Mother still staring at the thick metal doors, her expression anxious and – dare he say it? – fearful.

He turned his hand in her grip to reciprocate the gesture, squeezing and giving a soft hoot to gain his mother's attention, trying to draw it away from the fact that Caesar was now inside the madman's lair. Who knew what kind of punishment he would possibly be subjected to in there, after what had happened?

"He will be okay, Mother." He spoke, though he didn't know if he quite managed to keep the doubt out of his voice.

Either way, she merely nodded, brows slightly furrowed as she continued to stare at the imposing building.

A soft, defeated sigh left the young chimp.

Though Orion may have been angry at Caesar for quite a few reasons, he would readily admit that his heart had still managed to get stuck in his throat when the Colonel had put a gun to the Ape King's head earlier that day.

Caesar had become enraged by the abuse of an old, weak orangutan, who had been whipped for causing an accident during the strenuous work the apes were being put through. The Ape King had ordered the abusers to leave the poor elder alone, subsequently regaining the colony's support with his defiance.

Orion, while inspired, had also wanted to pull his leader down and warn him of the consequences of this act.

He had done something similar when the colony had first arrived here and knew that such a display did not go unpunished. Screeching and hissing at a soldier who had used the handle of his gun to brutally shove an elderly female ape forward, Orion had been whipped within an inch of his life for his 'insolence'. Ivy and Tinker had had to clean the wounds afterwards with what little fresh snow they could find once everyone had been ordered back to the pen for the evening.

The days of work that had followed had been excruciating.

And Orion knew that Caesar, being the apes' leader, would most certainly receive a punishment fitting of both his high station _and_ his offence.

He didn't dare think further on what _that_ might entail, and he certainly didn't plan on telling Mother any of this. She knew humans such as these well enough to figure that out on her own, and Orion didn't want to worry her further.

Luckily, his dark fur was thick enough to cover up the marks that remained on his back as a grim reminder of the incident, so the chance of Mother fretting over _that_ was minimal.

She hadn't been nearly as fortunate herself after her public display of defiance yesterday. Besides the wound on her lip that had her wince every time she as much as tried to give a reassuring smile, she now also sported a glaring, dark purple bruise on her left cheekbone, curtesy of Red.

Orion frowned deeply when his eyes landed on the injury.

It still made his hackles rise just thinking about the incident, and the bruise only added to that by reminding him every time he looked at Mother, making Orion want to quite literally rip the traitor gorilla apart for causing this reaction in him. Anger wasn't what Orion wanted to feel when looking at the woman who had raised him, but it was nonetheless what he felt right now. Anger.

Anger at Red for having done it.

Anger at the Colonel for having ordered it.

Anger at Caesar for having led her here in the first place. And for having left her behind, hurt her and _failed_ to protect her like he had promised Father he would…

But no matter how much Orion wanted to lay all the blame on Caesar, he had to begrudgingly admit that the Ape King was only half of the problem. At least when it came to Mother.

The young chimp let his eyes linger on the human woman beside him, taking in every detail as he considered the part she had played in all of this.

Orion knew that she was both reckless and endlessly stubborn and in dealing with that, there was only so much Caesar – or indeed anyone – could do to protect her. That was just how Mother was, and Orion conceded that probably _anyone_ charged with keeping her safe would have eventually failed.

Besides, _she_ had chosen to go after Caesar when he had abandoned the colony. Sure, Orion had understood and even supported it for Cornelius' sake, and Mother had also apologised for doing it at the time, but that didn't mean that it had sat all that well with Orion.

He didn't feel any resentment towards her for it, but rather a nagging sense of abandonment – a feeling that had only intensified when Mother had removed her necklace last night and stuffed it into her pocket.

Orion knew he shouldn't be feeling that way, but he just couldn't help it. Even if he knew she was only trying to protect him… But the necklace, easily-recognisable as it was, would surely have tipped the soldiers off.

Then again, wouldn't Red and the other traitor apes have told the humans long ago anyway? It wasn't like they didn't know that Orion was her adopted son…

The young chimp pressed his rough lips into a thin line at the thought, His green stare growing ever more concerned as he continued to study her. Perhaps she hadn't taken that into account? Or perhaps her conversation with Red last night had been about just that? Perhaps a deal had been struck between them?

But the gorilla had seemed so angry when he had stormed off and furthermore, Mother had downright refused to explain what their conversation had been about… Surely, if it had concerned Orion's own safety, Mother would have told him?

He knew he, even while being her son, wasn't entitled to know everything, but being so blatantly kept in the dark didn't sit well with Orion. It had never been so obvious that she was keeping something from him, and the only solace he could find in this was that it seemed to be the same for everyone else too. Even Tinker, who had worn a none-too-happy expression when Mother had merely shaken her head at the female chimp's continued inquiry.

And just as Orion was thinking about that – his Mother keeping secrets from him, that is – something caught the young chimp's eye. A detail about her he hadn't spotted until now, her dishevelled appearance aside.

There was something there, on her skin, peeking out underneath the collar of her jacket. Was that… a bruise? Another injury, there at the junction of her shoulder and neck? The colour was only a shade lighter than the one on her cheek, indicating that it was at least a few days older and further in the process of healing. Two dark dots, like thick pinpricks, from which the purple colour expanded outwards, getting gradually lighter until it once again became her normal, pale skin tone.

It only took him a few seconds to recognise these marks for what they truly were, the placement and shape of the bruise giving it away, but to Orion it felt like his mind had become suddenly sluggish with the realisation.

"Mother…?" He asked, perplexed. Were those _actually_ …?

At his change of tone, now curious and disbelieving rather than comforting, Mother seemed to be jolted out of her reverie and turned to face him at last. She looked confused at first until her blue eyes widened in realisation and embarrassment once she saw where exactly Orion's eyes were resting.

"What is it, Swee-… Oh!" She exclaimed and quick as a flash, she pulled at her coat collar to cover the marks, her expression akin to that of a startled deer.

It was a strange look on her face. It didn't suit her.

Orion tilted his head, as always quite unaware of the strange tick he had inherited from her, and narrowed his eyes as he continued to stare.

He knew what those marks were. Had seen similar ones dotting the skin of his mother's neck years prior… when Father had still been alive.

Which left Orion with one simple question now.

"Who…?" He inquired in a near-whisper, careful not to draw attention to their conversation. Still, his voice held a firm quality, willing her to answer, even if she clearly wished he would leave the matter alone.

He might as well have, as he knew the question was redundant even before he had uttered it. Even if Orion hadn't suspecting finding something like this out, he already had a pretty good idea of who it must be that had left those marks on his mother.

The quick flicker of her eyes towards the Ape King's now-empty perch was all the confirmation Orion needed.

His posture straightened as he pulled slightly back to look the woman who had raised him, truly _look_ at her, as he took in what had now been inadvertently revealed to him.

Suddenly, it all made sense to him in a whole new way. Mother's fury at Caesar's departure, her insistence on going with him, the avoidance, the careful stares, the utter horror that had been on her face when the Colonel had put a gun to the ape's head earlier today and the crushingly worried look as the ape had been led away just moments ago…

Was this _another_ secret of hers? Another one she intended to keep from him?

That she and Caesar were mates. That his mother and his leader were having a secret relationship? Right under everyone's nose?

He withdrew his hand from hers, placing it in his own lap. Now was not the time for comfort and reassurance… Now was the time for answers.

And he _would_ get them.

Mother only sat there, shivering slightly from the cold and looking like she didn't quite know what to say. Orion couldn't remember the last time that had happened, or if it had in fact ever happened at all. Mother had always seemed to know what to say, at least to Orion she had, but now she seemed truly at a loss for words as his searching, green eyes continued to scrutinise her.

The young ape male imagined that his knitted brows and slight frown didn't help matters.

"Please explain…" He spoke, deciding to help her along when she continued to remain silent and unmoving, still with a hand firmly gripping her coat collar against her shoulder.

"What do you want me to say, Orion? What _can_ I say?" She asked, a hint of frustration and hopelessness in her voice.

In the past, heck, even mere moments ago, such a tone would have made him feel sorry for having asked in the first place. For having pushed her. Now though, it only served to irk him, making his brows draw together even further and make him do something he had never done to his mother before – talk back.

"Perhaps that you are sorry for being dishonest with me?" He spoke in an almost-sneer, so unlike how he would usually speak to anyone he cared about – especially to her. It was still only a whisper, but the force behind it was unmistakable. "When you left with him, you said it was for Cornelius. That you were doing it so that he would not grow up without a father. Those were the words you used, and I believed it. But that was only part of it, was it not, Mother?"

His heart clenched to the point of being painful at the way she looked at him just then, shock and hurt marring her features. He hated that, hated speaking like this to her and seeing her reaction to it…

But Orion had had enough of the lies, the half-truths and the pretending. So many horrible things had happened ever since he had gotten back to the colony and finding out that his mother had kept something like this a secret from him was what finally had him dig his heels into the dirt and demand answers.

"Would you have preferred that I had been completely honest with you? Right there, in front of the entire colony, just before I would've left? Would that _really_ have made you feel any better?" She asked, wrapping the hand not clenching her coat collar around herself in an attempt to keep warm.

Part of him wanted to reach out and pull her to him. To stop those shivers and keep her warm through the night… But…

"No. I would not have _preferred_ it." Came his agitated reply. "But at least it would not have been a lie if you had done it."

A defeated-sounding sigh left Mother at that. She finally let go of her collar and, in a frustrated manner, reached up to run her palm heavily up the side of her face and over her now-slightly untidy hair. She winced when her hand met the tender bruise on her cheek, having obviously forgotten about her injury in her quiet state of distress.

"I meant it when I said that I did it for Cornelius. I'm _still_ doing it for him. And for the colony and Caesar too – that was never a lie… But yes, I also followed Caesar for my own sake, Orion… Because I couldn't bear the thought of losing him like I lost your father. Not when I had just managed to find happiness with someone again."

That statement took the young chimp buy surprise, his gaze losing its hard, critical edge immediately.

"Mother…?" He spoke questioningly, though he didn't exactly know what he wanted to ask anymore.

Mother continued, now undeterred.

"I never meant to keep it from you. In fact, I thought about telling you the very night you came back with Rocket and Blue… I had even talked about it with Caesar several times… I had hoped-" She paused, her blue stare downcast before she corrected herself. " _We_ had hoped… That someday, we could all be…"

"Family?" Orion suggested with a tilt of his head when she didn't seem able to finish, trailing off as if the word would somehow offend him.

There was another brief pause before her voice sounded again, her tone uncharacteristically vulnerable.

"…Yes."

The young chimp pursed his lip at that, letting it sink in. He wasn't sure how to properly respond, as the idea of their family expanding like _this_ had never even occurred to him in the first place. As such, he wasn't exactly offended per se.

Disturbed by how oblivious he had been to this development? Sure.

Suspicious that Caesar wouldn't always have his mother's best interests in mind? Yes, given recent events, that was definitely a yes.

Worried that Mother would eventually get her heart broken? Absolutely.

But she was his elder and his parent to boot, and Caesar was still his leader… And hurt as he might be by having the truth withheld from him, it really wasn't up to Orion who Mother chose to be with – or if she chose to be with _anyone_ at all in the first place.

And when he thought about it, an extended family actually didn't sound half bad…

One thing _did_ bother him, though.

"Why did you choose not to tell me? That evening after we came back?" He asked with a raised brow, watching how his mother's shoulders seemed to slouch with the question.

"It didn't seem like the right time. Besides, I had just gotten you back safe and sound. I didn't want to spoil it by laying something like that on you. That day wasn't about _that_ … I didn't think- I thought there would be some other time for it."

The young ape nodded, sighing as he stared down at his large hands in his lap.

Thinking of someone else than Father being together with his mother had initially made something squirm violently inside Orion. Had made him protective and possessive, but also indignant and somewhat hurt. Both on his own but also, most especially, on his father's behalf.

After all, he had never imagined Mother with someone else. Had never even considered it an option since Father had died. The two of them had always belonged together – like two halves of a cracked stone, and no one, not even Caesar, seemed fit to become Mother's new half in Orion's mind.

Perhaps that had been naïve of him, Orion mused. To think that she would live the rest of her life alone. That she would stay ever-devoted to Father and his memory and never again take another to her nest. To never seek comfort and affection from someone else.  
Perhaps he had been selfish too, thinking that he and the family he would eventually start with Ivy would be enough for Mother to feel happy, loved and needed.

Now that he actually thought about it, it seemed a silly notion, especially given the support that Father had always provided her. A support without which she had seemed so lost and vulnerable in the months after Father's death.

Though Orion, as most other children did, thought of his mother has an elder, she was still young for a human – something the young chimp always managed to forget. Provided that they all somehow survived this, Mother would still have most of her life to look forward to.

Of course, she would not spend all that time alone – she _shouldn't_ spend all that time alone.

And Orion supposed he should be happy that it was the Ape King she had chosen… He had always looked up to Caesar and been loyal to him and knew that Father had too.

Even when facing imprisonment during Koba's reign, a war with humans and his king leaving the colony for petty revenge under the guise of acting as a decoy. Through all of that, Orion had always stayed loyal. Hell, even when the entire colony had rejected the Ape King, Orion had not turned his back on him– no matter how much he had wanted to in that moment. No matter that nobody except Lake had understood it. Not even Ivy quite understood it, really.

But no matter Caesar's faults, Orion had always felt that he owed him for everything he had done for his family. If he hadn't let Mother stay all those years ago, Orion knew in his heart he would have become a lesser ape, somehow. That something crucial would have been missing from his life, even if one of the female apes in the colony would eventually have adopted him.

For having allowed them to stay together, Orion was eternally grateful to Caesar.

But then again, the king had also promised Father to look after their little family when he had died…

Given their current situation, it was safe to say that Caesar had failed to do so, which was part of the reason why Orion had been so brusque with the Ape King when he had first been thrown into the pen with them all.

And now, knowing he had made that promise, then taken Mother for a mate, only to attempt to leave her behind to seek his own selfish end…

Another deep sigh left Orion, his brow furrowing yet again.

"I didn't want you to find out like this…" Mother spoke quietly, her eyes not meeting his own, and he almost expected her to reach out for his hand again, this time in an attempt to placate the anger she probably thought he was feeling.

She didn't, however. Perhaps because she didn't dare, choosing instead to rub her hands together to keep them warm.

 _That_ thought didn't sit well with him and so, Orion quickly reached for her hands himself, squeezing them gently between his own and giving a soft gibber to gain her attention.

It worked as intended, and she finally raised her head to look into his eyes once more, her expression cautious, but hopeful.

"Does he really make you happy, Mother?"

She looked startled at first – or perhaps it was confusion? – only for her face to take on a slightly rueful expression seconds later as she averted her gaze once more, this time staring ahead blankly.

"He does. Very much… Most of the time." She spoke softly, her voice barely a whisper.

Then, she shook her head, as if in an attempt to pull herself together, before a particularly chilly gust of wind made her entire body suddenly shiver once more, this time accompanied by the clatter of her teeth.

Unable to keep the urge at bay any longer, Orion was quick to reach out and pull her to his chest, wrapping his long, hairy arms around Mother's smaller form to shield her from the cold at last.

He knew that she was still trying to hide their relation from the soldiers, and she _did_ initially give a weak protest, though Orion chose to blatantly ignore it and only tightened his grip further. Yesterday it had been Tinker and Lake who had kept her warm through her first night in the apes' enclosure, while Orion had kept close to Ivy and her parents – as he had done ever since they all got captured.

Soon, Mother gave up her meagre attempt at a protest and, after having turned to sit with her back against his broad frame, slumped against Orion's chest, resting her head on his shoulder. He couldn't quite tell if her so easily caving on the matter was due to exhaustion after an entire day of hard labour, or because she was just relieved that he wasn't bitter about her keeping secrets. Perhaps it was a combination of the two?

Orion pressed the side of his cheek to the top of her head, pondering on their conversation – or was it actually an argument? – and on the idea of the four of them being a family. Could they be? A father, a mother and two sons?

The young ape wrinkled his nose.

"Mother…" He ventured, still with his cheek resting against her hair and making no move to let go of her.

"Mhm?"

"I just have to tell you… That Caesar…" Orion spoke, pursing his lips as he chose his next words. He didn't want to sound rude or unaccepting of his mother's new relationship – she had said Caesar made her happy, after all, and now that he knew about the two of them, that was all the information Orion needed… But he just had to get this off his chest. "He will not be my father."

She tilted her head as she stared up at him, studying his face.

"Of course not, Orion. I never expected that of you either." She spoke after a few, short moments, the softest hint of a smile on her face. "But… Would you consider Cornelius your brother, at least?"

Orion rubbed his thumb against her clothed arm in thought, remembering the brotherly bond that had developed between himself and Blue Eyes during their two-year journey together. Thinking of how this bond had almost naturally extended to include Cornelius when Orion had come home to see him cradled in Mother's lap. And remembering the desperate cries of the child when he had witnessed Orion's whipping about a week prior – how he had reached for him like he had for Mother and Caesar yesterday, signing the word in-between sobs and gibbers.

 _Brother!_

"He already is." The young ape male spoke resolutely, giving the woman in his arms a reassuring squeeze, to which she turned her face to gently nuzzle his cheek, telling him without words how happy she was for that simple fact. For his acceptance.

It was quiet between them for a long time after that, the two of them sitting huddled together on the cold, hard ground. Outside their cage, soldiers as well as traitor apes occasionally walked by, on their way to changing shifts on guard-duty and whatnot. Inside the cage, most apes had laid down to sleep after another day of hard work and no food or water, many having very nearly collapsed as soon as they had entered the enclosure and been shackled for the night.

 _We will not survive long like this…_ Orion mused, eyeing Ivy and her parents in particular as they slept just a few yards away. Juniper especially looked exhausted, even in her slumber.

"See those stars, Sweetie?" Mother asked suddenly, reaching one of her arms out of the safety and warmth of his embrace to point up at the night sky high above. It was a clear night, not a single cloud to obscure the twinkling specks of light. "Those three that are lined up right there?"

The chimp let his eyes follow the line of his mother's arm, lowering his head to her shoulder to get at a better angle, and soon found the three bright stars, which did indeed line up neatly and close together against the black void.

"Yes?"

"Those three stars are named Alnitak, Alnilam and Mintaka. They form a belt." Mother spoke as if this information should somehow be meaningful to him as she let her finger move a fraction upwards with each name. They all sounded quite strange to Orion, but he continued to listen nonetheless, glad that the subject from before had been dropped, and to have been pulled out of his own gloomy reverie.

"Now, if you draw a line to the top left of Alnitak, you'll see a really bright star over there. That one is called Betelguese and together with Meissa and Bellatrix over there, they form the torso and head, while Saiph and Rigel to the bottom right of the belt form the legs."

He nodded against her shoulder as he followed her finger, easily finding the stars she was pointing to. They were all quite bright compared to the ones around them, making them easy to identify with Mother's help.

"I never knew stars had names…" Orion spoke quietly, still not understanding where Mother was going with this, but sensing that somehow, there was a meaning behind it. There usually was where she was concerned.

"Not all of them have proper names, but many do. And some of them form constellations, images seen by humans in the sky, which have then been given names of their own." She spoke, still in that soft voice as she squeezed the limbs he kept wrapped around her arm and torso. "And this one up there is called Orion."

The young chimp was deeply confused for the first couple of seconds, his eyes narrowing as he stared up at the bright stars his mother had pointed out to him. Then, as realisation of what she was saying hit him, Orion's green eyes widened, and his mouth fell agape.

He looked down at her as she sat there, cocooned in his arms and resting her head against his shoulder, still with her deep, blue eyes glued to the sky above.

And now with a fond, reminiscing smile on her face.

"You named me after the stars?" He asked with just a hint of awe in his voice, feeling something in his chest tighten at the idea. It wasn't exactly an unpleasant feeling like the constricting sensation that accompanied sorrow and anger, but it wasn't quite dissimilar to it either.

She gave a gentle nod as she began sifting her fingers almost absent-mindedly through the long fur on his arm, and Orion felt how it soothed him exactly as it always had when he had been a child.

The tightness in his chest didn't disappear, though.

He wanted to ask her why. Why had she done that? Why had she never told him? Why was she telling him _now_?

Perhaps it was to rectify the fact that she hadn't told him about her and Caesar? Perhaps she had now decided to tell him _everything_ she never had before? Or perhaps she had simply forgotten to mention it? Like those photos she had taken with Father on their journey, which had then been hidden inside Mother's old picture frame, only to be remembered once more after Father's passing.

But those had been tucked away and out of sight, so it had been easy to forget them, Orion supposed.

The stars, though… The stars were out most nights, and Orion himself had often found his mother gazing at them, lost in thought. How could it never have crossed her mind to tell him? How many times had Orion himself been staring up at those same stars, not knowing what exactly he had been seeing all this time?

But as had been the case so many times before, it seemed like Mother was able to read his mind.

"I suppose I never thought it was really important. It's not common knowledge among the apes, so it doesn't really hold any special meaning to anyone else but me now." She spoke, her sentence followed by a soft sigh tinged with melancholy. "But I figured it'd be a nice topic of conversation right now, especially after the conversation we just had… Besides, there's not much else to talk about in this hellhole that doesn't just make you more miserable."

Though he knew she was being honest, Orion also suspected that Mother had decided to tell him this in case they didn't survive. If they would die in the struggle between the soldiers, if the Colonel decided to kill them all off prematurely or if Mother succumbed to the strain of the hard labour they were subjected to – then she would at least have told him now, before anything happened. At least that was what he managed to garner from her tone of voice.

He tried not to think too hard on that and chose instead to steer the conversation away from it with his next inquiry.

"What meaning does it hold to you, Mother?" Orion asked, his eyes returning to the stars she had pointed out to him and tracing the invisible lines between them to make out the image she had described.

A belt, a torso, a head and two legs.

The shape of a human – or an ape.

"It's my favourite constellation. The first my dad ever showed to me back when I was a kid." She spoke quietly, her warm breath creating clouds of steam as it hit the frigid winter air. "That's why it was the first name I thought of when your father asked me what name I would choose for you. I was stargazing at the time, you see, and it was only then I realised that you didn't have a name at all. At least your biological mother never told either of us what it was."

Mother had always worn a sad look whenever Orion's first mother, Mara, was brought up during conversations. It wasn't because of any form of jealousy, Orion knew, but rather because Mother had always felt sad on his behalf for having her taken away at such a young age. That, and the guilt of having somehow benefitted from it by gaining a new family as a result, though Mother had never mentioned that herself. Orion could reach that conclusion on his own.

But honestly, if that had never happened, he knew there would be a lot of things he wouldn't have had the chance to experience at all – in fact, he would probably have been _dead_ if Mother had never at least tried to save them all back then. And if Mara had survived, Orion wasn't quite sure he would have ended up with Caesar and his apes in the first place.

Then he would never have known Blue Eyes, Ash or Lake… or Ivy, for that matter. And he would surely never have gotten to go on this two-year-journey with the eldest Ape Prince and Rocket. He wouldn't have been taught by Maurice or met Alex, Malcolm and Ellie. Wouldn't have lived this life that he valued so much.

Besides, Orion couldn't even remember his first mother. Sometimes his mind conjured up glimpses or sensations or smells – perhaps the memory of soft, green eyes staring lovingly down at him, the whisper of rough fingers brushing his cheek, or a brief, comforting scent carried by the wind, gone before he could sample it.

He never really dwelled on it, though. Didn't feel the need to.

It was the _human woman_ in his arms who had raised him. The one who had taken him in as her own and crossed what seemed like endless distances to give him the upbringing she thought he deserved. The one who had fed him, sheltered him and even fought for him.

The one who called him son.

And so, he was and always would be. No matter what truths she withheld from him, no matter what everyone else thought of their bond and no matter if they lived or died here.

"I am glad you told me, Mother." Orion spoke softly, still with his eyes trained at his celestial namesake.

"About the stars or…?" She trailed off, obviously unsure whether or not she should bring up the discussion from before right now.

A soft smile pulled at his rough lips and Orion once again rubbed her arm with his thumb – this time in reassurance.

"All of it."


	70. Two Sides Of A Wall

**Author's Note:**

ANNOUNCEMENT! I have decided that from this date and onwards I am going to be posting every 2 weeks rather than every single week. This is due to the fact that I now have a job (which I didn't have before) and therefore, I simply don't have the same amount of time to dedicate to my writing as I did previously (though goodness knows I've tried these past few months). I don't want writing to become something stressful for me and also, I don't want to go back on length and quality to meet a weekly deadline. Therefore, chapter 71 will be posted on Friday 14th of June.  
I hope you all understand why I had to make this decision and that you'll continue to follow and enjoy the story - I know I'll continue to write it! All the way to the very end! :)

* * *

 _ **Rocket**_

The old tunnels that Bad Ape had accidentally found two days ago had quickly sparked an idea in the minds of both Rocket and Maurice. One that revolved around getting the entire colony out of that damned place.

The writing on the walls down there was the first indicator that they were onto something once they had removed the sizable wall of debris that blocked their path into the tunnels themselves. Sick humans in a similar situation had clearly taken this very same route to freedom in the past – or at least they had _tried_ to, Maurice quickly deduced.

Rocket had agreed, though he didn't want to think about the possibility that these past humans might have failed in their endeavour – he didn't want to extinguish this feeble flame of hope that they had managed to ignite with this discovery.

Now, they were through the rubble and down the corridor, with Maurice holding up the old flashlight to study the white, painted words on the wall.

"Ape-pocalypse now" they read. A grim-sounding pun, in Rocket's opinion, but probably quite fitting from the point of a sick human trying to escape something horrible.

" _Wonder where we are._ " Maurice signed once the two of them had made their way to the end of the corridor, where it divided into two paths leading in opposite directions.

Rocket didn't get to answer the question before both apes heard faint sounds from above their heads and looked up to see a hollow point in the roof.

It was almost humorous how the two both lowered their gazes at the same time and, with a single nod at each other, agreed to investigate further. Without much preamble, Maurice stepped underneath the hollow area and leaned forward, letting Rocket climb onto his back for leverage. The balding ape did so with ease, though he was careful not to hurt his old friend as he stepped onto his back – Maurice may not be ancient by ape-standards, but neither was he a young, sprightly orangutan anymore.

It didn't take Rocket long to dig through the soil, which fell down to reveal a metal post and a gloomy, grey sky high above – it was getting dark rather quickly at this time of year.

Initially, because the dirt fell away so easily, Rocket feared that they might be discovered by a soldier walking over the area and possibly falling through – or simply spotting him as he peeked up. That would not only make the humans aware that an escape route existed but would certainly also result in both Rocket and Maurice being captured too, and the apes just couldn't afford that. Right now, they were the colony's only hope.

Luckily, though Rocket got a good look at the surface and realised they were inside the walls of the soldiers' base, none of the humans seemed to notice the top of the chimp's head poking up from the ground just a few yards away from where they stood.

And upon closer inspection, Rocket also discovered that while the soldiers _did_ tread areas which were most certainly above the tunnels, the soil held firm.

As soon as Rocket's feet touched the floor again and he informed the elder orangutan of this, Maurice theorised that this was due to the frost having penetrated the upper layer of dirt just enough to carry the humans' weight, while the corridors beneath were somewhat shielded from the cold, making it easy for their small band to dig through to the surface – like how the water still flowed underneath the frozen surface of a lake.

Rocket wouldn't pretend he knew much about such things, and to him it didn't matter either way. As long as the tunnels would hold, the balding ape would be satisfied. Then they would be free to find the enclosure where the soldiers kept the apes, dig up and free everyone during night time, when they were all gathered, and the soldiers had the fewest guards around.

There was only one problem, though, and quite an important one at that…

How were they ever going to find out _where exactly_ the apes' enclosure was in relation to the tunnels beneath? Especially when no one inside the walls knew of their plan…

And also, the adults and children were kept separately, meaning that they would have to locate _both_ cages… From beneath the earth and with a very real risk of digging straight up in front of the boots of a soldier instead.

Rocket pursed his rough lips in thought as he examined the dilapidated tunnels around them, doing his best to keep his feet out of the cold, murky water trickling through the place. Where was that even coming from? – no matter.

At least they had a plan now. That had to mean something. At least there was hope.

But as he continued to take in his surroundings, hope wasn't exactly the first thing that Rocket was struck by.

Though the structure was obviously artificial and human-made, this dark and wet place eerily reminded Rocket of the cave they had laid Luca to rest inside just a few days prior and if they weren't careful, these tunnels just might become _their_ graves.

The four of them had been waiting for Lydia to either bring Caesar back or come home empty-handed, not wanting to pay their final respects to the gorilla before everyone was back and had the chance to do.

Only neither of them had ever come back – not the Ape King, nor the dark-haired woman.

It was only at dawn the next day that Rocket had discovered what had happened to their friends when he had spied on the soldiers' base through the binoculars.

Rocket looked down another tunnel now, adjacent to the one they were currently standing inside. It seemed vast to him, the darkness stretching into nothingness even when he pointed his flashlight straight down the corridor.

His thoughts continued to wander.

They had decided to at least give Luca a proper burial before figuring out what to do about the apes locked inside the soldiers' base. He deserved that much – not to be forgotten. To have his sacrifice honoured in some way.

The girl had cried again, and Bad Ape had sniffled and wiped his nose in the collar of his vest as Luca had lied there, placed on his back with his hands folded on top of his chest, still with that little flower behind his ear.

And as he had stood there, Rocket had realised that this was a scene he had witnessed before…

Memories of Roy's funeral over two years prior had made a lump appear in the balding ape's throat as he had stared at the Gorilla Guard Commander's lifeless, carefully-placed body inside the dark cave. He hadn't been surrounded by ceremonial floral decorations and there had been no light from the outside world shining through cracks in the cave roof to cast a comforting glow inside the gloomy space. Instead, Luca had been laid on a bedding of pine branches, and the only light to shine on him had been the cold, artificial gleam of the flashlights the group had scavenged – which would disappear once they left the gorilla behind.

And yet the similarities this rushed, improvised burial held to Roy's had made a tight knot appear in the balding chimp's gut and since then, he had been pondering on just how many of his friends he would have to lay to rest like this in the immediate future.

Would he be sending Caesar off in this manner as well? If the worst happened and he died at the hands of the soldiers, would Rocket even get the chance?

And what about Tinker? Would he have to leave her behind in a cold, dark cave in the middle of nowhere too, facing the rest of his years without her? All because he didn't find a solution in time to save her?

Rocket grinded his teeth together, willing away the thought and the ache in his chest that accompanied it. It was bad enough that he had had to leave her so soon after returning all those weeks ago, and that she was now locked in a cage, forced to toil away for most of the day. It would do him no good to also entertain thoughts about what would happen to her if their small band failed in their endeavour to free the colony.

It would only distract and cause him even more suffering – and Tinker wouldn't want that. She would want him to focus on something else – something positive.

 _Of course, that is easier said than done…_ Rocket mused inside his own mind as he examined the integrity of the roof as they walked.

They had made their way further down the left-hand tunnel now, Maurice's curious rumbling the only thing to fill out the silence. That is, until the sound of hard, urgent pants and desperate whispers of the word "friends!" suddenly echoed through the corridors from behind the two apes.

They both knew immediately that it was Bad Ape, his wispy-yet-penetrating voice unmistakable by now, as were the gasps of surprise as he stepped into the icy water on the floor, accompanied by faint splashes.

Maurice released a deep sigh, his posture slouching just a fraction as the strange ape came into view in the glare of the flashlight Rocket carried. The balding ape had never witnessed his orangutan friend be quite this exasperated by anyone else in all the years the two had known each other, but it was clear that Bad Ape was really beginning to test Maurice's never-ending patience.

In any other situation, Rocket would have found it amusing but right now, all he did was stare as the former hermit ape came up to them, gibbering and his arms flailing.

"Friends help! Little girl! She go! No come back!" The small chimp spoke with urgency, his eyes wide as he pointed in the direction he had come from.

A startled grunt left the aging orangutan, who suddenly seemed much more interested in what the strange chimp in front of them was trying to convey.

"Come! Friends come see! Must help!" Bad Ape rambled on as he gestured for the two other apes to follow him, and Rocket only got to share a brief look with Maurice in the gleam of their flashlights before they both rushed after the smaller ape.

It was only then that Rocket realised how far he and Maurice had ventured into the tunnels. The way back took quite a bit longer than he would have thought to be the case, and that's considering the fact that Bad Ape, surprisingly, didn't take a wrong turn even once. Hadn't he already been so obviously distressed, that fact alone would have been enough to tell both Rocket and Maurice that something must indeed be terribly wrong.

By the time they were making their way up to the surface on the rickety ladder, Rocket's heart was beating so furiously that the chimp thought the organ would be liable to burst at any moment. He didn't think the elder orangutan was faring much better, given his deep, laboured heaves of breath as he too managed to haul himself onto his feet once more.

Bad Ape was already over by the boulder by the time the two other apes had turned to him, hooting frantically and telling them to hurry.

"She go in!" The ape spoke in distress, pointing towards the gate leading into the soldier's camp.

That's when the balding ape noticed Storm's anxious whining. She too was by the boulder, prowling back and forth but with her keen gaze set on the gate that Bad Ape was gesturing to.

And sure enough, just before she crossed the imposing entrance to the soldiers' base, the three apes noticed the girl, walking calmly forward while still swathed in her oversized parka.

Beside him, Rocket heard Maurice give a fearful hoot as he leaned forward over the boulder they all hid behind. The chimp looked over at his friend with a mixture of urgency and sympathy on his face – it was clear that the orangutan had grown extremely fond of the human child, as was evident by his protectiveness and the gentle, selfless care he provided for her. By now, she was almost like a daughter to him, and no doubt the prospect of her being discovered by the soldiers and most likely killed was frightening to Maurice.

And Rocket would readily admit that he liked the little girl too. She was a kind and pure spirit, trusting the apes from the start regardless of them not being her own kind, and feeling so strongly for them that she had openly wept when Luca had died just a few days prior.

And now, as they looked through the entrance to the compound from behind the boulder, the three apes saw how the girl offered their king food, water and comfort, helped on by the apes in the cage across from Caesar.

Storm continued to whimper anxiously, her ears flat against the back of her neck as she looked between the apes and the place the little human had gone, and Rocket patted the dog's head comfortingly. The poor creature had seemed lost and on edge ever since her master had been captured.

 _"She likes to keep the pack together."_ Lydia had often said about her canine companion, the words echoing through the dark chimp's mind as his green eyes returned to the scene inside the soldiers' base.

And suddenly an idea sparked inside Rocket's mind.

To keep the pack together… Of course! _That's_ how they were going to contact the apes and tell them about their plan to escape! They would never be able to do that from out here, separated from the other apes - one of them would have to go in there! To re-join the "pack"!

And in doing so, they could also provide a distraction for the girl to escape unseen – but they would have to hurry!

Soldiers were coming now, and the metal beam the girl had hidden behind just now wouldn't keep her concealed forever.

"Humans will kill her!" Maurice signed, the words accompanied by deep, distressed huffs.

Looks like Rocket wouldn't get the chance to explain his idea or even the time to properly think it through – he'd just have to wing it, as Lydia often put it.

" _I know what to do! Go!_ "

Goodness he hoped he was right.

* * *

 _ **Tinker**_

Unaware of her husband and old friend's discovery just outside the soldiers' walls, Tinker sat quietly inside the ape enclosure together with Lydia, whose hair she was painstakingly attempting to comb out with her fingers. Over the past few days, Lydia's customary braid had become more and more untidy, reaching the point where most of her hair had come loose. The woman hadn't seemed to care all that much, stating in what Tinker could only assume was a half-assed attempt at a joke that her haggard, grimy appearance might help deter the soldiers from getting handsy when dealing with her shackles.

Tinker thought it was a very distasteful joke and made it a point to convey that with her expression, nose wrinkled in distaste and mouth twisted in a frown.

Lydia had merely shrugged, choosing not to protest further as the she-ape had sat down behind her to tend to her hair.

She was right about one thing, though, Tinker thought as she pushed a more-or-less untangled lock of hair aside, moving on to the next. Lydia _was_ beginning to look haggard. In addition to her hair slowly coming undone from the braid and her not doing anything about it, Lydia was also beginning to sport dark rims around her eyes, amplified by the bruise left on her cheekbone by Red a couple of days ago.

On top of that, Tinker had also noted how the daily labour and minimal amount of food was beginning to slowly transform her friend's appearance. Lydia had always looked healthy in the past, her body slender and strong and her clothes sitting snugly on her form… But now she was starting to look weathered and gaunt as her face thinned and fat as well as muscles slowly disappeared, making her clothes seem _just_ too big now. She had also confessed to Tinker, when recounting her journey with Caesar, Rocket, Maurice and Luca, that food had become scarce once they had reached the mountains and none of them had been eating too well due to that fact.

It worried Tinker to no end, but when she mentioned it to Lydia, the woman waved it off and, perhaps in an attempt to dispel the female ape's concern, told her that she had had it much worse back when she had been on the road all by herself before she found Roy and Orion.

It wasn't that Tinker doubted what Lydia said was true, but the knowledge didn't exactly quell her anxiety and fear of seeing her best friend waste away in this horrible place. There was no telling how long they would be forced to continue to work and there was little doubt in Tinker's mind that Lydia wouldn't last long like this.

It was one of the many instances where it wasn't exactly an advantage for Lydia to be human, seeing as she was physically much frailer than the apes – even if she hadn't already been slightly malnourished upon her arrival, Tinker had little doubt that her friend would have ended up in this condition anyway. More than once, she and the other apes had had to try and camouflage the fact that they were helping the woman out with the heavy burdens they were all made to carry during the day but even then, Lydia still had a hard time keeping up with the work she was made to do.

But true to her stubborn, defiant nature, the human woman shouldered on anyway to the point that she was practically collapsing into the arms of whichever ape was going to keep her warm at any given night. Three nights ago, it had been Orion, yesterday it had been Ivy and Lake, and today it would be Tinker.

The human woman winced somewhat when one of Tinker's fingers snagged on a tangle but didn't voice her discomfort. Actually, she had been rather quiet ever since Red had come forth with the Colonel to pull Caesar down from his perch and throw him into the small cage right across from the adult apes' enclosure.

Right now, all she did was stare ahead, not even being discreet anymore as her eyes roved worriedly across the Ape King's bent and broken form inside his cage.

To anyone else it might seem like the worry one might show for a close friend in trouble…. But _Tinker_ knew it was way more than that.

At least she was able to talk to Tinker about it if she wanted to – they had done so a few times in the past and though the she-ape knew that Lydia wouldn't discuss her relationship with her son, Tinker still thought it was a good thing that Orion knew too, now. The female chimp imagined that, even though it must have been a difficult conversation, that Lydia was relieved to not have to hide it from her son anymore and according to her friend, Orion had actually taken the news better than she had initially expected he would.

Sure, Lydia had told that the two of them had had a bit of an argument about it, but in the end, Orion had accepted his mother's choice and been very understanding about it after a while. Tinker honestly couldn't imagine Orion be angry with his mother in the first place – at least not for very long and especially not for something that made her happy.

He had always been a sweet child and now, he had grown up to be a fine young male as well. Indeed, Lydia had good reason to be proud of him.

Speaking of Orion, he was sitting over by Ivy, Shale and Juniper tonight, the latter looking rather exhausted and overall worse for wear as she sat practically slouched against her mate's flank. If Lydia wouldn't be the first to succumb to these conditions, then Tinker was certain Juniper would.

While she had never been prone to episodes of sickness, the she-ape was very easily stressed and quite the worrywart – which Tinker knew had all started with her first three pregnancies, which had all ended in miscarriages until she had managed to give birth to Ivy. Since then, Juniper had always been overly concerned for her daughter and had also developed a tendency to take life's hardships with a heavier heart than most.

Tinker had little doubt that this state of mind wasn't doing the female any favours in this horrible place and most likely contributed to her worsening condition.

At least she had Shale to lean on – quite literally so. Tinker would readily admit that she envied Juniper for that, though she took heart from the fact that she knew Rocket was out there somewhere, probably doing his very best to plan an escape for the colony together with Maurice.

And at least she didn't have to watch her mate being at the receiving end of the cruel treatment Caesar was dealt. Tinker definitely did _not_ envy Lydia for this, nor for being unable to do anything about it. Not even something as simple as signing loving words of comfort through the bars for fear of how the other apes might react to it.

Honestly, Tinker didn't know how Lydia dealt with either. Having the one she loved being tortured and having to be a silent spectator to boot.

"You know, Tinker…" The human woman suddenly spoke, her voice quiet and thoughtful but still managing to startle the she-ape out of her depressing thoughts.

The chimp hummed to indicate that she was listening, also realising just then that she had stopped carding her fingers through her friend's dark tresses and quickly returned to the task.

"I've realised I must be a terrible hypocrite…" Lydia spoke thoughtfully, but also with a sullen note to her voice that was extremely uncharacteristic for her.

Tinker's brow immediately furrowed at her friend's words and she scooted over to get a better look at the woman's face as she waited for Lydia to elaborate. She had completely stopped untangling her dark hair now in favour of listening to what her friend had to say. From the way Lydia spoke, it was something that weighed heavily on her mind and Tinker was almost done with grooming the woman's unruly mane anyway.

The few scattered droplets from before had now transformed into proper rainfall, drenching them as they sat there on the ground without shelter, but Lydia didn't seem to care much as she continued to speak.

"I've always told Orion that humans are in trouble now because they can't adapt. Because they want life to be the way it was before the disease. Because they refuse to face reality."

Tinker nodded, still not quite understanding where Lydia was going with this, but placing a comforting hand on the woman's knee nonetheless.

"But I've realised that I'm guilty of that too…" The human woman spoke then, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth.

If she didn't have Tinker's attention before, she sure did now. What was this supposed to mean? And where was it even coming from in the first place? Tinker certainly didn't see Lydia as a hypocrite – far from it, in fact. Lydia had always been very conscious of… what was the phrase she used? 'Not to preach what she didn't practice herself'? Yes, that sounded about right.

The she-ape leaned forward to inspect her friend's face more closely, as if her words were a riddle and the answer could be found in the expression she wore.

It didn't.

But luckily, Lydia wasn't done explaining.

"When the world that I grew up in crumbled, it wasn't just my lifestyle that changed… The rules of human society changed too. Suddenly, things like decency and community were thrown away, and I just couldn't live with that… I couldn't face that reality… So, I rejected it first chance I got. When there was nothing left tying me to humanity, I leapt at the opportunity to leave it behind… because I couldn't adapt. Because I couldn't adjust to the way things had turned out."

A heavy sigh left her then, her shoulders slumping as her gaze shifted to the ground. Lydia's brows were slightly furrowed and looked to be chewing at the inside of her cheek in thought, looking quite disappointed with herself.

"While everyone else struggled to regain what they had lost, I was stuck with an outdated mindset."

Tinker's frown from before deepened and, sensing Lydia was done pouring out her thoughts, the ape reached a hand forward and lightly smacked the back of her friend's head, which fell forward by a few inches from the unexpected impact.

"Ow…! What was that for?" Lydia whined half-heartedly as she rubbed the back of her head.

Tinker knew it hadn't _actually_ hurt – or at least if it had, it was nothing compared to what Lydia had already endured and she was just being a petulant child right now. Either way, the chimp didn't feel too sorry about what she had done, knowing this was probably the only way to pull Lydia out of her miserable reverie and pay attention to what Tinker had to say.

" _Lydia,_ " The female chimp began, her movements soft and smooth as she signed, but her expression stern like a mother reprimanding a misbehaving child. " _You are mistaken. You did not fail to adapt to the new reality. If that was the case, you would never have found a new family – one that shares the values that you continued to hold on to._ "

Tinker gestured broadly with her arm to the colony all around them to underline her words. Few of the other apes even took notice of the conversation the two of them were having, though Tinker noticed out of the corner of her eye that Orion, who now had a seemingly sleeping Ivy cradled in his arms, cast a look in their direction just then. Perhaps he had been listening in? No matter – right now, Tinker had to focus on making Lydia understand.

" _You left something behind that wasn't good for you and went to find something better, even if you didn't know what that was. You took matters into your own hands and didn't pass up a chance at happiness when you found it._ "

"Tinker…" Lydia mumbled in what seemed to be astonishment as she stared at the female chimp. The hand that had been rubbing the sport where the chimp had hit her head had now been lowered, stuck mid-air in front of Lydia's face as she stared at Tinker.

But the female ape wasn't done.

" _Failure to accept and commit cruelty like these soldiers do is not a failure to adjust, Lydia. At least I don't think so – and if I am wrong, then I am glad you_ didn't _adjust._ "

She patted the human woman's knee for good measure, coupling her words with a soft, encouraging smile. It probably looked rather pathetic due to the fact that by now, the rain had completely drenched her dark fur. Lydia fared no better in that regard, her deerskin coat now sporting large, wet patches, particularly on the shoulders, and her hair now looking almost as messy as it did before Tinker had begun sorting it out.

Nonetheless, after a short moment of the two just staring at each other, Lydia found it in herself to offer a small, lopsided smile, a fond look in her eyes as she regarded the female chimp. She reached over and placed a hand on Tinker's shoulder, squeezing it gently.

"Thanks Tinker."

The she-ape waved it off.

" _Do not mention it. It's already miserable in here as it is – I do not need you to add to that by being gloomy like this._ " Tinker signed in what she hoped came across as a joking manner. " _Besides, there is no point in talking about past problems now._ "

"Not much else to do in here, is there?" Lydia asked with a raised brow, almost as if challenging Tinker to come up with an alternative topic of conversation.

And Tinker had never been one to shirk away from a challenge.

" _There could be_." She insisted, a small, teasing smirk finding its way to her lips. " _We could talk about fun times. Like the time you became flustered because I used your trick in the nest on Rocket? You remember that?_ "

After she had briefly checked on Orion, probably to make sure he wasn't aware of what they were talking about, Lydia rolled her eyes and Tinker's smile only broadened at this reaction. Of course, she would remember _that_!

"Please remind me how that qualifies as a _fun_ time?" The human woman spoke, though there was still a glint of humour in her blue gaze. "I still remember the very serious conversation I had to have with Roy that evening because Rocket had approached him to thank me you for it. Good grief!"

" _I never said it had to be funny for both of us, did I?_ " Tinker signed in reply, unable to keep in a gleeful chuckle at her friend's expense.

Lydia shook her head in amused exasperation.

"You're so bad sometimes, you know?" She said, though Tinker easily recognised that there was no bite behind the woman's words. It was all in good fun – and they desperately needed that right now.

Just then, something off to the side seemed to catch the human woman's eye, and she turned her head away with a suspicious expression, eyes narrowed, and brows knitted.

It soon transformed into a look of shock and slight horror, prompting Tinker to also turn her head to investigate what had her friend so startled.

"What the hell…!" She heard the woman beside her trail off under her breath, and Tinker had to admit that she didn't quite know what to say either as she saw exactly what made Lydia so riled up all of a sudden.

It was a human walking calmly along the compound, but it wasn't one of the usual soldiers keeping them prisoners… No, it was a child, a little girl in fact.

And judging by Lydia's reaction, Tinker deemed it safe to assume that this was the child Caesar's little group had picked up on their way here – the girl Lydia had spoken about. Maurice's little charge.

But what was she doing here, all alone and out in the open like this? This was no place for a child, and if the soldiers found her…

Tinker didn't want to finish that thought, already feeling a surge of compassion for the little girl who, from what Lydia had told of her, seemed like a kind, innocent creature, not at all like the horrid ones keeping the apes here. Where was Maurice and Rocket, if not with her? Tinker knew that neither of them would simply abandon a child, be they human or ape, nor would they ever intend to use one as bait as part of some grand plan to get the colony out…

But what had happened, then? Had something happened to Rocket and Maurice? Goodness, Tinker hoped with all her might that wasn't the case.

Soon, the other apes in their cage had also begun to notice the little intruder, staring in quiet wonder and concern as she walked quietly up to the Ape King's small cage.

Lydia had risen into a kneeling position, resting one arm on her bent leg and looking more alert than she had in days as her blue eyes zeroed-in on the girl in the much-too-large jacket.

Because she stood with her back facing the colony, Tinker couldn't tell what she was doing, nor what she pulled from her pocket and threw into Caesar's cage, nor the chimp's reaction to seeing the child there. But what she _could_ tell, and quite easily so, was that the girl was here to help.

Which was confirmed when she fetched Caesar a bucket of water and offered its contents to the Ape King, who readily drank through the bars, unconcerned with the way the child stroked the crown of his head. It wasn't in the kind of stroke a master might offer their pet, as Lydia did with her dogs – well _dog_ , at this point – but a gesture one might offer a close friend or a child as a way to comfort them. Tinker's heart ached with fondness at the thought.

The female chimp moved forward then, up to the very bars of their prison, followed by several others as she signed for the girl to come over. She had no idea how well this little human understood signing but nonetheless, the girl walked over to them and instantly understood what she needed to do once Tinker scooped up a handful of grain and held it in cupped hands in front of her.

Lydia came over as well but didn't say a word as her eyes met the girl's through the bars. The look in the adult's eyes was concerned and thankful all at once as Tinker poured the grain into the child's waiting hands, and Lydia helpfully pointed to Caesar, signing the word "hungry".

The smaller human's expression was tender but serious, and she nodded at the woman in understanding, the large hood over her head bouncing with the action. Then she turned back to the Ape King, kneeling before him to offer the food he so desperately needed to stay alive. It wasn't much – what had filled out two of the child's small hands fit into one of the male chimp's large palms – but was better than nothing at all.

And once he had received the precious grain, Caesar's gaze drifted slowly from the girl to Tinker and all the other apes, the king and the little human looking on in wonder as the colony, one member after the other, raised their arms over their heads, fists side by side.

" _Apes Together Strong_ " – the signature sign of their unity. Of their loyalty to Caesar.

And once Caesar's eyes strayed towards Lydia, Tinker saw her human friend give a single nod, eyes bright and her back straight, as she also raised her fists above her head in quiet salute.

The way Caesar's eyes looked just then as he stared at them all, the way his eyes seemed to spark once more, and determination overtook his features, only for him to look back up at the girl in quiet gratitude.

It ignited a small flame of hope inside Tinker's chest that she hadn't felt for weeks now, and as she looked at the apes around her, she knew it wasn't just her who felt this. Even Lydia, despite her fatigue and the fact that she was getting soaked from the rain, looked almost invigorated now.

But as was so often the case in these days, hope was quickly replaced with fear once male human voices could be heard and everyone realised that the Colonel was coming with some of his men, probably out on his nightly inspection round.

The girl was quick to hide at Caesar's behest, but no matter how small she was, Tinker knew that the soldiers would find her eventually. The she-ape shared a distressed look with Lydia, who sat beside her looking just as concerned, if not more so, by the prospect of this kind child getting killed.

This little human had helped them. There had to be something they could do. Something which would distract the soldiers and let her slip out unseen – but _what_!?

But before Tinker could even attempt to think of an answer to that question, someone else seemed to have come up with that something.

That someone being her mate who, to Tinker's immense surprise, came strutting into the compound, releasing a series of loud hoots almost as if to announce his arrival – which was probably _exactly_ what he was doing.

She knew what he was trying to achieve the moment she spotted him, but Tinker still felt how fear and anger gripped her heart as Red began to relentlessly beat Rocket. Sure, her mate had been the one to pounce rather than come along quietly, and she knew it was something Rocket had done deliberately to create a diversion, but that didn't mean she had to agree with it. These soldiers and traitor apes… they were capable of doing anything to him that they saw fit – even kill him.

Which was exactly what Tinker thought was going to happen when the Colonel pulled his pistol out and aimed at the two scuffling apes on the muddy ground and fired.

Tinker drew in a sharp breath and felt Lydia's hand reach out and grab hers the moment the shot sounded through the compound, the loud bang reverberating against the metal beams and walls of smooth stone. The female chimp squeezed the human woman's hand tightly, staring wide eyed at the scene through the bars of their prison.

The shot had narrowly missed Rocket and both he and Red stopped dead in their tracks to stare back at the Colonel, shocked and waiting for him to decide Rocket's fate as the rain kept pouring from the sky.

It seemed to take forever for him to step forward and ask Rocket if there were others outside the compound, and when her mate didn't answer but merely stared at the human male with a strange mixture of apprehension and defiance in his eyes, Tinker almost thought the Colonel would shoot again – and hit her mate for sure this time.

Instead, he merely told his men to sweep the area and for Red to throw Rocket into the pen.

The relief the female chimp felt at this verdict was short-lived, however, as Red knocked Rocket to the ground and gracelessly dragged him through the mud together with another traitor, only to continue to beat her mate a second time once they got him inside the enclosure.

Tinker wanted to pounce just then, shaking with fury and showing the barest hint of her formidable canines in a display of protectiveness. She would rip Red apart for treating her beloved like that, if not for the fact that she knew Rocket wouldn't want her to step in – it could mean her life if she did. And Lydia's hand around her own also helped quite a lot, grounding Tinker while also letting her know that her friend was just as furious at what was happening in front of them. The tight squeeze of her grip told Tinker as much without her even having to look.

Once Red was done and had left the pen, the gate closing with a loud clang behind him, Tinker was the first to rush over to her mate to see if he was alright, though she didn't let go of Lydia's hand in the process, dragging the woman along instead.

She didn't protest, though, seemingly just as eager to check up on Rocket as she knelt beside him with a worried look on her face.

Tinker didn't see it. Just as Lydia had only had eyes for Caesar before the little girl had appeared, the female chimp now only had eyes for Rocket.

She crouched beside him as he lied on the ground, tenderly stroking his shoulder and hooting comfortingly, to which he responded by propping himself up onto his elbow, staring into her eyes in both surprise and relief.

Neither of them said anything as Rocket reached a hand behind Tinker's head, pulling her down to press their foreheads against each other. The she-ape released a noise that was a mixture between a sob and a gasp, a quite undignified sound in her opinion, which made her all the more grateful for the way the raindrops hitting the muddy ground managed to mostly drown it out.

Rocket heard it, of course, and pulled back to brush a tender thumb across Tinker's cheek, making her almost choke up.

He was panting hard as he got up, using the bars for leverage as well as the supporting hand Tinker placed on his upper arm as he stared over at Caesar, who was still inside his little cage.

" _Feeling better?_ " He signed, and Tinker almost rolled her eyes in exasperation at her mate. He had just been beaten within an inch of his life and threatened with a gun by the Colonel himself, and he was asking if _Caesar_ was okay?

Of course, Tinker knew that the Ape King was suffering, if only in a different way, but he had at least just gotten food and drink and hadn't been fighting with a big silverback.

But that was just how their friendship was, the she-ape knew. And she was pretty sure she would've done the same for Lydia, had the two of them traded roles with their respective mates.

From her spot behind Rocket, still holding on to his arm, as well as Lydia's hand, Tinker watched as the Ape King nodded his head in confirmation to the inquiry. There seemed to be something different in his eyes now. The barest flicker of something very familiar and something the Ape King had been missing for quite some time now – his will to fight. His determination – and not to end someone's life, but to save others. His apes.

" _Good. Then we can talk about escaping._ "

That tiny spark of hope from before returned inside Tinker's chest at her mate's signed words, though she was also more than a little shocked to learn that Rocket actually seemed to have a plan for how they could all get out of here. She had thought he had come here on a whim to save the girl but by the look on his face, it seemed like the incident had merely coincided with a plan he had developed beforehand.

Lydia, contrary to Tinker, didn't seem even a little bit surprised. The she-ape turned her head to share a look with the human woman. No, she was calm and collected, briefly winking at Tinker by her side before her gaze once again landed on Rocket, her expression one of respect and approval as he raised his fists side by side above his head at Caesar.

" _Apes Together Strong!_ "

Yes, Tinker thought, pride and love warming her from inside, even in this frigid rain, as she stared at her mate, happy to be with him once more.

Together, they were strong.

And they _would_ escape!


	71. To Be Of Use

_**Ivy**_

Ivy had watched from the side-lines yesterday as Caesar, Rocket, Lydia and Tinker had discussed the escape plan, with several inputs from the colony's other members, such as Lake and even her own father.

Ivy herself had kept silent throughout the whole thing and so had Orion, who had been sitting just beside her, a large arm draped comfortably around her shoulders and his eyes trained on his mother.

It had been decided that Rocket and Lake would be counting the steps from the adult cage and the children's' cage respectively. As it turned out, Rocket and Maurice had dug a hole up through some tunnels they had found beneath the compound and, since that was the only reference point Maurice would have from underground, their steps would be counted to this exact point.

They had done that earlier today while pretending to work like everyone else, discreetly signing the results to Caesar, who had been placed higher up on the mountainside to work by himself. The Colonel had obviously deemed it too dangerous for the Ape King to work together with his flock and running the risk of him starting yet another uproar like he had a couple of days ago.

Of course, the Colonel had no idea that this would actually work to the apes' advantage, as Caesar had been in the perfect position to sign Rocket and Lake's findings to Maurice outside the walls.

It was all approximate, though, and Ivy knew that there was still a risk of them making a mistake, but she preferred not to think too hard on that. This was as good a chance as any and, more importantly, it was the _only_ one they had.

This had to work. It just _had_ to.

While these secret preparations had taken place, Ivy had been occupied with helping Lydia get through the day while also trying her very best to make it seem to the soldiers that she _wasn't_ actually doing this at all. It was a difficult task, but one the young she-ape took very seriously all the same. She had no intention of letting her already-weakened mentor succumb to exhaustion just as they were all about to bust out of here. The burdens they were all made to carry were heavy as it is for an ape – Ivy could hardly imagine what it must be like for a human like Lydia.

Now, as darkness fell, putting an end to yet another day's work, the soldiers blew the whistle and the apes were all led back inside the adult cage once more.

Lydia nearly collapsed against Ivy's shoulder the moment the gate slammed shut and the soldiers turned away but gathered herself just as quickly once Orion came over to fret over her, offering a helping hand to straighten her, to which she made no protests.

Ivy didn't blame him for it – the fretting, that is. Lydia was really beginning to look worse for wear, just like Ivy's own mother as well as several others, with her body steadily getting thinner and dark rings appearing around her eyes.

The sooner they got out of here the better.

Just then, as the last soldier had left the cage and started trudging towards the living quarters he shared with his companions, Ivy noticed how some of her fellow prisoners seemed to gather in a circle just a few steps away from where she sat with Lydia and Orion.

The three of them, just as curious as everyone else, inched their way over and just managed to squeeze themselves through the crowd immediately after Rocket himself had done so, coming face to face with…

Ivy, despite knowing about both the escape plan and the tunnels involved, nearly gasped once she saw the head of an old chimp sticking up from the ground, smiling up at them all. Like this, it looked as if he had been disembodied and hadn't quite realised it yet.

Stone, one of Koba's former followers who had elected to stay with Caesar after the bonobo's fall, had just reached out to shake the hand of the stranger when Lydia came up beside Rocket to greet the new ape.

"Hey there, friend." She spoke with warm fondness as she looked down at the stranger, a tired, lopsided smile on her face.

The old chimp's face brightened immediately.

"Friend! Friend okay! Very happy to see!" He exclaimed with such eagerness that Lydia ended up putting a finger to her lips to shush him while several others looked up at the guard tower to make sure nobody had heard the ape's surprisingly clear, penetrating voice.

"Shhh! Remember, we're trying not to be noticed." Lydia reminded him in a slightly reprimanding manner, to which the stranger rounded his lips and nodded eagerly.

"Oh! _Oh_! Yes! Secret! Bad Ape quiet! Bad Ape-OOOH!" His sentence was cut off with a loud exclamation, followed by him slipping down the hole, out of sight of everyone above ground.

Ivy saw Rocket and Lydia share concerned looks with one another, the former leaning over the hole in the ground to ask what had happened, while Lydia sat back to wait with everyone else for an answer to the balding ape's inquiry.

A low rumble came from down the hole, and Ivy immediately recognised it as Maurice's, feeling a pang of familiarity and longing to see her old teacher once more. He sounded concerned and soon, Rocket sat back on his haunches, signing to Lydia and Tinker, who had come up to see what was going on as well, that something had gone wrong down there that Maurice had to check up on.

That didn't sound promising, and Ivy turned to share an uneasy look with Orion. He pursed his lips and, after having laid a comforting hand over Ivy's own, turned back to stare at the little hole in the ground with an apprehensive expression.

It took several minutes before Maurice's low rumble could be heard once more, and the news he reported to Rocket didn't seem to please Caesar's second-in-command one bit.

At least his expression told Ivy as much once he turned to Lydia and Tinker, a severe frown on his dark face.

" _We must speak with Caesar. There is a problem._ "

The underlying buzz of excitement that had been felt by the entire colony all day at the prospect of escaping was now exchanged for one of anxiety as Rocket led the remnants of the Royal Ape Council to the edge of the adult apes' cage, with Father, Orion, Ivy and several others hot at their heels.

And the news Rocket brought once they all reached their destination was devastating.

" _We can't keep digging._ " He informed The Ape King through the bars, a hint of frustration and anger in his signing. " _It will flood the whole tunnel!_ "

" _If we don't, we can't reach the children!_ " Lake signed, to which everyone, especially those who were parents, began chittering in agitation.

It all stopped, however, when a single gesture from Caesar made everyone aware that the guard in the tower had come out to inspect the perimeter, prompting the apes to bite back their concern and frustration until he was gone once more.

Ivy felt overcome by hopelessness at that point. Had they really come this far just to be stopped by a flooded tunnel? There was no way they could leave without the children, and if they couldn't _get_ to them in the first place, how were they ever going to escape…?

Was there nothing they could do?

" _We must keep looking down there. Find another way to reach the children._ " Lake signed once the guard in the watchtower had returned to his post, but Caesar was quick to reject her suggestion.

" _We must leave now!_ " He signed with urgency, his face stern as his lips pressed into a thin line. " _More soldiers are coming. Humans will destroy each other! And us with them!_ "

The way he turned back to look at Cornelius and the other children in the cage behind him almost made Ivy release a whimper of anxiety.

" _There has to be something we can do!_ " Tinker interjected looking interchangeably between Rocket, Lydia and Caesar.

 _Yes_ , Ivy thought, _there has to be something – but what?!_

She hated feeling useless like this, unable to give any inputs that might help solve the problem at hand. During their many lessons in archery and hunting, Lydia had told Ivy many times that she was a very resourceful ape, but what was that worth if it didn't show when her people needed her the most?!

She squeezed Orion's hand, prompting him to turn his serious, verdant stare away from the conversation at hand and shoot her a sympathetic look. He knew how she felt about this – they had discussed it many times during their imprisonment here.

And Ivy knew he felt the same.

Caesar turned back to face the adults, and Ivy briefly took note of how his and Lydia's gazes seemed to meet across the distance between the cages. There was something tender and concerned in both of their eyes – something that seemed oddly familiar to the young female. She couldn't quite place it, but it _was_ a look she had seen before, she was certain of it.

But she didn't have time to take further note of this once the Ape King began to sign again.

" _We'll have to get the children out above ground!_ "

" _How…?_ " Rocket signed in a manner that seemed uncharacteristically helpless to Ivy.

The young she-ape bit her lip in quiet frustration. If even _Rocket_ was getting discouraged like this, then…

" _Well, the only way we can do that is if we get hold of the key to the cages – which we'd have to do anyway to get rid of these chains_." Lydia signed after having cleared her voice to make sure she had everyone's attention. She proceeded to grab hold of the shackle around Tinker's leg to showcase it to those around her, as if to prove her point.

She was right, of course – how had they ever thought they were going to get these horrible, chafing things off otherwise? There was no way they would ever be able to do so once they had escaped anyway – it had to be done here and it had to be done with a key.

Beside Lydia, Tinker nodded in agreement.

" _But how are we ever going to get a key, Lydia? This is just an entirely new problem we must solve, not a solution…_ " She signed dejectedly, and Rocket moved over to lay a comforting hand on his mate's shoulder.

 _Well, that seems obvious_ , Ivy thought, her heartrate increasing as she let go of Orion's had in preparation to sign.

" _We will have to steal it._ " She signed after having let out a small huff and felt how her ears got warm with bashfulness when Lydia nodded at her in acknowledgement – never mind that everyone was staring at her as well!

She continued anyway.

" _We would have to do something to make one of the soldiers come close enough for us to take it from him._ "

Beside her, Orion seemed surprised, yet pleased as he regarded her. From a few yards away, with his arm slung around Ivy's fretting mother, Father looked at her with obvious pride in his green eyes.

Ivy felt a warmth spread through her chest, though she also somehow felt that the recognition she received in that moment wasn't entirely justified. She had just pointed out the obvious course they needed to take and soon enough, Rocket pointed out the glaring flaw in her plan.

" _But how are we going to do that? Get a soldier close enough? The only one out here right now is the one up there and I don't know what could make him come down._ "

There was a tense pause after that. Ivy lowered her head and hunched her shoulders. She should have thought things through before she suggested something like that.

Rocket was right. How were they _ever_ going to get close enough to a lone soldier, much less the one all the way up there in the watchtower, to steal the key they needed?

But as she looked around their prison, thinking of how it seemed like they would all spend the rest of their lives in this tiny cage, with barely any place to lie down without getting someone's feces smeared into their fur, something seemed to click inside Ivy's mind.

The soldiers had often mocked the apes for being primitive. Nothing more than beasts, really.

In particular, Ivy remembered one or two of the soldiers use the term 'shit-hurdling monkeys'.

 _What if…_

"We could always try. Throwing excrements at him?" She suggested out loud with an almost casual shrug, earning herself a couple of incredulous chuckles from those who thought she was only kidding.

She wasn't.

A fact which everyone quickly realised once they noticed her serious expression.

Mother's nose scrunched up in obvious disgust and disapproval, while Father seemed to find Ivy's suggestion quite amusing – though he did try to school his features when Mother looked up at him. She looked almost as if she was going to blame him for having put such a vile idea into Ivy's head.

Orion, meanwhile, looked more impressed than repelled by her suggestion, which was more than just a little encouraging. At least enough for her to elaborate on her plan and ignore Mother's look of mild shock.

"I mean it. Think about it. We have to work with. What we have here… And right now, that is this man up there and _this_ in here." She explained while making a broad gesture with her arm towards the… droppings from the last few days.

The soldiers made the traitor apes clean the pens once every week, when the stench became too horrible for the humans to endure. If it hadn't been bothering the soldiers too, Ivy was sure they would just have let it be as it was, making the apes live in their own waste.

The donkeys were scheduled to clean the pen in two days' time, so even if they had all gotten the barest minimum of food, there was plenty of 'material' to hurl at the unsuspecting soldier...

"It could work." Lydia agreed then, arms crossed over her chest. "These soldiers, I know their type. They all think they're big alpha males, but they have really fragile egos. Doing something like that is sure to humiliate him, stir up his anger… and make him want to retaliate."

She shared a smug look with Ivy, who couldn't help but crack a small smile of her own at her mentor. It was good to know Lydia approved, even if Ivy knew the idea was rather… unrefined and, quite frankly, disgusting.

Both Rocket and Caesar's eyes seemed to widen as understanding dawned on the two apes at the almost exact same time.

" _He would have to come down to reassert himself._ " Caesar signed from inside his small cage, and the look he regarded Ivy with just then seemed to be one of both surprise and admiration.

Either way, Lydia nodded, pride clear on her features as she turned to the Ape King. Ivy was quite aware that her ears were beginning to turn red but nonetheless, she did her best to focus on the conversation rather than the recognition she received.

"Exactly." Lydia's smirk widened. "Also, it would be a _very_ satisfying thing to do, wouldn't you agree?"

Several apes nodded at that – Ivy did too. These soldiers all deserved way worse than that, in her opinion, but the thought of one of them getting hit in the face with dung _did_ strike a smug chord within her. That was why she had suggested it in the first place.

Truthfully, the soldiers had it coming. Ivy's only regret would be that they couldn't give _all_ of them the same treatment as the guard up in the watchtower.

" _But what are we going to do about the soldier? How are we going to incapacitate him? Make sure he doesn't warn the others or use his gun?_ " Rocket inquired.

He seemed to be looking to Lydia for an answer to that, to which the woman shrugged indifferently.

"You're just as much a hunter as I am – isn't there any way we can make this place work in our favour?"

The balding chimp seemed to consider this very carefully, rubbing his chin in thought as he let his eyes scan the interior of their prison. He did this for an agonisingly long time – so long, in fact, that Ivy almost thought he wouldn't come up with anything at all.

Then, as his eyes landed on the hole where the strange ape's head was now sticking up once more to follow the conversation, Rocket's expression seemed to brighten.

" _The hole_." He signed with renewed enthusiasm, turning to Lydia and Caesar interchangeably as he explained his idea. " _We will lure him to stand by the hole, then have Maurice pull him down from beneath and knock him out – he would never expect it. He would make for an easy target._ "

The Ape King only took a brief moment to consider his second's proposal before agreeing.

Ivy thought it was rather ingenious as well, but there was still one thing that bothered her about all of this.

" _How are we going to get the children over here? There are too many for someone to just walk them past all the guards_." She pointed out and once again, Lydia gave a nod of approval.

Nobody seemed to have a solution for _that_ , though. As far as anyone was concerned, the only way to get from one cage to another was across the road that cut through the compound, and even if they managed to get the children across _that_ , the gate to their enclosure was placed differently than the one on the adults'. It was tucked away into a corner near the building where the soldiers went when off-duty, and try as they might, Ivy knew they were never, ever going to get this many ape children past that place.

Just then, Orion chuffed beside her, and everyone turned to stare at him with eyes full of expectation. Just like last night, he had been quiet for the entire discussion just now, observing, nodding along and squeezing Ivy's hand in reassurance whenever he felt her getting anxious – which he had become quite good at telling these past few weeks.

"We could have them cross from above." He said, eyes now trained at the space above the cages, where Ivy suddenly noticed the metal ropes stretching across the compound, high above the apes' heads.

Over in his own cage, Caesar nodded his head as he too inspected the ropes.

" _That might just work._ " He agreed. " _As long as we keep quiet and move quickly, the soldiers won't think to look up_."

All the present members of the Royal Ape Council offered brief nods of assent.

" _It's settled, then._ " Rocket signed.

He seemed eager to get on with the plan, or perhaps he simply wanted to get back at the apes' captors.

" _I will get the soldier's attention like we discussed, so don't worry about that. As long as we inform Maurice down below, we will make it work._ " He volunteered immediately, ignoring the disgusted look on Tinker's face, the female no doubt thinking of how her mate would have to pick up excrements and actually _throw_ them at someone.

It wasn't even something the apes had to teach mere children not to do and so, the idea alone was appalling even to the smallest of apes.

But if the soldiers thought them to be animals, they might as well act like it – anything to get out of this place.

Everyone accepted, though, and so Rocket got to his feet, presumably to coordinate things with Maurice, and the plan was set in motion only a couple of moments later, after everyone had gotten into position.

Ivy could only admire Rocket's impeccable precision. He hit the guard on the tower closest to the adults' cage square in the back of his head, and despite the initial repulsion, the she-ape couldn't help but smirk just a bit at the look on the human male's face.

It _was_ satisfying to watch.

And as Lydia had predicted, he was absolutely _furious_ , yelling at the top of his lungs and immediately storming down to the ape pen to get back at whoever had done it. Initially, Ivy had worried that his little tantrum up on the walkway would attract the attention of other soldiers, but seeing as no one came to investigate, it was probably safe to assume that they were either occupied elsewhere or simply didn't care about what had made their fellow soldier act like this.

It was only when he had actually come into the pen itself and drawn his weapon that Ivy's heart began to pound with fear rather than excitement – what if the plan didn't work? What if he wouldn't follow their lead as the apes wanted him to but just shoot Rocket where he stood and then leave?

 _No_ , Ivy reprimanded herself, _this has to work. It just has to!_

And luckily, leading the soldier to where they wanted him to be was as easy as leading a tamed horse with a rope. Stone stepped forward first, as if confirming that he was the one who had thrown the disgusting projectile, and just as the soldier was about to take aim, Rocket threw another well-placed 'gift' in the man's face, making him turn so that he wouldn't notice the enormous hands appear from beneath the earth, right behind his feet.

A pathetic yelp of surprise was the last they all heard from him as Maurice pulled him down. The sound was followed by the keys they had worked so hard to get being thrown unceremoniously up through the hole and landing on the dirt with a soft, metallic rattle.

What happened to the man after that, Ivy didn't know, nor did she care to find out. Lydia called through the hole down to Maurice, telling the orangutan to tie up and gag the soldier so that he wouldn't cause them any more trouble, but where exactly Maurice ended up putting the human male remained a mystery.

Rocket quickly cleaned his hand in a water trough, picked up the key and showed it to Caesar, a triumphant look on his dark face. He then proceeded to unlock his own shackle around his ankle, followed by Tinker, Lydia, Lake, Ivy herself, Orion and a few others. It seemed an endless task, though – there were just so many apes.

Which Lydia had concluded as well, it would seem.

"We need to figure out who will go to get the children. And while we're at it, someone else should go and try to get hold of another key to get everyone's shackles off – it'll be quicker that way… And perhaps we can take out a few guards on the way, so we won't be discovered too soon _._ " She said to her fellow council members, Rocket and Caesar nodding severely at her assessment.

And just as Rocket was preparing to sign back – probably to volunteer himself once again – movement just beside her caught Ivy's attention, as well as everyone else's.

"I will go get the children out." Orion's voice sounded as he got up and stepped out of the crowd, head held high and his green eyes determined.

A tense silence followed after that, though nobody seemed to be about to protest.

Ivy was dumbstruck, to say the least. As was Lydia, who stared at her son with wide, blue eyes full of concern.

The only one who didn't look taken aback by Orion's statement was Rocket, who pursed his lips and regarded the younger ape as if considering whether or not he would be able to get the job done. As if he was assessing him.

Their eyes met briefly, and in that moment, the young she-ape was sure there was a conversation going on between the two males that only they were privy to. It seemed almost like a battle of wills.

Then, after several seconds this, the balding ape gave a curt, approving nod, chin out and a small smirk on his dark features.

" _He can do it._ " He declared as he turned to Lydia, who didn't look all that convinced.

Ivy knew that it wasn't because Lydia didn't believe in Orion. She had never met anyone who had half as much faith in their children as her mentor did, but Ivy also knew that Lydia was just as concerned for Orion as any other mother would be for their young – adopted or not.

Now, it was Lydia's turn to stare into Orion's eyes, determination met with worry and hesitation.

"Are you sure, Sweetie?" Lydia asked softly, to which Orion took a step towards her, reaching a hand up to her face.

"Yes, Mother. I am." He spoke resolutely, though his movements were tender as he brushed a stray lock of dark hair from her cheek. "I am not going to sit by and wait. I want to be of use."

Though Lydia seemed to understand, she still didn't look like she would support it. The crease of her brow, the slight twist of her mouth. She definitely had the air about her of someone who intended to answer in the negative – and as a council member, she was in a position to do just that.

" _You didn't see how he grew on our journey, Lydia. I believe in him. I_ know _he can do it._ " Rocket intervened in sign before she could even begin to voice a protest on the matter.

"So do I." She spoke with confidence, only for her expression to turn soft as she gave an almost rueful-sounding chuckle. "But a mother always worries."

 _So does a mate_ , Ivy thought, turning her head to stare up at Orion as he stood, tall and proud, in front of everyone. He was going to risk his life for the chance of freeing the colony. For the chance of them having a future.

Why shouldn't she do the same? Why shouldn't she volunteer as well? She was his mate-to-be, after all, and wanted to be there with him. Wanted to fight, not only for the apes' future, but for _their_ future as well. Hers and Orion's.

Ivy just as much a part of this as everyone else and furthermore, she had had quite enough of sitting around talking.

And with that in mind, Ivy decided what to do. She wanted to help Orion with this important task. Help to achieve their common goal and keep him safe.

And so, Ivy stood as well and stepped forward to stand by her intended mate, grabbing his hand.

"I am going as well." She said, sounding much braver than she actually felt.

She pointedly ignored the way Orion's head whipped around for him to look at her. The movement was so fast that she almost thought his neck would snap, though he never let go of her hand. That, he held onto just as firmly as he always had.

But Ivy didn't look at him to see the expression on his face.

Instead, her eyes remained firmly set on Lydia, gauging her mentor's reaction. _She_ had trained Ivy, guided her and believed in her when few others had. She was a council member and Ivy's future mother-in-law. She was a teacher, a guardian and, most of all, a friend, and there were preciously few other people in the world Ivy wanted approval from more than she did Lydia.

A low murmur sounded through the colony, the atmosphere even more tense than before as Ivy stared at the human woman.

But it wasn't _Lydia_ who ended up protesting, nor Orion, Tinker, Rocket or Caesar.

"No." Came the simple word of refusal, deep and gritty, just a few yards away from where Ivy stood.

It was her own father, Shale, who had spoken.

He hadn't risen from his spot on the ground, Mother still pressed to his side, now with a look of horror and sadness on her face. It was rare that her parents spoke, and it was even rarer that her father didn't support her when Ivy set about doing something. Mother had always been the one to protest, while Father had always been the one to calm her down and take Ivy's side, like when she had wanted to learn archery and go with Lydia on hunts.

No matter the issue, Father had always understood that Ivy wasn't one to just sit and wait around for others to do the hard work. Had understood that she wanted to be _part of it_ , get her hands dirty and achieve a sense of accomplishment from doing so.

He had understood that she hated being limited – and especially so by others.

All of which only served to underline how much this idea unsettled him – if the look on his face wasn't enough to go by.

Still, Ivy frowned at her parents, squeezing Orion's hand to seek reassurance.

He squeezed back just as tightly. She had his support.

" _It's too dangerous, Ivy. Let someone else go with Orion instead._ " Father signed, while Mother merely shifted her gaze from Ivy to Orion and back. " _This is not a task for a young female._ "

Father's expression was one Ivy had only rarely seen on him, a strange mixture of worry and sternness.

But Ivy would not be deterred.

"So, I am only allowed to speak. But not act?" She challenged, referring to how he had approved of her helping to come up with the escape plan itself, but now refused to let her help with its execution.

Ivy shook her head at her parents – her father especially. She hated such hypocrisy. She was just as capable of taking care of herself as anyone else inside this cage and she would be damned if she wasn't going to make use of that fact! Lydia was just as worried for Orion, and yet she would let him go! Why wouldn't Father and Mother be willing to do the same?

Everyone else was silent as the two of them argued.

"Father, if anyone sees us free the children. It will not matter. If I am with Orion or here. They will come for _all_ of us. Once they know we are trying to escape." Ivy pointed out, doing her best to be gentle in her tone, even if she was simmering with anger on the inside. "I want to go. I want to be of use as well. And help make sure we succeed."

Even if Ivy knew Father could see the logic behind her words, he still shook his head.

" _All the more reason for you to stay here. Let someone stronger do it. Someone more experienced._ "

Ivy just about fumed at that. Someone more experienced?! Did he think Lydia had trained her for nothing?! Ivy had gone with the woman on hunts and even killed a soldier with her bare hands! She might not have participated in the battles going on back in the forest through the past two years, but she was an accomplished warrior in her own right!

Had Father only agreed to letting Lydia train her because he thought it would only ever be of use with the woman's supervision? In a safe setting with experienced eyes to keep Ivy from doing something dangerous? Was _that_ what he thought?!

"Shale." A soft voice sounded just then, startling both Father and Ivy herself as Mother straightened beneath his arm. " _Let her go. Ivy is skilled enough… And Orion will be with her._ "

Then, she turned her face to stare at the two young apes, a hint of warmth in her green eyes.

" _If he cannot keep her safe, no one can._ "

Ivy stood with her hand still in Orion's own, a dumbstruck expression on her face as she looked at her mother, while Father merely stared down at his mate with eyes widened in obvious surprise.

Mother had never, ever taken Ivy's side whenever she had wanted to do something even remotely dangerous or even outside the norm of the apes' culture. Be it too rambunctious play as a child or learning the art of archery and hunting as an adult, Mother had _never_ approved. It's not that she didn't love Ivy, the silver-furred chimp knew. It was just that she didn't want Ivy to get hurt or be abnormal and end up alone.

And even though she _knew_ this, Ivy had always considered her mother's fretting a hindrance more than anything else…

She was still standing with her mouth agape in surprise when Father turned back to her again, his expression completely changed from before. He seemed calmer now – reassured, even.

" _You always had a way with words – a trait I'm sure Lydia and Orion here has helped improve… For you to convince you mother like this…_ " He signed while briefly regarding all three of them with a heavy, raised brow. Then, his eyes singled out Ivy once more, a look of contemplation on his face before he finally caved. " _I could never refuse you, now could I…?_ "

Father had an air of rueful resignation about him as he once again reached a hand around Mother's shoulders, squeezing her and brushing his lips against the crown of her head in a loving and reassuring gesture. Mother leaned into it, looking tired beyond belief but with a confidence as she regarded Ivy that the younger chimp couldn't remember ever receiving from her before.

Then, Father turned his face towards Ivy one last time, giving a single nod of acceptance.

" _Go, daughter_."

Ivy's posture straightened as she stepped closer to Orion, her expression a mask of seriousness even if, on the inside, she was positively beaming.

And even if Mother's expression was still somewhat concerned, Ivy did also receive a small, barely-there smile once their eyes met. It felt good to finally feel her mother's confidence in her, something Ivy, up until this moment, had thought would never happen.

She made a silent vow to show her that this confidence wasn't misplaced.

Lydia laid a hand on Orion's shoulders, giving it a firm squeeze while she looked between the two apes.

"Be safe. Look out for each other, alright?"

The pair nodded in unison at their parents. It was a promise.

* * *

It was decided shortly after that Caesar, Rocket and Lydia would be going together to find another keu, free the rest of the apes and take out any guards that might wander too close and discover what they were all up to. It was almost a certainty that the guard that they had already dealt with to get _this_ key wouldn't be the only one to be out, what with the Colonel expecting an opposing army any day now.

And so, Ivy followed Orion, Lydia and Rocket out of the adult pen, the four of them sneaking over to the Ape King's cage to let him out before Rocket handed Orion the key. The two older ape males and the human woman snuck off into another direction to secure the area after that, silent but swift as they rounded the corner of the adult's enclosure. It was a dangerous mission, and Ivy couldn't help but worry for the trio's safety – and especially for her mentor and future mother-in-law, who was still weakened from starvation and over-exertion.

But Lydia had insisted to go just like Ivy herself had and besides, the silver-furred female knew she had to focus on her own task. The colony would be going nowhere without the children.

It was like a hunt, really, as she and Orion moved through the compound, and thinking of it as such made it somehow easier for Ivy. Sneaking around corners, keeping to the shadows and maintaining a light step – avoiding detection.

It didn't matter that she was technically the prey and the soldiers were the prowling, unsuspecting predators. The procedure was just as it had always been on her hunts with Lydia back in the forest. Using your environment to your advantage, let it work _for_ you rather than against you and most important of all: Have _patience_.

Orion, also being a trained hunter, seemed to be having the exact same thought process as Ivy herself, his movements as careful and calculated as her own as he took the lead, key in hand.

They rounded the corner of the children's cage and, avoiding a couple of soldiers strolling calmly towards the barracks, the two chimps descended a small stairway that lead down to a more closed-off part of the compound.

This place was covered by a roof and considerably more cluttered than the open space Ivy and Orion had just come from, crates of varying sizes, pipes and greenish brown canvas scattered all around the area.

Ivy didn't mind it too much, though. While it certainly made the place look like a complete mess, it also provided several great hiding spots for her and Orion as they inched towards the children's cage. Add that to the late hour, with most of the soldiers hiding inside tents and behind concrete walls to ward off the cold and get some sleep, it all made it a whole lot easier to reach their destination than Ivy had expected.

When they finally came up to the entrance to the children's cage, Orion was quick to whip out the key and unlock the first gate, doing his best to make sure the heavy piece of metal didn't make too much of a clang once he pushed it open.

By the time the two of them reached the second gate, just behind the first one, most of the ape children had woken up and noticed the two adults, staring wide-eyed at the them from behind the bars.

Ivy's heart clenched at their hopeful little gibbers. She put a finger up to her lips in a request for silence as Orion turned the key inside the lock, and the children all quieted down somewhat, understanding the seriousness of the situation despite their young age.

Orion finally unlocked the gate and pushed it open, allowing the two of them to rush inside to be greeted by the children, chimps, gorillas, bonobos and orangutans alike. They were all here, the future of the colony, waiting to be reunited with their parents and finally get out of this wretched place.

Ivy could hardly wait to see the children run free and play once more. Couldn't wait to see the faces of their parents as the many families were once again made whole.

And over there, in the middle of it all, was Cornelius, only just now getting up from the cold ground he had slept on and turning to face the two adults.

The young prince only hesitated for a mere second before he began to tentatively walk towards Orion, cooing once he finally reached him and Orion placed a protective arm around his adoptive little brother.

Yes, Ivy knew that that was how Orion saw Cornelius. How he had seen him ever since he had returned and found the ape child in Lydia's care. And as she watched the two of them right then, she had no doubt that the Ape Prince felt that connection as well. The two shared a mother, and in her absence, as well as Caesar's and Blue Eyes', Orion had been there for Cornelius as only a brother could.

She also knew very well that this was another reason why he had volunteered to this specific task, this very important step in the apes' escape plan. It was obvious to her, after all the late-night talks the two of them had had over in the adults' cage.

Orion hadn't just volunteered because he wanted to be useful. That was only part of it… No, he had done so because he wanted to save his new little brother.

Ivy's heart ached for the two of them, but she didn't allow herself to dwell on it for long, straightening her back with one of the smallest ape children now resting on her arm.

"Come. We must hurry." She said softly, but with an urgent note to her words that she knew would push Orion into action.

Nodding, her mate-to-be rose to his full height, now holding the Ape Prince's hand as he took one last look across the group of children, most likely trying to assess just how daunting the task of organising them for this escape would be.

It was not a small matter to move _this_ many young apes.

Before they even had the opportunity to get started, however, a deep grunt came from behind the young pair, followed by the subdued clang of the metal door to the cage as it was slammed shut.

Ivy winced at the sound, willing it to disappear as quickly as it had come and hoping with all her might that none of the soldiers had heard it.

She and Orion whipped around in unison then, only to come face to face with three other apes – _traitor apes_ , that is.

One of them being Red.

Ivy's heart felt like a boulder as it dropped down into her stomach at the sight of them. Two chimps and a gorilla were now standing between their little group and freedom.

This was _not_ supposed to happen! How did they even know they were there? Had they somehow eavesdropped on the plan? Had they alerted the soldiers already?!

The silvery fur along Ivy's shoulders stood on end as that thought passed through her mind, and she hugged the ape child in her arms, a little female chimp, closer to herself in a subconscious attempt to protect her. Orion, meanwhile, bravely took a step forward, shielding both Ivy, Cornelius and the rest of the children by making himself appear larger.

With his hackles raised and his shoulders squared like this, Ivy would dare say that under normal circumstances, any single ape would have thought twice about opposing Orion.

But these were by no means normal circumstances, and Orion wasn't facing another ape one-on-one. Even with Ivy's help, the odds were stacked horribly against them.

" _You two should not be in here._ " One of the opposing chimps signed, a young but weathered-looking male.

Ivy recognised him instantly. He was called Sampson and was only about three years older than Orion, though his haggard appearance, with bald patches all over his body and old scars across his chest and face, made him look far older than that.

Back in the day, he had been a loyal follower of Koba.

Now he was a slave to the soldiers.

How one could go from firmly believing that apes are superior to humans to becoming nothing more than a servant to them, Ivy would never understand.

Orion scoffed, though Ivy could tell he was very much on edge.

"Do not worry. We were just about to leave." He spoke severely. "We _all_ are."

"Do you know. What soldiers would do. If you are all. Gone?" Flint, the other chimp, asked in his gritty voice, more growl than actual speech, really.

He was older than both Sampson and Red, but younger than apes like Caesar and Rocket.

"They will think. That _we_ help you… Kill us for it." Sampson answered his companion's question, looking rather unimpressed with Orion's open display of aggression.

Meanwhile, Red remained quiet. He seemed to be staring at Orion in particular, though he didn't look nearly as agitated as his companions. In fact, he looked almost as if this was nothing more than a slight inconvenience to him.

Ivy set down the ape girl in her arms, straightening her posture as she stepped forth to support her intended mate.

"You will die no matter. If we stay or leave." She said with a sneer. "You think the Colonel. Will spare you. Just because you obey now? He hates _all_ apes. All his soldiers do too. They will kill you. When you are no longer needed."

Flint growled and took a daring step forward, giving Ivy the stink-eye before turning his attention to Orion.

"You should learn. To control. Your female… And protect her better." He said, clearly looking to pull a reaction out of the younger male chimp.

But it was Ivy who spoke up first and, spurred on by Flint's disrespectfulness and utter insolence, she decided to hit him with something she knew would get under his skin.

Because she knew something Flint _didn't._ Something that, hopefully, would provide enough of a distraction for her and Orion to come up with a way to get past these traitors.

"Like you protected Rain?" She shot at him which, to her immediate satisfaction, pulled his attention straight back onto Ivy. "When she gave you children. Where were you? Out protecting her? Protecting _them_?"

Ivy gestured to the children she was referring to, a pair of ape girls around one-and-a-half years of age – twins born months after Flint had left the colony together with Red, Grey and everyone else who had followed Koba.

Before the bonobo's betrayal, Flint and Rain had been one of the colony's new couples who had yet to become parents.

Rain hadn't been able to bring herself to tell Flint that she had fallen pregnant before he had left with Koba's other followers, considering how he clearly still opposed Caesar's rule. She had been too heartbroken and deeply ashamed of her mate's actions and so, she had raised the twins by herself, with her mate gone and none the wiser about his offspring's existence.

"Children?" Flint growled in disbelief, eyeing the frightened pair that he had unknowingly fathered.

For a moment, Ivy's words seemed to have the desired effect as the three opposing apes paused, Sampson and Red staring at Flint with equal parts disgust and uncertainty, while the chimp in question turned his head to stare through the bars of the cages.

Ivy knew what his eyes were searching for and could immediately tell when they had found it.

Rain, still stuck over in the adult cage, was looking on together with everyone else. Her eyes were horror-struck and pleading as they met Flint's own.

"I have children…?" He breathed even if there was no way Rain would hear his words from this distance.

Ivy thought she saw a flicker of hope in the traitor's eyes. Maybe even a tiny speck of regret as well.

Maybe Flint would turn into a sort of ally now that he knew he had offspring to fight for? Maybe, just maybe, he would reconsider his options and go against his companions, giving Ivy and Orion a chance to escape with the children?

Maybe it _could_ have happened, had Sampson not jarred Flint out of his stupor just then.

"Fool! Like it matters!" He exclaimed with a mighty growl. "They will still die here!"

Then, shoving Flint aside, the younger chimp charged at Orion, who was quick to crouch down low and ram his elbow into his enemy's gut.

The chaos that ensued after that was brief, but horrific nonetheless.

The children gathered behind Ivy all cried in unison at the violence in front of them, and it only got worse when Flint, seemingly deciding that Sampson was right, straightened and readied himself to release a mighty screech, undoubtedly with the intention of warning the soldiers about what was going on.

However, the sound, only ever coming out as a startled squeak, was cut short by none other than Red. In one swift movement, the silverback had slung his enormous, bulky arm around his chimp companion's throat and begun to squeeze, wrapping a hand around his wrist to ensure that Flint had no way to escape.

Ivy crouched down, her arms spread out to shield the children as she stared open-mouthed at what was taking place in front of her.

Orion continued to brawl with Sampson, who was still winded from having been shoved in the stomach. It was quickly becoming all too obvious that he was losing the fight, despite being an older male, as his attention was divided between his fight with Orion and his fellow traitor apes, now engaged in a _very_ uneven fight of their own.

Red used his size and superior strength to his advantage by hauling Flint up to the point where his feet were no longer touching the ground, which meant he was now hanging by his throat in the headlock the large gorilla had him in. The chimp's legs were flailing in the air and his hands were clawing at Red's arms in an increasingly panicked manner as his green eyes grew wide with fear. Red completely ignored his victim's attempts at reaching backwards to scratc at his face, his small eyes determined and his breathing heavy from exertion as he squeezed Flint's throat.

He was choking him.

Red was _choking_ Flint… Right in front of the children!

"Red!?" Sampson gasped in a mixture of confusion and fury. He was now caught in a standing arm lock that Ivy just _knew_ Orion had been taught to do by his mother. Apes usually didn't fight in such a methodical manner.

"Ugh! Traitor!" Sampson groaned, and Orion forced his elbow further into a backwards bend to make him stop talking.

When he still kept growling loudly and thrashing in Orion's hold, the younger chimp seemed to have had enough and, in one swift pulling-motion, shoved Sampson's head against the wall of concrete bricks in the corner of the children's cage.

The older chimp was knocked out cold immediately, the impact hard enough to make a thumping sound Sampson's head came into contact with the unforgiving wall.

Ivy winced at the sound.

Meanwhile, Flint had stopped fighting, his body now hanging limply in Red's merciless grip before the gorilla simply let him drop unceremoniously onto the ground.

It was clear that Flint was dead.

Whereas Sampson's body had moved into a natural-looking position on its own as Orion had let him drop to the ground, Flint's limbs seemed to settle into the uncomfortable twists they ended up in once Red let go.

Ivy hushed the children as best she could, still hoping against hope that their soft, subdued cries wouldn't alert the soldiers on guard-duty. After all, she didn't know how many, if indeed any at all, Lydia, Caesar and Rocket had managed to take care of – whatever _that_ meant.

Now, with both Flint and Sampson out of the way, all that remained was Red, who now stood there, tall and imposing, in front of Ivy, Orion and the children.

It was a tense few seconds before anyone said or did anything, the large silverback simply staring down at the two of them with a look in his eyes that almost seemed… resigned? Ivy didn't even know Red could wear such an expression.

Orion wasn't the least bit impressed, nor did he seem inclined to change his perception of the traitor gorilla just because he had helped them by dealing with Flint.

"You think this changes anything?" Orion spat vehemently, gesturing to Flint's limp body on the ground. "You did not have to kill him! He hesitated!"

Red pursed his lips and raised a challenging brow at the younger chimp.

"Do not pretend. That this is why you are. Angry at me." He spoke darkly, and Ivy thought she could spot the barest hint of… was it a sneer or a smirk?

"I have many reasons to be." Orion answered with a vicious curl of his upper lip. The expression didn't look right on his face. "You think killing another ape will make everyone forgive you, Red?"

"Orion…!" Ivy hissed, low and urgent.

It wasn't like she trusted Red, but there was no denying that he had just helped ensure that they would succeed with their plan. Now was not the time to irk the red silverback's temper. Not when they were so close to achieving their goal.

"He hit my Mother. Betrayed the apes! He has _killed_ apes!" Came Orion's reply, the anger and indignation clear in his voice. "He might betray us again!"

"He is helping now. Leave it." Ivy instructed, her voice balancing on the edge between being stern and pleading.

Orion shot her a sullen look out of the corner of his eye before deciding to do as she said and back down.

And luckily, Red chose not to taunt him about it – Ivy knew that would only rile up her mate-to-be once more.

"You wanted to leave. With children." Red spoke in his gritty voice, staring down his nose at Orion and Ivy. "Leave… And be quiet… Soldiers' switch guards soon."

The two young chimps shared looks of uncertainty with each other, not at all trusting the gorilla.

Then again, what other choice did they have?

Orion walked up to Red, his posture straight and his scowl menacing as he looked straight up into the red-furred ape's eyes.

"If you betray us again… If you alert the soldiers-"

"You will die." Red interrupted in an almost matter-of-factly manner which made Ivy grimace, while Orion downright growled once again. "She will die. _They_ will die. Caesar will die… And your mother too."

At the mention of Lydia, Orion's wrist made the barest hint of a twitch, and Ivy recognized it as a suppressed reflex brought on by the urge to punch Red for even mentioning the human woman to Orion's face.

The she-ape was quick to intervene before anything could happen between the two males, still determined to prevent creating another threat now that the first one had been dealt with.

But still, she couldn't deny that she was curious.

"Why do this, then?" Ivy asked, putting a calming hand on Orion's arm. He was quite literally quivering under her palm from anger. "Why help us _now_? Why help save us?"

"I save myself." Was the rather cryptic reply that came from Red.

If those words had any hidden meaning behind them, it was lost on both Ivy and Orion, the two of them scrunching up their faces in confusion at the gorilla's answer.

"Go." Red ordered before either of the chimps could make any further inquiries, inclining his large head towards the metal gate leading out of the cage. "I take care. Of it here."

Ivy only cast a brief glance down at the two traitor chimps that Red was referring to. They were both still lying on the ground, one unconscious, the other dead and gone. She didn't want to know what he intended to do with the former.

A part of her wanted to argue. Wanted to hiss and growl at Red, just like Orion had, for everything the gorilla had done up until now, and especially for having just killed Flint in front of his own children. Then again, the twins had no idea that it had been their father Red had killed, having never actually known him in the first place, so perhaps it was just Ivy's own sense of moral and outrage speaking…

Either way, though she didn't show it as much as Orion did right now, Ivy was just as angry and suspicious of Red as her mate-to-be clearly was. It was quite true that what he had just done did nothing to erase his past crimes against the apes and furthermore, Ivy still didn't understand _why_ Red had done it in the first place. What reason did he have to help _now_?

Did he hope to escape a death by the soldiers' hands, attempting to escape together with the colony?

Did he plan on betraying the apes again to gain even more favor with the Colonel?

Or had he simply had a change of heart and sought to redeem himself now?

Somehow, Ivy doubted it was the latter option. She had never known Red to be a noble ape.

And even as she turned her head on the way out of the cage with Orion and the children, forming the group's rearguard and staring back at the red-furred gorilla as he stood over his fallen companions, she _still_ had no idea.

And somehow, that was even scarier than being certain of his treachery.


	72. Staying Behind

_**Lydia**_

The final, satisfying click of a shackle being unlocked sounded just as the ape children had begun to make their way across the gap between the cages, inching along one of the steel wires high above everyone's heads.

It looked too precarious for Lydia's liking, the way children of varying ages and sizes crept along like pearls on a string, right past the unsuspecting soldiers on the walkway below them.

Her, Caesar and Rocket had managed to deal with some of the ground forces around the cages but hadn't been able to do much about the sentinels on the walls. They would just have to hope that what they _had_ already accomplished would be enough…

At least they had found another key while Orion and Ivy had gone to get the kids, which in turn meant that once everyone had made it across to the adult cage, their parents would be free of their chains and ready to sneak down into the tunnels as well.

From the moment the first child dropped down his mother's waiting arms, the adult apes' cage was buzzing with excitement, accompanied by low, gleeful chitters from both young and old.

Lydia smiled at the many little scenes of reunion playing out all around her, though she would readily admit that she was more than a little envious as her gaze shifted from the apes around her and back to the wire above. She was, of course, looking for Cornelius, even if she had a sneaking suspicion that Orion would personally see to the Ape Prince's safety and bring him along as the last one. It would be very much like her ever-responsible elder son to do so.

A soft hoot sounded beside Lydia, and she turned her head to find Juniper standing there, also staring up at the cables stretched above their heads.

" _It would seem we were right to let our children take care of this_." She signed once her gaze turned to Lydia.

The human woman briefly wondered where Shale was at, since he had been at his wife's side almost constantly the entire time Lydia had been here, supporting his mate in her weakened state. She spotted him almost immediately over by some of the other male apes, all of them helping an aging female orangutan to her feet and leading her towards the entrance to the tunnel. They would have to expand it for some of the larger apes to be able to get through, seeing as there was no way a fully-grown silverback or orangutan would fit through that space. Maybe Shale and the others would see to that as well?

Either way, while she _did_ look extremely weary, Juniper seemed to be able to move around just fine without her mate's constant help. Lydia couldn't help but speculate that maybe, just _maybe_ , seeing her daughter grow almost an entire inch with confidence at receiving her mother's support had changed something in Juniper as well?

"I'm surprised you let her." Lydia spoke, not being able to hold it in.

Instead of being offended, Juniper gave a somewhat wheezy chuckle at her words, coupled with a small, lopsided smile.

" _I was always worried about what would become of her. She was never a typical female, always wanting to play wild, picking fights instead of going to us when others angered her. I thought no male would ever settle with a female with such a wilful nature…_ "

She paused for a moment, her smile growing a fraction before she continued her signing.

" _Then your Orion came along and showed me differently_."

Lydia chuckled warmly at that.

"Can't say I haven't had the same sort of concerns about Orion." She replied, though she couldn't, and wouldn't, try to conceal the pride she felt for her son at Juniper's confession. She was pretty sure it showed on her face.

The female chimp seemed puzzled by her statement.

" _About Orion? But he is a fine male ape._ " She signed. " _What concerns could you have for him?_ "

Casually hooking her thumbs onto her pockets, Lydia sighed, a somewhat sheepish expression on her face.

"It wasn't as much a concern about him as it was about how me being human might have a negative impact on his life. I tried my best to give him a somewhat normal upbringing, but… I suppose it can't be helped if me not being an ape has affected him."

" _I thought you told the Colonel that you were not ashamed of being human?_ " Juniper said, raising a comparatively heavy brow at the woman.

"I'm not." Lydia replied easily. She truly wasn't. "That doesn't mean I'm not aware of what consequences it might've had for Orion, though."

Juniper shook her head at that and laid a slender hand on Lydia's shoulder. It was a light, almost dainty sort of touch, but reassuring nonetheless. Then, she let go to sign once more.

" _You don't need to worry at all, Lydia. You did as well as any ape would where your son is concerned. I can't think of anything negative that could have been a result of you being different._ "

Lydia gave a doubtful look at that.

"Aren't you sort of forgetting the incident that started this whole mess? Do you think Koba would've imprisoned him and Roy if I had been an ape like everyone else?"

She didn't want to mention how Roy also might not have been shot if he hadn't been inside that makeshift prison bus that night. How Orion might have been spared having to watch his father die if only they hadn't been locked up for having connections to a human. Lydia had thought a lot about that in the weeks and even months after Koba's betrayal, even if she knew it had been useless to do so. There was no changing the past, though Lydia hadn't been able to let go of the guilt she had felt.

" _Koba imprisoned anyone still loyal to Caesar's ways. You know that, Lydia… And the consequences of his hatred were not only limited to those he held captive…_ " Juniper was quick to point out, casting a meaningful, sideways glance at Tinker and Rocket, who stood together, overseeing the reunion of the many families. Unlike Lydia, Juniper and many others all around them, _they_ wouldn't get to be reunited with _their_ offspring…

Because Ash was dead, courtesy of Koba himself... And he _hadn't_ been inside that prison bus.

" _His choice still haunts us._ " The fatigued female chimp stated sadly.

Lydia gave a solemn nod of her head, letting her eyes wander back up to the metal wire again to look for her boys. Immediately, her heart was flooded with relief.

"Here they come." She breathed, watching as Ivy made her way past the top of the adult's cage, Orion following close behind with Cornelius clinging to his back, as Lydia had guessed he would.

They were the last to make it across and, with a heavy thumping-sound, landed on the ground a few yards away from where Lydia and Juniper stood. Both mothers rushed forward to greet the trio, Juniper wrapping her arms around her daughter in a fierce embrace. One of Orion long arms pulled Lydia to him as Cornelius scrambled to the ground and rounded the adult male's leg, cooing eagerly as he reached for Lydia as well.

It was a trembling sigh that left her as she picked up the Ape Prince and kissed the crown of his head. It had been agonising to be so close and yet so far away, unable to comfort the child as he had cried for both Caesar and Lydia herself. To have both of them here now, in her arms…

Lydia didn't want to ever let these two apes go again. For a moment, she doubted she would actually be able to.

But then the Ape King had stepped forth, having also seen the two adults arrive with his last living son, and Lydia was suddenly more than happy to set Cornelius down on the ground, crouching beside him as she pointed to his father.

"Look who's here…" She spoke gently, a smile playing on her lips.

And when she looked up to gauge Caesar's reaction to finally being reunited with his son, Lydia could barely contain the quiet, sob-like gasp that left her. She couldn't remember ever seeing him so happy and relieved, his green-and-golden eyes glistening with unshed tears and his arms outstretched as he crouched down in front of Cornelius, who bolted forward with a soft cry.

The Ape Prince was promptly wrapped up in a desperate embrace, the sound of his cooing mingling with Caesar's huffs and whispered words of comfort.

Lydia got up from her crouch and took a brief moment with Orion to just stare fondly at the heartfelt reunion, their arms slung around one another.

"Good job, you two." She praised the young pair at her side.

But even though Orion _did_ look pleased about her approval, he soon got a deep, serious crease between his heavy brows.

"Mother… Red was there. He came with Flint and Sampson. They ambushed us inside the cage." He said in a tense voice, making Lydia's eyes widen with newfound worry and confusion. "He… He _helped_ us. Killed Flint and let us go with the children."

"Why?" Caesar was first to ask, suspicion clear in his voice. He was still holding Cornelius protectively to his chest, but his eyes were now hard and serious again as he looked to Orion for an answer.

 _Why indeed_ , Lydia thought, casting a sideways glance through the bars and into the children's cage. Red was nowhere to be seen.

Orion shook his head.

"I do not know." He said, and Lydia could easily see the frustration Orion felt at that. "He only said that he was 'saving himself'…"

"I hope that doesn't mean he intends to rat out on us." Lydia spoke, sharing a look with Caesar, who pursed his lips critically. After everything that had happened, she didn't think it'd be all that out of character for Red to try and gain favour with the Colonel by tricking the apes into thinking that he was helping, only to go to the madman and make it appear that he had actually prevented a prison break.

Caesar didn't seem as concerned as Lydia, which told the woman that he, at the very least, had a faint idea as to what the gorilla might have tried to convey with his words to Orion and Ivy.

Even so, Lydia didn't trust Red as far as she could throw him. Caesar had been wrong before.

The Ape King set Cornelius down, holding on to the child's hand as he inclined his head towards the hole in the ground a few yards away, through which they were all going to escape.

"We can't worry about that now. We must get everyone out." He concluded, earning himself a collective nod of the head from everyone present.

As they all began making their way towards the underground tunnel, however, Lydia made sure to discreetly linger at the back of the group and grabbed a hold of Orion's wrist to make sure he did the same. He turned with a brow raised at her and a concerned twist of his mouth.

"Mother…?"

Lydia bit her lip, even though it still hurt from having been split a few days ago and hadn't completely healed. Then, gathering herself, she sighed heavily and finally looked Orion directly in the eyes.

"Stay with Ivy and her parents, okay? And take care of Cornelius for now." She instructed, proceeding to stuff her hand into her coat pocket. "I'll be right behind you."

She fished out her family necklace, the one she had taken off upon being thrown into the adults' cage a few days prior, and showed it to Orion just as his gaze began to turn stern at her words.

"I promise, Orion." Lydia said as she pulled the leather string over her head and down around her neck. It was comforting to once again feel the weight of the fangs and claws resting against the top of her sternum.

The use of his actual name rather than a term of endearment, coupled with her putting the necklace back on, seemed to placate Orion somewhat, as he no longer looked like he was about to protest. He still shot a meaningful, sideways glance at Caesar's back, though, to which Lydia could only give a nod once his eyes were back on her again. That single look was all she needed to know what was on his mind…

Yes, she was staying here for the Ape King's sake. She was _still_ determined to help him. To pull him out of the darkness. She owed it to Cornelius…

And also, she loved Caesar too much to not, at the very least, try – despite the recent strain on their relationship.

Orion's lips formed a thin line.

"If he comes out without you, Mother… _I_ am coming back to get you."

Lydia sighed once more, this time in slight exasperation. She was aware that Orion had lost a lot of faith in Caesar after everything that had happened, and she _did_ truly feel touched by her son's determination to protect her, but…

"Orion, Caesar had faith in you when he agreed to send you in to get Cornelius and the other children." Lydia spoke with just the barest hint of sternness in her voice. Then, it turned soft once more as she reached up to lay a hand on his shoulder. "How about _you_ had some faith in _him_ now? Or in _me_ , if no one else?"

After a moment's consideration, Orion reluctantly nodded and grabbed the centrepiece of his own necklace, his stare earnest and meaningful.

"I will, Mother." He agreed and leaned forward to put his forehead against Lydia's own.

It was a deal.

Soon after that, mother and son made their way over to the rest of the colony, its members all gathered around the hole in the ground leading to their escape. It was decided that the children, being the apes' future, would go first, followed shortly afterwards by their parents and the rest of the colony.

And the first one to be sent down into the darkness was Cornelius. The Ape Prince and future king.

Though clearly reluctant to leave Caesar's side again, he dutifully let himself be lowered down through the hole and into Maurice's waiting arms. At least he was met by a familiar, welcoming face.

Lydia could only give a soft smile of encouragement as the prince shot one last longing glance up at her before he disappeared. She hoped it had been convincing enough. All she had really wanted to do in that moment was follow and make sure he would be alright, instead of standing here and schooling her features like this as everyone, including Orion and Ivy, left as well.

But Lydia had to stay. She _had_ to make sure Caesar would get out as well – because something inside her told her that he hadn't completely let go of the grudge he felt against the Colonel.

The fact that he had turned away from the escape-route when just a few apes remained inside the cage only confirmed her suspicion, and she could only stare at his broad back as he made his way to the edge of the enclosure.

Rocket chittered lowly at her, laying a hand on her upper back and urging her to go as well. He was unsuccessful, however, and soon realised why Lydia was suddenly so distracted.

The human woman got up from her crouching position beside the hole and, closely followed by Rocket, went to the Ape King.

Unlike the colony's second-in-command, who gibbered and panted as he signed at Caesar, Lydia stayed quiet as she followed her lover's intense gaze – up to the Colonel's quarters.

"Caesar, what's wrong?" Rocket asked concernedly though Caesar, for a long while, said nothing.

Then, he turned to his trusted second and, in a voice that seemed almost resigned to Lydia, urged the two of them to leave as he inclined his head towards the hole leading down into the tunnels.

"Hurry. You must go."

" _Without you? No..._ " Rocket signed almost dejectedly.

Lydia stayed quiet, watching the conversation between the two old friends play out. It wasn't just her who cared about Caesar and wanted him to be safe, and Rocket had known him far longer than Lydia herself had. She didn't want to intrude on what she knew to be an important conversation between the two – though inclined to protest as well, she'd have her say when the time was right.

Caesar sighed, his eyes downcast.

"Maurice was right… I am like Koba." He spoke, his quiet sense of self-discovery almost startling to Lydia.

She had never expected him to admit it – much less say it out loud. He had been so furious when Maurice had pointed it out, and even more so when Lydia had agreed to the statement. For him to make this sort of confession now…

Lydia didn't know if she should be proud of him or give in to the ache she felt at hearing him utter these words.

"He could not escape his hate…" Caesar continued, undaunted, turning back to stare through the open door of the Colonel's balcony and uttering his next words in a grudging whisper. "And I still cannot escape mine… He took too much from me. Hurt too many that I love."

Lydia was certain that Rocket noticed the not-so-subtle sideways glance Caesar directed towards her as he turned back and said those words, but for whatever reason, he chose not to comment on it. In fact, he only nodded seriously and let Caesar reach forward and pull his forehead against his own, just as Orion had done with Lydia just before he had left.

Rocket still didn't look pleased with the idea of leaving without Caesar, though he made no further protests on the matter, simply jutting out his chin and giving a firm nod of understanding at his king.

Then, he turned to Lydia.

" _Come, Lydia_." He signed at her as he stepped over to her. " _We should leave_."

He gently grabbed onto her upper arm in an attempt to direct her towards their escape route, but stopped and stared in mild confusion and, perhaps, trepidation once he realised Lydia wasn't budging.

She put a hand over the one he had on her arm and gently pried it off, shaking her head.

"I'm staying here too, Rocket."

Both apes turned to stare at her, Caesar with what seemed to be a startled, almost pleading look in his eyes, while Rocket merely looked taken aback.

"Lydia." Caesar spoke grittily, though there was no anger in his voice. "This is too dangerous."

There was no real fight in his voice, Lydia realised. It was almost like he knew he wouldn't be able to change her mind, but felt like he had to try anyway, just in case he would be successful with it… For once.

" _I agree with Caesar, Lydia. You must come with me, it's not safe here!_ " Rocket chimed in, worry clear in his features. He was far more animated in his protest than Caesar.

She gave a small, fond smile at him. He was a good friend, both to her and to the Ape King. One of the best and truest she had ever had, actually.

But she couldn't let that deter now.

"Do you remember that night Roy died, Rocket?" Lydia asked gently, and both he and Caesar looked mildly confused by the question.

The balding ape nodded nonetheless.

"Do you remember what you told Caesar that night? When I wanted to go with you all to face Koba and he refused to let me?" She asked further, still in that calm, gentle tone of hers.

A small frown appeared on Rocket's face as he tried to remember, while Caesar watched the exchange calmly. He had probably already figured out what she was going to say, while Rocket still clearly needed her to be a little more specific.

She didn't give him time to recall before she deigned to remind him herself.

"You told him that I'm not a normal female. That I never had been and that he shouldn't treat me like one either."

Rocket understood the meaning behind this immediately, though looked like he still wanted to argue but couldn't come up with a counter. They had been his own words, after all, and they had been true. Lydia wasn't like the other females. He knew that, Caesar knew that, and Lydia did too – heck, everyone in the colony did.

"Besides, I would like to get my bow and hunting knife back." Lydia added with a small, careful smile.

It was a shoddy attempt at diffusing the tension with humour, the three of them all knew _that_ as well. Even so, Rocket, at least, managed to give a huff of a chuckle, shaking his head at Lydia before his features once again turned serious.

" _Protect each other._ " He instructed, his gaze shifting between Caesar and Lydia now. " _We will all be waiting for you two._ "

Lydia, now equally serious in her expression, nodded dutifully and stepped forward to embrace her long-time friend. Rocket's grip, though not suffocating, was as fierce as Lydia's own as he returned the gesture, and she fought hard to keep her emotions in check as a lump formed in her throat.

She _would_ get out of there. And so would Caesar!

He left after that, letting go of Lydia and adjusting the gun slung across his back before he trudged towards the hole in the ground. He only gave a firm nod at them both as a last farewell before he jumped down into the darkness with a soft 'thump', leaving Lydia alone at last with the Ape King.

A brief, tense silence ensued after that.

Even though he had been unexpectedly passive, calm even, in arguing about Lydia wanting to stay here, she somehow still thought he would scold her once Rocket was out of sight. Had thought he would try to convince her himself, by means of harsh words, if he had to. Lydia was preparing herself for it, out of habit by now, as he stepped up to stand in front of her.

He drew in a deep breath, only to exhale it in an almost resigned manner.

"I wish you would have gone with Rocket…" He spoke calmly, his green-and-golden gaze shifting down towards her hand almost as if he wanted to reach out for it.

She beat him to it, though, sneaking her hand into his own and squeezing it reassuringly.

The last time they had spoken one-on-one had ended in disaster and some really hurtful things had been said that night. It wasn't like Lydia had forgotten, and she knew Caesar hadn't either. But right now, that didn't matter to her. She just wanted to find comfort in his touch again and, more importantly, make sure they both got out of there once they had dealt with the Colonel.

Everything else could be talked out when this was all over.

"I promised I'd stay with you through it all, didn't I? Whether you would like it or not." She reminded Caesar with a soft look in her eyes which, for the briefest of moments, had a small smile appear on the Ape King's face.

"Yes." He nodded, brushing his thumb across the back of her hand. "And I'm glad you are coming too."


	73. A Different Kind Of Justice

_**Lydia**_

The assault from what Lydia guessed was the Northern Army began shortly after her and Caesar had made their way out of the cage and onto the roof of one of the buildings. The soldiers had begun pouring out of the barracks a few seconds later. A seemingly endless stream of armed men and women charging through the compound and reminding Lydia of a giant herd of wildebeests running straight into a croc-infested river, like in the nature documentaries she used to watch as a kid.

She almost shook her head at her own thoughts. What strange connotations the brain can make in stressful situations.

Because what was happening right now was beyond stressful, alright.

Exploding missiles hitting the base, soldiers shouting at the top of their lungs in panic, helicopters whirring as they charged through the air, the overhanging threat of being discovered outside that damned cage and shot dead…

Yeah, Lydia was pretty stressed out right now, to say the least.

Besides that, any second now she expected the soldiers to just turn their heads and realise that they were missing hundreds of ape prisoners, all of whom they had held captive in the _middle of the compound!_ They were all running straight past it, after all.

But if any of them _did_ notice the missing apes, no one seemed too concerned about it at the moment. Perhaps that was understandable with the overhanging threat of, at least by Lydia's estimation, a much better equipped army at their doorstep. Why would they take the time to think about what they considered to be a bunch of animals at such a time?

Might be that this attack would become the perfect distraction after all? Provided that her and Caesar actually survived it…

At least _that_ would be a positive note… Maybe…

Another missile rushed towards the base and Caesar quickly put an arm around Lydia's shoulders and pulled her down for cover. It didn't hit anywhere near them in the end, but she appreciated his consideration all the same.

The two of them began to stealthily make their way along the roof, heads kept low, until they reached the edge that faced the Colonel's quarters. A bunch of soldiers were gathered at the heavy metal doors leading into the building at ground level, yelling for their leader to come out as the sirens tolled in the background.

There was no answer.

"Odd…" Lydia spoke lowly beside Caesar. "Shouldn't he be out ordering everyone around at a time like this?"

Caesar nodded severely, a deep crease appearing on his heavy brow as he stared up at the balcony leading into the Colonel's room. Every morning since they had arrived, Lydia remembered how he had been standing up there, high and mighty as the soldiers had stood in line and cited that incessant battle cry of theirs.

Now, in the midst of the battle he had been expecting for so long now, the one he had been riling his troops up for, there was no sign of the madman at all.

Caesar grunted to gain Lydia's attention and inclined his head towards a narrow metal beam that might once have supported another section of roof, but now only served to mark a separation between the centre of the base and one of the barracks the soldiers lived in. Then, the Ape King reached over his own shoulder and patted his back, making Lydia tilt her head in confusion.

"What?"

"Jump on. We are going across." Caesar instructed simply.

Lydia eyed the beam again, now with visible uncertainty. As if this whole mess wasn't already stressful – now he wanted to give her a piggyback ride across a slippery metal beam about 20 feet in the air? Right above a hoard of trigger-happy soldiers in the middle of a goddamn war-zone?

Not to mention Lydia absolutely _loathed_ being carried around. She felt much better being in control of her own movements, especially when being so very far above the ground like this. As if that time she had been hauled around by Luca and Orion like a sack of potatoes during Caesar's battle with Koba hadn't been enough of this sort of stuff for a lifetime for her.

But then again, she _had_ insisted on coming along whether or not he liked it – nobody had said anything about _her_ liking it either.

The things she did for love…

"Right." Lydia agreed, moving behind Caesar's crouched form and slipping her arms over his shoulders and around his neck, hoping she wouldn't end up choking him in the process as she grabbed hold of her own wrist in front of him. He got up on all fours when he was satisfied that she had the proper grip and Lydia's legs were lifted off the roof to wrap tightly around Caesar's midsection, adding security to her hold on him.

She figured she probably looked like an abnormal, oversized ape child like this, but didn't give it much more thought once Caesar began trudging towards the precarious-looking beam. All Lydia could think of at that point was to hold on for dear life, pressing her cheek against the nape of the Ape King's neck and squeeze her own wrist so hard she was sure it would turn blue with bruises once she let go.

And speaking of letting go…

"How do we get up there once we're across this thing?" Lydia managed to ask, biting her lip.

"I will climb." Caesar answered matter-of-factly as he carefully placed one hand in front of the other, followed closely by his dexterous feet. "You keep holding on."

 _Great_ , Lydia thought sarcastically, letting her eyes wander from the ground below them and all the way up to the balcony about two floors higher up. Part of the building's façade had already been partially blown up by a missile.

 _Here's to hoping there won't be another while we're going up there_ , Lydia thought as Caesar, now safely across the beam, began making his way up the walls, using whatever nooks, crannies, metal rods and cracks in the concrete he could find to get the best grip possible.

It would probably have gone a lot faster if Lydia hadn't been weighing him down like this, especially since he wasn't exactly in prime condition after having been starved for days. Not that Lydia herself was doing any better, but she, at least, didn't have to carry another person's entire weight while climbing up a wall.

Caesar made no complaints, though. Nothing apart from the occasional grunt of exertion as he hauled them both further up until they finally, mercifully, reached the metal grid that made out the floor of the balcony. Once there, Caesar carefully snuck underneath the railing and stayed in a crouch until Lydia let go of him, first with her legs, then her arms.

He briefly laid a hand on her shoulder, silently checking if she was unharmed before they both slowly got up and, very carefully, stepped into the room.

To Lydia, it felt like walking into the lion's den.

Only the predator in question didn't seem to be home…

As she and Caesar tentatively stepped into the dark room, they didn't look back as a helicopter was shot out of the air and exploded against the mountainside just outside the base itself. The battle out there, the shouting, the shooting, the blasts of missiles striking down, all seemed to fade into the background as the pair took in their surroundings.

The place was a mess. Chairs knocked over, strewn across the floor together with lamps, books, papers and various sorts of military gear.

Now, unlike Caesar, Lydia hadn't been up here before, but she was pretty sure that this was not a state a man like the Colonel would let his private quarters be in. Deranged as he was, it was clear he believed in order and discipline, and Lydia was certain this would translate into his choice of décor as well.

The room he had picked for himself in the base was certainly as Lydia would have expected. This place, with its control panels, small, backlit war table, the windows overlooking the entire compound...

This was the central control room, supposed to be the brain of this quarantine zone and everything that took place within it.

Just like how the Colonel saw himself. In control. The brain of his unit – his soldiers his arms and legs.

But _where_ was he?

Lydia followed Caesar over to the war table, where a map of the entire West Coast was laid out, plans of military assaults scribbled onto it with a neat handwriting that Lydia was certain belonged to the Colonel. On top of said map laid a belt with hand grenades fixed to it, together with an opened can of food, a small primate skull – perhaps that of a gibbon, Lydia wasn't entirely sure – and lot of bullets lying around in piles.

A battered hip flask was also lying on the table, its contents spilled across the map…

And the picture of a young boy.

Lydia didn't even have to ask who this was. She could guess it pretty easily. Why should she be the only flu-survivor to keep pictures of loved ones, after all?

A low, laboured gasp from the room in the far back had both of them whip their heads in the direction of the sound, Caesar immediately moving a protective arm in front of Lydia to prevent her from investigating it.

Heart hammering inside her chest, Lydia obeyed her mate's silent command and stayed behind him as they slowly inched towards the back room…

* * *

 ** _Caesar_**

When Caesar finally moved past the doorframe leading to the back of the Colonel's quarters, Lydia close behind him, he was met with the sight of the man he was here to kill.

The Colonel.

Shirtless and sprawled across his bed on his stomach, arm outstretched to reach for a bottle of alcohol slipping _just_ an inch out of his grasp, he didn't notice Caesar and Lydia standing in the doorway to what was quite obviously his bedroom.

 _He must be drunk_ , the Ape King concluded inside his mind, which was already beginning to fog over with anger and the need to finally get justice. At last, the man who had caused him and his apes so much hurt and suffering would be dealt with.

" _I'll wait for you out front._ " Lydia signed after having gently poked his arm to get his attention. She had a serious, though compassionate look on her face, and Caesar nodded with the most thankful expression he could muster at the moment.

He appreciated that. Her letting him deal with this on his own. The fact that she could tell that he needed to do this by himself.

Besides, Caesar knew that this would be a low-point for him. Something that would bring him satisfaction, but also something he would never feel proud of doing. And even though he knew Lydia was no stranger to death and also had nothing but contempt to spare for this man, Caesar didn't want her to be here when it happened. Didn't want her to bear witness to what he was about to do.

She cast one last, pitiful look at the Colonel and turned back into the front room, leaving the two enemies alone at last to sort out their differences.

For Caesar to finally rid himself of his hate.

Caesar's breathing was laboured as he spotted the pistol lying by the bed, still in its holster. He couldn't have planned it better himself, even if he had tried – it was almost like the world itself wanted him to end this man right now.

The Ape King calmly moved forward and took hold of the gun, letting the holster slip off before he pointed it towards the Colonel's head. He noted with an underlying satisfaction how the man froze mid-action in front of him.

This was it.

He was ready to pull the trigger and finally end this, once and for all.

Caesar grit his teeth and felt how his brow furrowed. Tears of anger and relief were welling up in his eyes already, and he panted heavily in preparation.

He wanted the man to look up and face him. To look Caesar in the eyes and realise the mistake he had made in hurting the Ape King and those he loved. To take so much from him and still attempt to take more!

But when the Colonel finally raised his head to face Caesar, something wasn't right.

The Colonel… wasn't right.

He was drenched in sweat, his face glistening with it in the low light, and around his mouth were thick, messy trails of blood from his nose.

Caesar nearly recoiled at the sight… And then the sound.

Because when the man tried to talk to him, instead of the smooth, eerily calm voice the ape knew his enemy to possess, a raspy hiss had taken its place.

Just like the soldiers Caesar and his group had found on their journey here.

The Ape King felt his jaw go slack with realisation and, following the Colonel's gaze as it shifted towards one corner of the room, he spotted it.

The doll. The one the girl had thrown into Caesar's cage the other night in an attempt to comfort him. Its fabric was stained in blood, like a murderer covered in the blood of their victim, though it looked so innocent as it lied there on the floor, tossed away like the forgotten toy it really was.

The Colonel had become infected by it, the ape realised, an unsettling sort of sensation squirming inside his gut. He had contracted the disease that the little girl had. The one that had made the Colonel kill his men – and his own son as well.

Before he could ponder on that feeling, Caesar was brought back to the confrontation when he felt the Colonel grab his hand, the one holding the gun, and watched with a burning heart as the man put it against his own, sweaty forehead.

Newfound anger welled up inside Caesar's chest at the sight. The way the Colonel looked him in the eyes almost expectantly, as if to say: Go on. Do it. See what I have become and free me of this misery.

He forcibly removed the human's hand from the gun, wanting no guidance from his nemesis in how to end him. Not _needing_ it.

The ape shook with anger at this point, tears running down his cheeks and his eyes narrowing dangerously at the Colonel. The man who had taken his son. The man who had almost killed his mate. Who had imprisoned his apes, tortured them, worked them half to death and starved them.

But… As Caesar looked at him, eyes squeezed tightly shut and on the verge of tears in preparation for his own end, he realised that _this_ … Killing this man would never bring him the peace of mind he desired.

Those large, wet eyes begging for death… Those were not the same cold, calculating eyes with that hint of madness lurking just beneath the surface. They were the eyes of something much more primitive and helpless.

The Colonel had become the very thing he feared the most. That which he had killed his own followers to evade and eradicate. That which he had believed was beneath him as he had pushed towards his so-called higher purpose.

And now, faced with his own deterioration, he was begging for an escape. For _mercy_.

 _No…_ Caesar thought, feeling his fury melt away as he lowered the gun to simply stared at the sick human in front of him, base and weak as he was.

The Colonel opened his eyes as the metal barrel of the gun was removed from his head and looked up at Caesar with confusion painted across his bloodied face. The accompanying rasp almost sounded like a question to the ape. Perhaps he was asking what Caesar was doing?

Perhaps he was asking why he hadn't pulled the trigger?

Perhaps he was still begging?

Caesar slowly crouched in front of the sick man, laying the gun back down on the metal case beside the bed. He felt how his face fell into calmer folds the longer he stared and how all his pent-up hatred and resentment gave way to a strange sense of disappointment and pity.

There would be no satisfaction in killing this creature. No peace of mind and no feeling of justice… It would simply be giving him a mercy he didn't deserve, and Caesar wouldn't, _couldn't_ do that.

No, the Colonel would provide that for himself – just like he had for everyone else who had fallen ill to this disease.

At this point, _that_ would feel more like justice to Caesar than him pulling the trigger now ever would.

The Ape King, still with fresh trails of tears on his cheeks as he looked the Colonel in the eyes, stood once more and slowly backed away. He knew the Colonel could still grab the gun he had left beside the bed and shoot him where he stood… But somehow, he also knew that he wouldn't do it.

Not now.

The human on the bed stared after him with teary eyes and a barely-audible sniffle as he understood that Caesar would not give him his end. It was obvious that he was scared of the idea of having to do the deed himself. That he would have preferred handing over that responsibility to someone else rather than exercise his own justice onto himself.

But was he more frightened of that than he was of the disease?

Almost clumsily, the Colonel grabbed hold of the gun with his blood-stained fingers and pulled the gun up to his face. He pressed it tightly against his own cheek, almost seeming to lodge it under his cheekbone, right beneath his eye. It would be sure to kill him if he actually built up the courage shoot.

Caesar now stood in the wide doorway leading to the front room, watching calmly as the Colonel finally squeezed his eyes shut and, with one last, raspy sob, pulled the trigger.

The Ape King didn't move a muscle at the sound of the gun being fired. It seemed almost unceremonious in the way it happened, with no echo and no residual ringing through Caesar's ears.

The wall behind the Colonel was covered in blood, his head falling forward to hang limply by the edge of the bed. Caesar couldn't see his face anymore, but he could see the exit point at the back of the man's skull.

It was only then, as he finally turned away from the scene, that he noticed Lydia standing there, in the middle of the room, watching him.

The look in her eyes was soft as she regarded him, and her arms hung loosely at her sides, making her posture look almost relaxed. She had found her bow, quiver and hunting knife while Caesar had been in the other room and had strapped it all back where it belonged. Her knife, in its sheath, was strapped to her thigh. Her bow and quiver, still full of arrows, were both slung across her back, easily accessible to her once more.

She looked just about ready to go out for a hunt, had it not been for her overall rumpled, dirty clothes and almost gaunt appearance.

But her eyes were as blue as ever, the colour standing out now in the gloom that surrounded the two of them.

"You didn't kill him?" She asked quietly, puzzlement in her tone.

"No." Caesar answered simply, though took note of the fact that he didn't feel as cheated as he thought he would at this point. "I didn't… He did."

Lydia's dark brows furrowed at that, and she tilted her head in that particular manner of hers.

"But why would he-?"

Caesar shook his head, interrupting her question.

"We should leave. Join the others." He spoke stepping up to her and grasping her hand in his own. "Together, this time."

Though clearly not entirely satisfied with his dismissal of her question, Lydia nodded nonetheless and, in the most comforting way imaginable, leaned forward and pressed her forehead against his own, her free hand reaching up to cup his cheek.

"Are you okay, though?" She asked gently. Her voice was barely audible over the explosions and gunfire from the outside, but their close proximity meant that Caesar heard it all the same.

He nodded, doing a great exhale at the same time, as if finally ridding himself of the anger he had felt for so long now.

He didn't want to tell her about the Colonel being sick just yet. Changed and unable to speak because he had touched the little girl's doll. The same little girl Lydia had shared furs and coats with for weeks now… What if…

 _No, not now_. Caesar chided himself. _This is not the place nor the time to worry about this. We are still in danger just by being here_.

Almost as if to underline that thought, the sudden sound of pained and frightened ape screams sounded over the constant barrage of gunfire, and the human and ape immediately pulled apart, whipping their heads towards the wall of windows.

"No…!" Lydia gasped as Caesar rushed to the balcony, fists desperately gripping the metal railing.

The soldiers…

They were shooting the apes!

* * *

 ** _Lydia_**

Horror gripped Lydia's heart the moment she heard the screams. If she didn't know any better, she could have sworn she _felt_ how all colour drained from her face in that instant.

Those were her people down there! Her close friends and her _family_! What if Orion had been hit?! Or Cornelius, or Ivy or Tinker!? Any one of them could already be lying down there, injured or – dare she even think it? – dead!

Before she had time to think of something herself, Caesar had rushed back into the room and grabbed the belt with hand grenades lying on the war table, slinging it across his shoulder.

"Come!" He demanded, not waiting for Lydia to follow as he threw his arm around her shoulder and ushered her out onto the balcony.

In that moment, the muffled voice of a human male could be heard just outside the door to the Colonel's quarters, followed by a loud banging sound as they attempted to get inside.

The Colonel must not have wanted others to see him in his drunken state, Lydia figured, because he had completely barricaded the door with all kinds of junk. Metal crates, tent canvases, chairs and even a large rifle lie in the path of the heavy metal door, making it more than just a little difficult for the soldiers on the other side to force their way in.

It wouldn't hold them forever, though, Lydia knew that well enough.

And so did Caesar, who grabbed her in a painfully firm hold around the waist and suddenly hauled himself over the balcony's railing with the strength of his free arm.

It was all Lydia could do not to scream in utter terror as she felt the two of them drop down through the air, and her arms automatically surged up and around Caesar's neck to latch onto him for dear life. What was he even thinking?!

Before she had even finished that thought, Lydia felt a sharp jerk against her ribs as their fall was halted by the Ape King, who had used his free hand and feet to grab on to the desecrated, burning flag that hung on the outside of the building, right beneath the Colonel's balcony.

He didn't manage to completely stop their descend, but the action did slow them down considerably and gave Caesar the extra time he needed to adjust their landing. It wasn't a soft one, but at least he ended up on his feet and one free hand, with Lydia only just managing to pull her long legs up so that her own feet and shins wouldn't be full-on slammed against the ground.

They both gave a pained grunt either way, and Lydia could swear she felt her ribs slightly give way against Caesar's arm upon impact.

At once, he backed up beneath the balcony by which they had made their escape and dragged Lydia with him until his back hit the concrete wall beside the main entrance to the building. There were no longer any soldiers standing here, as they had all forced their way inside and up to the Colonel's quarters in search of their leader.

They both looked up as they heard the loud exclaims from high above, knowing the soldiers had now burst into the room and discovered the body. One of them rushed out onto the balcony, the bottom of his boots visible through the metal grid floor, though he didn't consider looking through it and directly below where he stood. If he had, he would have discovered the two of them instantly.

He disappeared a few seconds later, and only then did Lydia feel Caesar's vice-like grip around her midsection loosen up. She gasped and let her arms slide off from around his neck.

"Shit…" She mumbled as she leaned against the wall, her back flat against the cold surface, and willed her heart and lungs to return to their rightful places in her chest rather than up her throat.

This whole situation was completely insane!

Caesar didn't give Lydia much time to catch her breath and regain control of her now somewhat wobbly legs. He turned and grabbed her shoulder with his other hand, eyes intense and commanding as they stared into her own.

"Lydia! Go! Get out of here!" He ordered and pointed towards the adult apes' cage.

An explosion sounded as a missile hit somewhere off to the far side of the base.

Lydia's heart sank, and she felt a strange, fearful twist in her stomach at his words. She could tell that he didn't intend on coming along with her, even now.

"What?! What happened to doing this 'together'?! I won't leave you, Caesar!"

"You must! I have to stop this!" Another explosion, this one closer to where they stood. "GO!"

He jerked away from the concrete wall they had been pressed against, pushing Lydia forward as well with a hand firmly planted against her back, urging her towards the escape route. She stumbled with the force of it and almost fell head-first onto the ground, though she managed to right herself just in time to see Caesar charge down the road between the cages on all-fours. He clearly expected her to follow his orders now – otherwise he wouldn't have left her behind like this.

But even now, Lydia wouldn't follow Caesar's orders.

She grit her teeth and clenched her fists.

No! She wouldn't leave! He might want her to, but she had _promised_ to stay! She wouldn't go down into that damned tunnel unless she knew he was with her!

And almost as if that mere thought had set things in motion, that's when she saw it. Or rather, she saw _him_.

A soldier coming forward from behind the back of the children's cage.

A soldier with a crossbow.

A soldier with his eyes firmly set on Caesar's retreating form.

 _Oh no, you fucking don't!_ Lydia thought as fury and a familiar sense of spitefulness rose inside her. She knew very well what this man intended to do, and she was having none of it! They hadn't come all this way just for this asshole to ruin it all in the last second!

But just as she took out her bow and prepared to run after them, Lydia heard a grunt to her left and froze.

It was too deep, gritty and downright animalistic in its quality to come from a man.

Momentarily distracted, and with no small hint of anxiety, Lydia turned her head and almost did a double-take when she saw him.

Red.

He was standing several yards away from her, one giant arm bracing against a concrete wall and a hand clenched and shaking at his side. The flames dancing across the green canvas of a tent behind him made his red fur take on an orange gleam and his eye sockets look deeper than they truly were. He was breathing hard, with an expression of horror and trauma on his face that Lydia had never imagined she would see on him.

He realised she was there, staring at him, only a split-second later, blue clashing with green as their eyes connected across the distance between them.

Hadn't she already known there was another threat closing in on Caesar, Lydia would probably have been caught like a deer in the headlights by the mere sight of the red-furred silverback. Would probably have knocked and arrow and loosened it at him first and then asked questions later.

But she turned away instead, not caring if Red was going to follow and try to capture her or even kill her as she darted down the road between the cages as fast as her legs would carry her.

She had more important things than Red to worry about right now.

And besides, he looked pretty distracted himself.

* * *

 _ **Caesar**_

Caesar was so close! Just a few yards more and he would be able to throw the grenade and, hopefully, divert the soldiers' attention long enough for his apes to escape – maybe he would even manage to destroy their ramparts. It was a rather large oil tank…

He rose up from his four-legged run and reached for one of the grenades tied to the belt he had taken from the Colonel's quarters, moving his other hand to release the pin.

This was it! If he could _just_ hit that oil tank with this grenade, then maybe…!

Suddenly though, Caesar was forced to halt his movements as something landed in front of his feet.

He stumbled forward, bracing against the ground with his free hand while holding on to the grenade with his other, the pin, thankfully, still in place.

Caesar only just realised that the thing that had landed in front of him was in fact an arrow, when something else whooshed past him just a foot or two ahead a mere second after he has stopped. Despite everything that was going on all around him, the explosions, the shooting, the screams and shouts of the soldiers, the whirring of helicopter blades and the hums of engines, the Ape King still heard the hiss of the quiet projectile that went past him, the sound of an arrow in flight familiar to him by now.

But it wasn't one of Lydia's arrows. Not like the first one. The one that had landed in front of his feet, which he had recognised almost immediately by its fletching.

Caesar quickly turned around to see what was going on behind him, only to come face to face with a soldier.

And not just any soldier… No, it was the one they called Preacher. The one Caesar had released together with his companions that day back in the forest. The one who had witnessed his conversation with the Colonel about the madman's supposed cleansing of humanity.

The one with the crossbow.

He looked angry, determined and scared all at once, but his eyes were also narrowed with a hint of confusion.

Immediately, Caesar knew it was him who had fired the second arrow. And it would have hit him, had Lydia's own not stopped Caesar in his tracks.

But if Lydia had loosened an arrow just now, that meant…

The Ape King's eyes widened in realisation as they looked past Preacher, despite the danger he posed.

And sure enough, there stood Lydia, by the corner of the adult apes' cage, flames and debris as backdrop as her blue eyes shone with anger. She yet another arrow knocked, pointing it towards the unsuspecting soldier.

Preacher didn't get the chance to follow Caesar's gaze before Lydia's second projectile pierced his throat, entering the back of the man's neck and protruding just beside his Adam's apple.

Preacher's eyes widened in shock. The Ape King wasn't sure she had punctured the jugular, but copious amounts of blood trickled down the soldier's uniform nonetheless, staining it an unbecoming shade of crimson.

The human male staggered, fear and pain apparent on his face as he reached up with one hand to his bleeding throat. It spilled from his mouth as well, and he gurgled as he turned around to stare at Lydia.

Her eyes were cold and uncaring as they met her victim's own.

Then, in what seemed to be Preacher's final, desperate move, he jerked his crossbow into position and aimed it at Lydia, who was quick to draw her own weapon in turn…

Caesar's breath caught in his throat, and he scrambled to his feet in a vain attempt to charge forward and tackle Preacher to the ground before he could release his weapon. Even without having ever wielded one himself, he knew that a crossbow was a much more powerful weapon than a simple bow, even if this one wasn't ape-made.

Lydia didn't stand a chance, and Caesar knew it – and that he had to do something before she got hurt!

Only… Someone else beat the Ape King to it.

Out of nowhere a familiar figure, a huge, red-furred silverback, came forth from behind Lydia, imposing as he charged on all fours towards Preacher with a mighty roar.

Caesar looked on with a mixture of confusion and astonishment as Red rose up once he was near his target, only to be hit by one of Preacher's crossbow bolts. The man had wisely decided that Red was a bigger threat than Lydia, though his quick thinking did little to save him as the enormous silverback came upon him.

He would have eventually died by Lydia's arrow anyway, though he didn't stand a chance against Red's brutal strength, not even getting the time to scream as he was thrown violently onto the ground. Red had gone for Preacher's neck, twisting it away from the torso to ensure it broke upon impact.

It was a very effective technique indeed.

The gorilla was all laboured breathing and pained gasps as he leaned over his human victim, now dead on the ground, and Caesar saw then that not only had Preacher's bolt hit Red deeply in his right pectoral – Lydia's arrow had also hit the gorilla, piercing his left shoulder.

Yards behind Red, Lydia looked horrified, though Caesar knew it wasn't due to the soldier's sudden, brutal demise. No, she was horrified because she had, quite obviously by accident, hit Red as he had come forth to defend her.

The traitorous gorilla, though clearly affected by his injuries, raised his head and looked directly into Caesar's eyes, only for his gaze to shift down onto the belt with grenades lying at the Ape King's feet.

He didn't say a word, either because he didn't need to or because he simply couldn't right now – Caesar understood the message either way.

Right! He still had a job to do. He still had to save the apes!

He could worry about Red later.

Caesar nodded with renewed purpose and determination, then turned, pulled the pin on the grenade he was still holding firmly within his grasp, and threw it at the leaking oil tank he had originally intended to destroy.

The soldiers up on the ramparts never saw it coming once Caesar's grenade set off the chain of explosions right beneath their feet, more or less destroying the defensive wall the apes had helped create.

Caesar was thrown onto his back and sent rolling along the ground by it all, while Lydia had merely stumbled and managed to support herself against the edge of the cage, covering her face with her other arm. As Caesar managed to prop himself up on his forearms, he was relieved to not that she had been a relatively safe distance away and didn't look to have been hurt.

Red, meanwhile, wasn't nearly as lucky. He was still on the ground by Preacher's body and, having been unable to move away from the inferno Caesar had created, his fur was singed, and his face slightly burned. He was making vain attempts at pulling out the crossbow bolt, groaning in pain each and every time he tried.

There was no way he would be able to reach Lydia's arrow.

Caesar coughed as he got up off the ground, taking his eyes off the struggling gorilla to look at the destruction in front of him. Burning debris were still falling onto the ground after having been shot up unto the air by the explosions, and there was no trace of any of the soldiers who had previously occupied the ramparts – which were now falling apart as the flames ate at them.

It _would_ have been a liberating moment to Caesar, knowing he had removed the threat to his apes…

If it hadn't been for the fact that he was almost instantly made aware of an ominous, high-pitched whistle, hard to pin-point due to the persistent ringing in his ears.

It almost sounded like the tea kettle back in his childhood home, the one Charles kept in the kitchen but stopped using once he had gotten sicker.

Only _this_ whistling kept getting louder…

A split-second later Caesar managed to locate the source of the sound, and his green-and-golden eyes widened in alarm as he saw a second tank, the contents of which had caught fire and were now getting ready to explode as well.

It was the last look Caesar would ever share with Red as he turned back to him, wanting to save the ape who had come to their aid while every instinct was also screaming for him to get out of there.

Red only nodded meaningfully at the Ape King, though, and inclined his head towards Lydia with a resigned, but peaceful look on his face.

Caesar, understanding, returned the nod before running towards his mate.

"RED!" Lydia shouted with equal amounts of confusion and desperation as Caesar came towards her.

But there was no time to save the traitor-turned-hero ape.

He had accepted his fate and in doing so, he had saved himself in his own way.

It all happened in a flash after that.

"Run, Lydia! NOW!" Caesar roared just as the second tank exploded, going up in flames with an ear-splitting boom that shook the very ground itself.

He was by her side in seconds, grabbing her upper arm rather harshly as he pulled her to he feet. Having to run on all fours, though, he let go of her immediately afterwards, but made sure to usher her in front of him as they both made a dash for the adult apes' cage.

Lydia threw herself along the dirt legs-first and slid down into the tunnels through the hole, and all Caesar could do as he leapt down in much the same manner a second later was to hope he wouldn't land on top of her.

Perhaps luckily, the sliding-manoeuvre had her stumble to the side once her feet had hit the ground, and so the Ape King had the space he needed to also get down into the tunnels relatively unscathed – and without hurting Lydia.

The danger wasn't over, though. Far from it.

"Come on!" Caesar grunted just as another explosion sounded, then another…. And _another_.

She was up and running through the dark, wet tunnels in no time, and the water trickling through the place splashed around them with every hurried step. Despite running on two legs rather than on all fours, like Caesar did, the danger still literally being hot at their heels seemed to have Lydia run just as fast as the Ape King himself did in that moment.

He only just noticed how the roof of the tunnels were about to collapse as they neared the end of the path and he leapt forward with a gasp, taking Lydia down with him just as the roof fell behind them, choking the flames. Both covered the backs of their own heads with their hands, though it was Caesar who took the brunt of the scattered debris that fell down on the two of them as he covered Lydia with his own body.

The final explosion shook everything around them and, in its wake, left a strange ringing in Caesar's ears.

For a long while, that and the sound of his and Lydia's laboured pants of exertion was all the ape could hear. Was all he could focus on until he finally had the sense to open his eyes, which had been squeezed tightly shut up until this point.

His eyes were met with the glare of the white sky above them at the end of the ladder they had reached.

"Are you okay?" Came Lydia's voice, out of breath and unusually meek.

Caesar shifted his gaze down to her, still pressed firmly to the ground underneath his heavy arm and torso. The skin on her face was smudged with dirt in several places and most of her hair had come out of her braid to hang like tattered curtains around her face. Other than that, she seemed to be okay.

He nodded wordlessly in confirmation and soon got up on his feet, helping Lydia upright as well in the process.

They climbed the creaky ladder with careful movements, and Caesar insisted he go first in order to check for danger.

"Stay here." He instructed, his voice almost booming in the relative silence that had followed the explosions. It almost had Caesar himself flinch.

Thankfully, Lydia didn't protest – not this time, at least.

And good thing she did, because the moment Caesar emerged from the darkness, he was met with the sound of human voices. Hundreds of them, their unified shouts not unlike the sound of a raging ocean crashing against the shore. He could only just spy them as they rushed past the boulders surrounding the entrance to the tunnels, their white attire seeming to almost make them all blur together into one giant, ominous being.

If their shouts had sounded like an ocean, the way they all charged past was like the violent current of a river sweeping through the landscape.

The Ape King was both amazed and horror-struck at the sight.

It was a huge army indeed – the Colonel had been right to fear their arrival and, the ape thought, a true madman if he had thought he would have had a chance of winning against them.

Caesar didn't think he had seen this many humans since… well, since that time in the city during Koba's betrayal.

After having helped Lydia up, he snuck closer behind the boulders to see what the army would do now that their enemy had been obliterated – and to try and see whether or not he and Lydia could escape unnoticed.

"Caesar?" His mate questioned, her voice puzzled and nervous all at once.

She too crept up behind the boulder, a hand splayed softly against Caesar's back as she looked over his head.

The compound the had been kept prisoner in had been almost entirely destroyed. The only thing left was an empty concrete shell, charred and crumbling in the wake of the chain of explosions Caesar had unleashed upon it.

The soldiers probably thought it was their own doing, though. Had no reason to believe otherwise.

The shouting transformed into a quiet murmur as they all suddenly stopped, and there was a tense atmosphere all around as one of their vehicles penetrated the broken-down walls of the base.

It was only a few, short moments later that the invading army brought forth two or three scrambling survivors, and the massive army began cheering loudly, realising that they had won.

It was also at that exact time that Caesar heard a faint rumble and, with a slight sense of trepidation, turned his gaze towards the base…

And saw it…

Movement at the very top of the mountain…

Caesar couldn't help but slowly get up, forgetting all about the army just off to his right as he stared, trying to make sense of what was going on all the way up there.

"Caesar!? What are you-…?!" Lydia hissed at him.

She got up and grabbed hold of his arm with both hands to try and drag him back into hiding, only to stop mid-sentence and stare at mountain as well, equally stunned.

It was only when the cheering began to die down that Caesar realised they had been spotted, and both he and Lydia, still holding on to his arm, turned to see how the soldiers, one after another, stopped and turned to stare at them.

An eerie silence began to set over the massive gathering of humans, and the fact that here was no way to tell their intent from their facial expressions, as they were all wearing masks, only made the situation feel all the more unnerving. No eyes, no mouth – no expression. Just faceless beings quietly staring back at them.

However, it soon became clear what they would do when one of them, the one who stood nearest, began raising his gun to take aim, and Lydia quickly moved to stand defensively in front of Caesar, putting herself between him and the enormous group of stoic enemies.

Before any sort of confrontation could begin though, the deep rumble from before sounded again.

And this time, it didn't stop, but got steadily louder and louder, drawing everyone's attention away from Caesar and Lydia and back towards the mountain.

Just in time to see a sea of snow coming down towards them, roaring as it buried everything in its path.

Not caring whether the soldiers would try to shoot or not, Caesar grabbed hold of Lydia's arms and, ignoring her yelp of surprise, all but dragged her onto his back. He knew she wouldn't be able to outrun this on her own two legs – Caesar doubted he could do it himself, even without Lydia's added weight – but there was no way he was going to leave her behind.

He just had to try!

Perhaps out of instinct rather than comprehension of what Caesar wanted her to do, Lydia obediently locked her arms and legs around him from behind, exactly like when they had climbed to the Colonel's quarters. After that, Caesar went down on all fours and bolted, hoping against hope that Lydia would be able to hold on as he raced to get away from the avalanche.

He didn't need to turn and look to know that the human army had made a break for it as well, though took heart in the fact that they hadn't made it a priority to shoot them before escaping themselves.

Each to their own.

Caesar moved quickly across the flattened terrain in front of the decimated military base, knuckles pounding against the cold, hard ground as he ran. The added force of his movements due to Lydia's weight should probably have made his hands hurt upon each impact, but Caesar hardly felt any of it as he kept on running.

He had to slow down somewhat as it got steadily more difficult to traverse the terrain. Snow-covered rocks and fallen trees soon served mostly as frustrating obstacles rather than the helpful hiding places they had once been as they reached the foot of the cliff, and all the while Caesar felt how Lydia fought to keep holding on.

 _Stay with me!_ The Ape King thought as he jumped on to a large boulder and up onto a tree. The snow bore down on them as the avalanche hit, and he was unable to hear Lydia's grunt as they landed. _Just a little bit further!_

The tree immediately succumbed to the force of the snowy onslaught and started to fall as soon as Caesar jumped onto it.

He rushed to along the trunk to leap at another one.

This one had to hold – it just _had_ to – he couldn't jump any further from this point.

Caesar only just managed to do it and fought his way up with the help of the scattered branches, feeling Lydia's grip around his body weaken further still as wave after wave of snow made the tree jerk repeatedly back and forth.

And then, all of a sudden, Caesar felt her arms slip away from his shoulders.

 _NO!_ His mind roared with anguish as he felt her body detach from his back at what turned out to be the second-to-last jerk. Caesar, however, found himself unable to turn around and reach out for her as he still had to cling on to the tree himself.

He _did_ manage to turn just his head, however, and almost regretted it as soon as he did so.

"NOOO!" He heard his own voice rage against the icy wind.

"CAESAR!"

Both his own shout and the frightened scream that left Lydia as she disappeared through the snow were drowned out by the roar of the avalanche, even if it was about to come to an end just then.

The last Caesar saw of her was her fearful, wide-eyed face and the arms that desperately reached out for him as Lydia fell backwards into the white blur.

And with that, his Lydia, his constant companion, his friend and his love, was gone.


	74. Apes Together Strong

_**Orion**_

Orion clung to the tree for dear life, unable to help Ivy further up the thick trunk. He just hoped that she would be alright, and that Cornelius would be safe with Lake over in one of the other trees.

The icy flakes hit his face so hard that it stung his very skin, and the gusts of freezing winds forced their way underneath even the densest layers of hair on his body, making him doubt that he would ever feel warm again.

And then there was the sound! One moment a deep, dark rumble, the next a whooshing howl. It was like the very world itself was erased by the white, deafening blur and all that kept Orion grounded to reality was the very tree he was struggling so hard to cling on to, even as it jerked back and forth with every new wave of snow.

Still, despite the onslaught on his senses and the distraction of trying to desperately hold on to the tree, Orion's eyes opened wide when he heard…Something.

Was it a scream? And a roar?

From where?

Perhaps it was a trick of the wind? He sure hoped it was. Perhaps a high-pitched howl as the air travelled quickly against the bare cliffsides? The morphed sound of a distant old tree snapping in half? It was so hard to tell with the winds blowing so viciously all around him that, in the end, Orion wasn't even sure he had actually heard anything at all or if he had just imagined it.

By the time the avalanche had finally run its course, ending just as suddenly as it had begun, and his vision was no longer blocked by a wall of whiteness, Orion had almost forgotten about the sound. Instead, he let his eyes shift in quick succession from one tree to the next, searching.

He found Ivy first, as she was in the same tree as Orion himself, a few feet further up the trunk. She had only just begun to blink her eyes open after having had them squeezed tightly shut as she pressed her cheek against the bark, but otherwise looked to be unharmed.

 _Good_ , Orion thought with a sigh of relief before continuing his scan of the immediate area.

Next came Lake and, by extension, Cornelius, who had taken refuge in a much larger tree a few yards from Orion's. Lake had used her own body to shield the little prince from the elements, the fine layer of white all over her back standing out against her dark coat of fur. Cornelius gave a small hoot of recognition once he spotted Orion looking at them, showing no signs of pain or even discomfort.

So, his friend and new little brother were both fine as well.

Letting his eyes roam further, he also spotted Tinker, Shale, Juniper, Rocket, Maurice and his little human girl, and many more.

Lastly, he spotted Caesar as well, whose face was the only thing Orion could see from this spot, the rest of the Ape King's body obscured behind the thick tree trunk he held on to.

Orion couldn't see his mother anywhere, though, but tried to reason with himself that she was most likely still clinging to Caesar's back – just because he couldn't _see_ her didn't mean she wasn't there, and he did remember watching as Caesar had charged towards the trees with Mother on his back, who had been holding on for dear life.

But just as Orion had managed to ease his own anxiety, the expression on Caesar's face, one of horrified realisation, caused it to re-emerge, stronger and more ominous than it had been before. And then there was the fact that the Ape King _then_ made his way down the tree far quicker than he should realistically have been able to while carrying another person on his back…

This… This didn't bode well, and Orion's heart instantly began racing – not with relief and excitement, as had initially been the case, but with trepidation and dread as he too began making his way down his own tree, Ivy following close behind him.

She had to know something was wrong as well. Orion was sure she could sense it, if not by Caesar's demeanour, then by Orion's own, though she remained silent as she made her way to his side once they were both down on the ground once more.

It didn't take very long for the rest of the colony to also reach the forest floor, everyone making a beeline for Caesar with concerned and curious gibbers – but no one with more urgency than Orion.

Even now, he was still trying to convince himself that it probably wasn't as bad as his own mind made it seem. Mother had always told him that while caution could potentially be a life-saver, jumping to conclusions never was, and it often caused grief more than anything else.

This, however, was hard to keep in mind as both his breathing and his steps quickened, but Orion was determined to stay positive nonetheless.

Mother was there. She might be injured, but she was there.

Of course she was there.

She had to be – she had _promised_ him she would.

But then Orion, soon followed by the rest of the colony, rounded the tree Caesar had occupied, only to finally have confirmed what he had feared all along…

Mother was nowhere to be seen. There was only Caesar, who stood by the bottom of the tree, alone and, quite obviously, distressed. His breath came out in urgent, almost panicked huffs, his large chest heaving as he stood there, restless but unmoving.

Orion's heart sank and with much difficulty, he swallowed the lump beginning to appear in his throat as he approached the Ape King.

"Caesar…" He spoke once he got close enough for the other ape to hear him. "Where is Mother?"

Caesar didn't answer, out of breath as he was, and clearly more occupied with letting his eyes roam the sloping mountainside in an almost frantic manner. Like he was looking for something… important.

 _Oh no…_

"Caesar?" Orion tried again, though he still didn't receive a reaction.

Bile began to rise in Orion's throat as a sickening sense of foreboding took hold of him.

"Caesar…!" Came his voice again, more forcefully this time.

Few others had ever dared speaking to the Ape King with such a tone and hadn't Orion already been too busy worrying about Mother, he would probably have felt ashamed for it. In fact, it was strange that nobody, Maurice in particular, hadn't deigned to reprimand him for his tone…

Caesar didn't seem to take immediate note of Orion's rather disrespectful manner of addressing him either, though this time, he _did_ look back at the younger ape rather than out across the snow-covered landscape.

The look in his eyes as they met Orion's own spoke for itself, and not even the freezing winds or the avalanche's icy onslaught could rival the chill that went up Orion's spine just then.

He had lost her…

Caesar had _lost_ Mother…

Orion's hackles began to rise instantly, even if he tried to contain himself by drawing in slow, calculated breaths, the cold air piercing and painful as it hit his lungs.

He felt someone lay a hand on his arm, instantly knowing it was Ivy without even having to look. She was trying to calm him down. And comfort him.

Orion wasn't so certain that it would work right now.

"How…?" He asked darkly, doing his best not to let his voice falter and break.

To his credit, Caesar looked just as anguished as Orion felt. His eyes were swimming with pain and regret as they returned to Orion from having frantically searched the landscape once more.

"She slipped…" He spoke, voice faint and disbelieving. "Just before it ended… Her hands slipped."

Orion squeezed his eyes shut in a vain attempt to drown out the image that came to mind with Caesar's words.

That scream he had heard…

It had been Mother… Probably screaming for Caesar as she had fallen.

Though his heart wasn't calmed at all by this knowledge, Orion knew deep down that it was senseless to be angry at Caesar for what had happened. He couldn't very well have let go of the tree to grab Mother, the younger chimp knew. That would only have resulted in _both_ of them being lost in the snow. Still, he couldn't keep his hands from shaking as they clenched into fists at his sides.

Mother had _promised_ him… She had promised to come out and re-join them all. Promised that she would be right behind him!

But he couldn't be angry at her either. It wasn't her fault that, in her weakened state, her hold of Caesar had slipped in the last moment. After she had done everything she could to get back to Orion… _and_ to Cornelius.

He turned away from Caesar to look at his adopted little brother, still cradled in Lake's arms and clearly looking around for the one person he knew was missing – the one who stood out the most in all of the colony.

She had been so close to making it and yet…

The lump in Orion's throat thickened, obstructing his airways, and it only worsened with Ivy's reassuring squeeze of his hand. The look of sadness and compassion on her face was almost enough for Orion to finally break, the dreaded realisation that he had lost yet another of his parents slowly creeping over him.

But just then, before it managed to completely consume him, a distant, lonely bark reached Orion's ears.

He was the first to turn towards the sound, everyone else following suit moments later, though at first, he didn't see anything. Only a vast, white landscape occasionally broken up by dark grey cliffsides and lonely pine trees. Nothing here even seemed alive…

But then, as if out of a dream, Orion saw it - saw Storm charging through the snow a few hundred yards further up the mountainside, spearing through the sea of white with eagerness. Her shaggy, dark grey coat stood out starkly against the blinding glare that surrounded her, and her barks echoed through the valley with obvious excitement.

"Storm…" Orion breathed in disbelief coupled with fond recognition. He hadn't seen his other pet for so long and seeing her now briefly managed to distract Orion from his moment of despair.

She reached the gathering of apes before he could collect himself, though he wasted no time falling to his knees and lay his hands on her soft coat of fur as she came up to greet him with licks and excited whines. He didn't think he had ever seen her so ecstatic, not even back when he had come home from his journey with Rocket and Blue Eyes.

She greeted Ivy next, who still stood right beside Orion. Then Caesar, who's pained look remained, even as the canine pressed her muzzle against his large hand. She then went to Maurice, the little girl, Rocket and the strange, clothed chimp who called himself Bad Ape – all those she knew by both sight and scent.

And she would most likely have continued to greet the whole colony, had an idea not struck Orion at that moment, prompting him to call the dog back to himself, hope and determination taking hold of his heart as she obediently came over to sit in front of him.

"Maurice!" Orion called for his old teacher then, and the orangutan almost looked startled at his name being uttered with such urgency. "Mother's backpack. Do you have it? It was not taken from her?"

Maurice immediately shook his head and, turning to the little human girl by his side, procured the old, weathered backpack from the child's shoulders.

Orion should have seen it before – it looked uncomfortably large and cumbersome on her small form… But he had probably been too distracted to notice.

He took it with a quick nod of thanks and began rummaging through it, frantically picking item after item out, occasionally smelling them before chucking them back inside the bag with increasingly disapproving grunts. He could literally _feel_ the strange looks from everyone present drilling into him, most of them probably thinking he had lost his mind in his despair at losing his mother.

But no, he was not losing it. Rather, Orion was sure he was onto something – if only he could find a suitable item.

But these smells were all either too faint or not Mother's at all – she had probably let the child borrow some of her clothes during their journey here.

 _No good_ , Orion thought.

He needed something with his _mother's_ smell. Something Storm would be more likely to pick up on. If there was any chance that Mother was still alive out there, somewhere, somehow, Orion knew Storm would be their best bet at finding her. Mother had told him long ago how dogs were trained by humans for all kinds of purposes, and he distinctly remembered her telling about dogs finding people who had been lost or buried alive. Storm's arrival and subsequent sniffing at everyone present had made Orion realise that they might use that to their advantage.

He gave the canine a sideways glance. Storm was trained for hunting, not searching for humans underneath thick layers of snow, but right now, it was the best shot they had at finding Mother at all. If he could just find something – _anything_!

Orion grit his teeth in frustration, ignoring Ivy's insistent hand on his shoulder and Caesar crouching in front of him, probably realising that Orion had a plan – or at least the beginnings of one.

Suddenly, Storm moved forward on her own and buried her muzzle inside the depths of the backpack, only to rear back moments later with something inside her mouth.

It was one of Mother's old shirts. The dark blue one which had become so tattered and almost see-through that she only ever used it to sleep in these days.

 _Of course!_ Orion thought in tentative triumph. This old thing was sure to have Mother's scent all over it. She would never lend something like that to someone else.

He hauled the backpack over his shoulder and came over to gently pry out the shirt from Storm's mouth, only to present it to the dog for her to be able to smell it properly.

"Where is she, Storm?" Orion spoke softly as he held the fabric to the canine's nose. "Where is Mother? Where is Lydia?"

It felt weird referring to her by her name but at this point, Orion was going to use every trick he could think of in the hopes that Storm would understand what he wanted her to do. Dogs were smart, he knew.

She looked up at him with perked ears, then carefully sniffed at the shirt being held out to her.

"Search, Storm." The ape tried, his hands clenching involuntarily around the dark blue fabric. "Search…!"

At the command, Storm's tail rose high in the air and she gave a short bark, almost seeming like she wanted to play, before she turned as swiftly as a startled hare and ran off into the direction the avalanche had swept down the mountainside.

Orion's mouth opened in utter bafflement before he briefly turned his head to share a look with Caesar. His expression was one of surprise and hopefulness rivalling Orion's own.

Turning their attention back to Storm, both apes got up and scrambled through the snow to follow her. The rest of the colony followed in their wake almost immediately, creating a cacophony of curious, urgent hoots and chitters as they went.

Despite the snow having seemed like the finest of powder as it had blown past them in the trees, Orion soon discovered that it had packed itself together rather densely once the avalanche had stopped. Every time he took a step, his foot fell through until the snow reached his thigh, which hampered him greatly and made it all the more difficult to follow Storm as she practically leapt through the snow with ease.

By the time she halted, several hundred yards from the trees the apes had sought refuge in, both Orion, Caesar and everyone else was out of breath and panting harshly. Many were still trying to catch up as Storm began to circle the area she had decided to stop at, and Orion looked on with mounting anxiety and the barest flicker of hope churning inside his gut.

Beside him, Caesar was watching with equally intense eyes as Storm's tail began to wag incessantly. Many times, she would promptly stick her entire face deeply into the snow, only to pull back seconds later, move a few feet and do the same thing once more.

This behaviour continued for what seemed like an eternity to Orion but must only have lasted about a minute at most.

Then, Storm began to bark… and dig through the snow with much enthusiasm.

With a gasp, realising she had found something, Orion darted over and threw himself onto his knees beside the dog, using his large hands to practically shovel the snow out of the way.

He was so single-mindedly focused on the task that he only noticed Caesar had come over to help as well when a second pair of hands entered his field of vision. His breathing was just as laboured and desperate as Orion's own as the two of them kept digging.

A few feet down, they finally came upon something…

A piece of dark deerskin leather emerged from within the icy depths, soon to be followed by a limp, gloved human hand.

"Mother?!" Orion gasped, green eyes widening.

Storm began to whine and press her face into the snow where Mother's head would be, her shaggy tail still wagging as she pushed the snow aside with her muzzle.

The hand they had uncovered began to move, first weakly, then more frantically until Caesar grabbed it while Orion moved to carefully uncovered Mother's shoulders and head.

He almost fell over backwards when she emerged from the snow, soaked through and gasping for breath as Caesar pulled her up by her hand into a sitting position, supporting her with a palm against her back.

And there she was, heaving and gulping down air like she would be robbed of the privilege again at any moment.

She was a mess. Her eyes were wide, her hair completely out of her braid and hanging around her head in damp strands. Her skin had an almost blueish tint to it, though whether from lack of air or from the cold, Orion couldn't tell – perhaps it was actually both?

He hardly noticed the anxious, concerned murmurs and gibbers from the rest of the colony as they stood around the scene, looking on as Mother caught her breath. She was shaking from the cold, her teeth clattering audibly, and she was still holding on to Caesar's hand for dear life, though she didn't even seem to be aware of it – or anything else for that matter, as she stared down at the ground with unseeing eyes.

Looking her over, Orion discovered that her bow and quiver were, amazingly, still on her person, though the arrows had all been lost during her tumble in the snow. It didn't mean much – they could easily be replaced. Orion had half a mind to be surprised that the bowstring hadn't snapped. Goes to show that human-made weapons were still far sturdier than what the apes could produce.

Though clearly wanting to stay near and check up on her condition, Caesar backed off somewhat when Orion began moving closer and laid an arm around his mother's shoulders. Even so, the Ape King never took his keen, desperate-looking gaze off her as the younger ape pulled her close.

"Mother…?" Orion tried when she continued to stare down at the ground, still shaking and breathing rather harshly.

He gently cupped her cold cheek with his other hand, and the contact almost instantly jarred her out of her panicked state of mind. She blinked but made no move to resist once Orion slowly made her turn to face him, and his throat closed up as he saw her bottom lip quiver and her wide, blue eyes well up with tears of relief.

"Oh, Orion!" Mother said as she fell into his arms with a gasp and he immediately encased her in a bone-crushing embrace, rocking back and forth to comfort her.

It was only at this point, as he heard her voice, that Orion was truly put at ease.

Mother was okay! She was alive! Ice cold and soaked-through, but _alive_!

Storm seemed to realise this as well, as she whined excitedly and came upon the two of them with a wagging tail and a cold, wet nose which she continuously attempted to press against their faces.

Orion squeezed his eyes tightly shut, feeling warm trails of tears streaming down his cheeks as Mother's quiet sniffles were muffled by his shoulder. He could, however, still make out parts of her tearful apology to him, which only made Orion's hold on her that much more desperate.

"I'm sorry!"

"-should have tried harder…"

"I _promised_ you…"

Orion hushed her as best he could as he pressed his cheek against the top of her head. It was almost like she had been able to read his mind from before, hearing his thoughts on how she had promised to make it out of there and back to him. Even though he knew that was probably not the case, Orion still felt awful for having even had those thoughts to begin with.

It wasn't Mother's fault – of course it wasn't! It was _nobody's_ fault! Not hers, not Caesar's or anybody else's. It was an accident and it didn't matter now – because they had found her, and she was alive!

He didn't know exactly how long their embrace lasted – it could have been hours for all Orion cared, and it would still feel too short. He had almost lost her just now, and somewhere deep inside of him, instinct and memories of previous losses told him to keep holding onto her for dear life, lest she disappear back beneath the snow.

But as he calmed down and reopened his eyes, Orion came face-to-face with Caesar, who was still on his knees by Mother's side, looking lost, yet eager to help bring her comfort as he stared at the two of them. Like he was itching for a chance to also hold Mother close but didn't want to break up the moment between them.

Now, moments ago, in his desperation and grief, Orion might have had half a mind to hiss and growl at the Ape King for everything that had happened – of the negligence he felt that Caesar had showed in keeping Mother safe… But with the clarity that relief had brought him, Orion knew that Caesar had been just as distraught by the prospect of losing her.

Perhaps he deserved some reassurance as well…

And so, it was with great reluctance that Orion pulled back, if for nothing else than to allow his mother to breathe properly after having been locked in his much-too-tight embrace. She hadn't complained, though. Hadn't made any comment on how his strength had squeezed precious air out of her lungs, though she was breathing just as heavily as before once Orion finally let go of her. He almost felt sorry for having done that, though the slight sting of guilt was dispelled just as quickly when Mother's still-damp eyes connected with his own once more, nothing but love and relief in their depths.

A warm smile found its way across his features then, and Orion let his eyes wander, briefly but pointedly, towards Caesar before letting them settle back onto his mother's…

* * *

 _ **Maurice**_

Lydia turned slowly towards the Caesar, her eyes large and her mouth slightly agape.

Maurice almost thought she was going to begin crying again when Caesar, with little to no warning, surged forward and drew Lydia into his arms. Flush against his front, she almost seemed to disappear from view, cocooned by his sheer mass as he buried his face in her dark hair, the action tender and intimate. Lydia reciprocated by flinging her arms around the Ape King, grabbing fistfuls of the fur on his back.

Maurice shared a brief look with Rocket and Tinker, who stood beside each other a few feet away. With an arm slung around his mate's shoulders, Rocket looked on with fondness and approval, while Tinker merely smiled, her eyes teary as she pressed herself to her mate's flank.

Neither of them seemed as concerned as Maurice felt in that moment.

Because while he was deeply touched by the scene and overcome with relief knowing that both of his dear friends had escaped from this alive, Maurice couldn't help the surprise and anxiety he felt at the couple's open display of affection.

It wasn't like he felt appalled by the concept, because of course he did not, even if he had never witnessed it between the two until now. It was only a natural reaction and Maurice would actually have found it strange if the two would still manage to keep up pretences after something like this. Lydia had just had a brush with death and Caesar had thought he had lost yet another loved one. Of course, they were going to show emotion.

But no, the reason why the desperate and loving embrace between his two friends had caused Maurice to feel anxious was because it was taking place in front of the _entire colony_.

The orangutan didn't know what he had expected to happen, honestly. Perhaps a scandalized outcry? Accusations of betrayal and deception? Disgust?

So far, however, no such reactions came, to Maurice's relief and quiet puzzlement. In fact, the atmosphere didn't even seem tense, though a prevailing, stunned silence had fallen over the entire gathering as they watched the pair.

He averted his gaze from the strange couple to gauge his fellow apes' reaction to this startling revelation, only to find that most of the colony just stood and stared in wonder. Many quietly gibbered and shared wide-eyed looks with one another as Caesar put his forehead against Lydia's whilst tenderly brushing her cheek with the tips of his fingers, but nobody actually made any protests at what they were witnessing.

As if the desperate embrace, the comforting caresses and intimate gestures hadn't been enough for everyone to figure out what was going on, the loving gaze the two regarded each other with once they pulled apart was sure to hit home. Caesar's stare was half-lidded and adoring, the barest hint of a smile playing on his lips as he continued to hold Lydia close, while the woman herself returned his stare with still-fresh tear tracks down her cheeks.

And _still_ no one said anything.

Sure, there was the odd shuffle of feet, awkward, averted gazes and even a low scoff that nobody paid any attention to. Overall, everyone seemed more confused than angered or disturbed at the display, and Maurice instantly found himself flooded with reassurance when he realised this.

Perhaps it would be alright after all? Perhaps what they had all just endured had made the apes more accepting of such a change? A minor surprise that didn't hold any significance when overshadowed by the fact that they had actually made it out alive?

The knowing smile Rocket shot him above the head of his mate told Maurice that his friend had expected this to be the case, and he could only subtly shake his head in bewilderment at that. Rocket never ceased to surprise him with these moments of insight.

And, looking back at the scene, Maurice realised that this didn't only apply to Rocket.

Orion, as he sat by his mother's side, silently watching the two, didn't seem the least bit surprised or upset either. Maybe a little wary and perhaps a bit awkward, as the rest of the colony, but definitely not offended, as Maurice might have thought he would be – or as Lydia had surely expected him to be.

 _Perhaps he has passed that stage already?_ Maurice speculated then, deducing from Orion's reaction that Lydia must have told her son at one point during their imprisonment. He would certainly have to inquire about _that_ conversation later on.

Just then, an insistent gibber caught everyone's attention and Maurice turned once more, just in time to see Cornelius struggle out of Lake's arms, eyes trained on his… well, the orangutan supposed 'parents' was the correct term to use, especially given current circumstances.

Distracted, Lydia and Caesar only just managed to pull apart before Cornelius was upon them, and Lydia quickly opened up her arms as he leapt into her embrace. Cornelius' demeanour seemed to change from overly excited and eager to careful and tender the instant he was situated in Lydia's lap. His gibbering quieted down as his small fists clenched at her soaked clothes as if he was never going to let her go.

Lydia instantly began to coo softly at the Ape Prince and stroked his back with a shaky hand.

"It's okay, Cornelius. I'm here. We're all here. It's alright…"

Her voice sounded rather soft and faint compared to how it normally was, making Maurice theorise that she hadn't completely composed herself after being trapped underneath the snow. But even so, she still held onto Cornelius with the firmness and desperation of any mother reuniting with their child, this embrace just as fierce and intimate as the one she had shared with Orion.

And it would probably have continued for just as long as well, had Lydia not been jarred out of the moment right then.

Maurice didn't know what it had been – the crunch of snow underneath someone's feet, a cleared throat or an ape child chittering among the crowd, but something managed to catch Lydia's attention just then, and she raised her head curiously at whatever it was, coming face to face with… well, everyone.

She visibly tensed up, surprise and mounting realisation obvious on her face as her eyes jumped from one ape to the next.

"Oh…! Uhm…" Was all she could manage to say, shoulders hunching once she realised that she was under the colony's unrelenting scrutiny.

Maurice couldn't help but feel a twinge of pity for her as she stared at them all with wide, uncertain eyes. It was one thing having been buried alive underneath the snow and almost dying, but to also have to deal with such a controversial and closely-guarded secret being revealed immediately afterwards, everyone's attention already on you, must be doubly aggravating.

Caesar, meanwhile, simply looked somewhat startled at having been caught in an intimate moment with Lydia. When that initial surprise had worn off, though, the Ape King didn't seem too fazed anymore, regarding his people with an open, unguarded expression as he held on to Lydia's still-shivering form, almost as if he was waiting for their disapproval – though more than ready to face it.

It was, after all, something to be expected, and yet the stunned, now slightly awkward silence prevailed.

That is, until movement beside Maurice caught his eye.

Something – or rather _someone_ moved past him, their form small, scrawny and with a head full of blonde hair instantly recognisable to Maurice by now.

A curious rumble left him once he saw how the human girl he had so recently adopted as his own came up to kneel beside Lydia, reaching out to lay a small hand on the woman's arm. Her expression was one of concern as she seemed to study Lydia intently, and the woman gazed back in a quizzical manner as the girl suddenly reached for the backpack by Orion's side.

If he or Lydia had any reservations about letting the child rummage through their possessions, they didn't voice them. Undoubtedly, Lydia was glad for the distraction as she, Orion and everyone else merely continued to stare curiously until a mass of pelts were pulled out of the backpack.

By this point, Maurice had a pretty good idea of what his little human child was trying to do, and the notion warmed his heart immensely.

She pulled out the cloak that Lydia had made for her on their journey, which had been tucked away into the backpack when Bad Ape had offered up his thicker parka instead.

Stepping forward, she draped it around Lydia's shoulders in much the same manner the woman had done for her that evening all those weeks ago, and proceeded to tuck the edges of the cloak gently into Lydia's hand so that she could keep it in place.

Maurice felt warmth spread inside his chest at the scene. She was truly a kind child, little Nova, as he had named her on this very night.

Lydia looked rather stunned for a few seconds afterwards, her attention having completely shifted from the colony in favour of looking up at Nova in mild surprise.

Then, her lips quirked up into a small, lopsided smile.

"Thank you…" She breathed with a nod, pulling the cloak closer around herself and Cornelius, who seemed to relish in the added warmth as he nuzzled against Lydia's sternum.

Nova smiled brightly at her, and positively _beamed_ when Caesar laid a hand on her shoulder a few seconds later, a grateful expression on his face. It was the kindest look he had ever spared her, and with the sight of it came the reassurance for Maurice that his king and close friend was no longer ruled by the hatred and prejudice which had previously clouded his judgement.

It was as much a relief for him to see as it had been to have Lydia emerge from the snow alive, finally seeing his old friend return to being himself once more.

Just as that thought passed his mind, a single, celebratory voice started hooting to Maurice's far right, and he turned his large head to see that the sound came from Rocket. He still stood beside Tinker, with one arm draped around her shoulders while the other was raised above his head, his fist clenched in salute to Caesar.

Tinker followed her mate's example moments later, soon to be joined by Lake, Shale, Juniper, Ivy and…

Before Maurice managed to turn around and stare at the gathering behind him once more, every ape present had joined in, creating a beautiful choir of excited hoots from young and old alike, who all held up their hands, clenched fists beside each other.

 _Apes together strong_.

He turned back to find Caesar helping Lydia up from the ground, supporting her back with one arm as she held onto Cornelius. Orion stepped forward next, grabbing his mother's hand and the two of them shared a brief, tender smile with one another.

And with that, the happy, patched-up family turned to the hooting apes gathered in front of them, Lydia looking on with amazement, Caesar with eyes glistening from joy and relief.

It was the most unified Maurice had ever seen the colony be since the day the apes had broken out of their cages all those years ago and it served to finally convince the worrisome orangutan that everything would, at last, work itself out.


	75. Picking Up The Pieces

_**Rocket**_

Most of the horses were dead, Rocket could quickly conclude as he surveyed the aftermath of the avalanche. He knew the soldiers had kept some of the colony's horses for themselves, while others they had killed for the meat, since they had been lacking better alternatives. Some of the horses they had kept alive had panicked and managed to flee during the attack from the Northern Army, though in total, most hadn't made it either way, due to the avalanche.

The few that _had_ survived were quickly rounded up by the apes' scouting parties, who didn't have too much difficulties with doing so due to the fact that the horses were used to the apes, as well as the food and shelter they provided.

Put together with the five horses Caesar's small group had brought with them, the total number of horses landed at 14 – significantly fewer than the 73 they had set out with, but it would have to do.

However, it wasn't just the horses the apes needed to gather.

Earlier that morning, once everyone had had the chance to calm down and count the losses among friends and family, it had been agreed that it would be wisest to spend the day searching through the devastated area, scavenging for useful materials not buried too deeply in the snow. There had been so many soldiers that Rocket figured they were bound to find at least something and given the apes' pressing situation, free at last but lacking even the most basic of items to help them survive, everyone on the Royal Ape Council had agreed that it was worth a shot.

Rocket would personally have liked Lydia to lead such an expedition, given her better grasp of what might or might not be of use to the apes among all the items they would come across. However, it was clear that Lydia, while sporting no open wound nor broken bones, was in no condition to participate in the task, much less lead it. Her violent tumble in the snow coupled with the physically straining work and starvation she had endured together with the apes had left her severely fatigued – not to mention battered and bruised.

That was probably also the reason why she had agreed so readily to stay put and rest with the colony when Caesar had suggested it – and why Caesar had made sure to keep as many trusted apes around her as possible for the time being.

Not that Rocket thought it was necessary – most apes seemed fine with this new development between the Ape King and Lydia, and even those who weren't hadn't been too vocal about it. At least not yet.

Though, after everything that had happened, Rocket couldn't blame Caesar for wanting to take extra precautions, just in case.

"Friend! Friend!" Came an excited shout from behind just then, and Rocket immediately turned towards the sound, startled at first by it, but recognising the voice even before he came face-to-face with its owner.

It was Bad Ape, hopping through the snow towards Rocket with much difficulty, one leg at a time as he waved enthusiastically at the balding ape.

He was still wearing his blue vest and strange hat, and coupled with the weird, hopping gait he had adopted, it all made for an extremely comical sight. It would have made Rocket bark out a hearty laugh, had he not already been so confused at the strange ape's presence here in the first place.

It took several long seconds for Bad Ape to cross the last couple of yards up to Rocket, and when he did, he was wheezing and leaning over to rest his hands on his knees, fighting to catch his breath.

"I come! I help!" He finally managed to utter, and Rocket felt his features settle into a puzzled expression quite involuntarily. He was going to help? How? With what exactly?

Bad Ape must have seen the confusion on Rocket's face, because as soon as it appeared, he gave his signature hoot and hurried to explain.

"Friend send. Human friend. Lydia." He announced with a smile that seemed both proud and disbelieving all at once. Like he couldn't quite believe that he had managed to make friends with a human. "Say I help. Find useful human things."

Rocket nodded with a serious expression, understanding dawning on him as he did his best to repress a tired sigh.

It would seem it was his turn to look after the strange ape now.

It wasn't as if he didn't like Bad Ape or anything – in fact, Rocket thought he was very kind and quite entertaining to boot. He was certainly an interesting acquaintance, if a bit cowardly and… well, maybe a bit…

Rocket searched for a word that would fit, unintentionally furrowing his heavy brow as he turned away from the ape in question to stare out across the pale landscape once more.

Scatter-brained? Dense? Simple? Rocket honestly didn't know what to call it without inadvertently insulting the ape, which wasn't his intention at all. Bad Ape had helped them up until now, after all. Had shown them the way to the soldiers' base and stayed with them to help with the escape when he could just as easily have abandoned them there and gone back to his hermit life in the mountains. Where he was safe from all this madness.

Rocket scoured the area as he continued his train of thought, looking over the apes assigned to him to complete this task as they searched the snow for anything useful to the colony.

Even if he had helped them, it didn't change the fact that Bad Ape was… Odd. And required a whole lot of patience, to say the least. On more than one occasion, Rocket had only been able to shake his head in frustration whenever Bad Ape had been particularly slow on the uptake.

And from what he had heard in passing, even Maurice had lost his patience in dealing with Bad Ape – now _that_ took a whole different level of dopiness!

He could only assume Lydia had sent Bad Ape out here to make him feel useful in some small manner, because Rocket couldn't for his life imagine how the strange ape might be of help with a task like this one. He could already picture the wide eyes and fearful utterings of 'no, no, no, no, no!' from Bad Ape at the mere sight of a dead human.

He resisted the urge to shake his head in exasperation at the mere thought.

Just then, a hoot from one of the ape scouts caught Rocket's attention, and he trudged over with heavy footsteps through the snow, Bad Ape hot at his heels and gibbering all the while.

He knew what sight would greet them before he even reached the area where one of his scouts sat crouching on the ground. Had seen it several times already, even if it was just past noon now.

A dead human. A soldier – clad in white, as most of them were.

The Northern Army had greatly outnumbered the Colonel's and besides, most of the latter had already been dead by the time the avalanche had hit. Out of the 40 or so soldiers the scouting apes had found at this point, only two had been wearing green.

Without a word, Rocket stepped forward and helped his subordinate dig the frozen body free of the snow so that they could take a closer look at the contents of the rucksack attached to the corpse. So far, Bad Ape merely stood back and stared, though he didn't seem scared or even uncomfortable by the sight, contrary to what Rocket had thought.

In truth, most of the equipment these humans carried, regardless of their uniform, were weapons and ammunition. Lots of it.

The apes had taken a couple of these weapons, a few guns and a selection of smaller pistols, intending to use them for hunting for a time until they could fashion weapons of their own. _Reliable ones_. Weapons like spears, bolas and bows. The sort that didn't require ammunition the apes didn't know how to make, or better still, didn't require it at all.

In this sense, Rocket was quite aware that he probably _was_ very simple, regardless of what Lydia might say. Even if he had become quite accustomed to using a gun by now, he still much preferred the simplicity of throwing a spear.

It was also a more noble weapon, in his humble opinion. With a gun, it was laughably easy to take someone's life compared to when one used a spear or bow and arrow. True, one still needed a semblance of good aim to make a kill with a gun, but it was so much more powerful and simple in its usage. With just the pull of a small trigger, one could rob several individuals of their lives in less time than it takes to even get into a proper spear-throwing stance.

At least throwing a spear or nocking and loosening an arrow took a certain amount of skill.

Rocket all but yanked the frozen zipper of the rucksack open and rummaged through its contents, grunting with moderate approval as he pulled out a ration pack, not dissimilar to the ones Bad Ape himself had provided the evening after Caesar's group had found him.

It wasn't much, and Rocket honestly thought the food these packets contained was rather bland in taste – but seeing as the opportunity to hunt today was practically non-existent, this food was important.

He put it aside on top of the snow before continuing his search through the rucksack, pulling out a tightly-wrapped sleeping bag next before he eventually pulled out a rather small, insignificant-looking pouch, which was stuffed with things Rocket didn't really recognise – certainly they didn't look like anything useful – a roll of white fabric and a few items he couldn't even identify, wrapped in see-through plastic.

He didn't bother to close up the pouch as he threw it carelessly aside, preparing to look further through the rucksack when a series of puzzled hoots sounded just beside him.

"Why you throw?" Bad Ape asked as he reached down to take the discarded package. "Can use!"

Rocket immediately stopped searching the dead soldier and turned towards Bad Ape, eyes narrowed in confusion at the small outburst. Did _he_ know how to use these items?

He must have taken note of Rocket's doubtful expression just then, because he sat back in front of him, the pouch held carefully between his hands as he began to explain.

"I see human use this. Long, long time." He pointed out first, his eyes intent and ever-patient as they stared into Rocket's own. "Injured human use this. Treat wounds. Look!"

Bad Ape properly unfolded pouch and laid it gently down on top of the snow, pointing at each item as he explained to Rocket which were meant for what purpose.

"This for stopping blood. Large wounds." He spoke as he held up the first object, a sort of band with a few clips attached to it, as well as a strap and strange-looking rod. "Wrap this around arm or leg very tight. Very little blood. Very helpful."

Rocket looked on with mild astonishment as Bad Ape continued on, picking up two other items and holding them up in front of the balding ape.

"These go together. This to put on wound, to cover." He said, raising the package in his right hand a little bit higher before he shifted focus onto the one in his left. "And this stick in place. Keep cover on wound."

Rocket pursed his lips as he took the first object out of Bad Ape's right hand and examined it, reading the words on the package. 'Bandage gauze' the small, neat letters on the side read, and only now did Rocket remember that Lydia had used something like this in the past. Years ago, back when they had faced that mountain lion that had set its sights on the boys, Lydia had owned an almost-used up first-aid-kit not dissimilar to this one, containing this same sort of material. Small pieces of white fabric which she had used to treat her wounds – not in the same manner as Bad Ape described it, mind you, but the overall purpose had been the same.

To treat wounds.

And as it turned out, this could prove extremely useful to the apes right now. Many had died when the soldiers had discovered the apes' escape and begun shooting at them – but just as many were still alive, but sustained wounds that needed treatment.

Now, luckily, most of the apes trained in healing had survived, including Sparrow, the most skilled of them all – but even she could only do so much in this wintry mountain landscape, where herbs and even just leaves to cover wounds were nowhere to be found.

But with _this_ , they could treat those wounds – and that was a huge step in the right direction. The direction that led them all to their new home, together, whole and healthy once more.

Going through the rucksack together, there were a few items that Bad Ape didn't know how to use but overall, Rocket was immensely surprised by his knowledge. And it didn't end with the first-aid-kits either, as Bad Ape was quick to also point out the use of some of the items that went with the food rations the soldiers carried with them. Things such as the 'MRE (ready-to-eat) heater', as it said on the package, which Bad Ape explained was a device which required only a small amount of water to produce heat, which could then be used to cook food when a fire wasn't available.

"Sounds crazy! I know, I know! But I see! I see soldiers use! That's why I sometimes take – long, long time ago." He spoke excitedly, stuffing the thing back down into the rucksack to carry it back to the colony.

Rocket was still sceptical about this information, at first thinking it was some kind of joke – making fire with water! A fire with no flame! – Unbelievable!

But… knowing Bad Ape, it couldn't be anything but the truth – he was a bad liar to start with, and Rocket was pretty sure Bad Ape wouldn't even understand the concept of a joke.

They took the heaters either way, Rocket reasoning that they might need them still, as it would take some time to get cookfires going with the landscape being so wet and cold – it was hard enough to find branches suitable for burning as it was, and the apes were in dire need of food at this point.

At the end of the day, the apes had managed to gather a wide range of items, anything from guns to first-aid-kits, ropes, knives, tent canvases, binoculars, sleeping bags and rucksacks. Way more than Rocket had originally thought they would end up bringing back, even if they had had Lydia's help with picking out stuff.

Rocket gave Bad Ape's shoulder a comradely pat as they made their way back to the colony, an encouraging smile on his dark face. It was only fair to give praise when praise was due, and Rocket was well aware that without Bad Ape's help, they wouldn't have brought back half the things they had now. It was actually quite concerning to think about how many mistakes they would have made, how many opportunities they would have missed without his help.

Now, they were able to treat their wounded and provide _warm_ food for the colony – at least for today.

Bad Ape seemed to grow about an inch or so in height at the unspoken praise from Rocket, and then another one once they had returned and Lydia also expressed her approval of what they had picked out.

" _You were right to send him out as well._ " Rocket commented discreetly as the items were being counted and distributed among the members of the colony, those in most need of food and treatment of wounds having top priority. " _Now, I'm quite ashamed to admit I didn't believe he could be of any help."_

"Well," She spoke with an easy shrug. "He knew about food rations for soldiers, so Maurice and I figured he would probably know about other things concerning them too. And he _did_ spend a lot of time in the mountains collecting all sorts of junk, so it's not like he has no experience with scavenging."

Rocket nodded, a thoughtful expression on his face as he turned his head away from Lydia, looking over at Bad Ape as he very carefully explained to Sparrow and Lake how to apply the gauze and fastening it with the surgical tape – as Lydia called it.

 _Just goes to show that everyone can be useful_ , _even the strangest, simplest of apes,_ Rocket thought as he tore open one of the food rations, getting ready to share a much-deserved, hot meal with Tinker.

And not for the first time in his life, Rocket found himself glad for the fact that he had been wrong about someone.

* * *

 ** _Lydia_**

"This seems so strange now." Lydia commented as she ran her fingertips tentatively across the fur cloak still around her shoulders.

It was night once more, the day following their great escape from the Alpha-Omega base having all but passed by now, and everyone was beginning to settle down after a tiring day of trekking and gathering useful materials and supplies.

Now, Lydia was sitting on a makeshift nest of branches – the driest Caesar could find around here – and honestly, she didn't quite know what to do with herself. Or rather, what would be appropriate to do.

"What does?" He questioned with a heavy, raised brow.

He had come over to sit beside her only a few minutes ago with Cornelius on his arm.

"Sharing a nest." Lydia replied. "Not having to sneak around and meet up in secret… Everyone knowing what we are… Mates and all."

She gestured broadly with her hand at the colony's apes, their nests, similar to Lydia and Caesar's own, surrounding the two of them.

"You… regret it? Everyone knowing now?" He asked softly.

Lydia's eyes widened as she quickly turned back to face Caesar, who now wore an expression of obvious puzzlement and a slight hint of concern.

Did he think that she was regretting this? The two of them being official now?

"What? No! Not at all." She was quick to remedy, shaking her head. "It's just that… Neither of us had any chance to prepare for it. One moment we're keeping everything under wraps and suddenly _bam!_ Everyone's just there, staring at us… And I suppose we are quite lucky that the majority seems to be _okay_ with it."

Lydia bit her lip thoughtfully at that. It wasn't like the colony as a whole was ecstatic about their leader having chosen a human for a mate, but she suspected that the trust and status she had gained from her years with the apes had helped immensely in making them accept it, at the very least. Especially given recent events.

Still, there were a select few who scoffed at the prospect, but Lydia knew that was to be expected. She was honestly surprised that the overall reaction hadn't been more severe than that. Like, loud-protests-and-challenges-for-leadership-kind of severe.

Not that she was complaining, though. Lydia had had to content with scoffs, sneers and the odd stink-eye from the day she had first met Caesar and his apes, though they had steadily decreased in both numbers and intensity over the years. This reaction was nothing new and Lydia was confident they would diminish over time – just like they had in the past.

Even so, it was still strange for her to sit here, getting ready to share a nest with Caesar for an entire night for the very first time… with the _entire colony_ all around them, sideways glances all too apparent.

Following her gaze across the nests dotting the forest floor, Caesar eventually nodded in agreement.

"It _is_ very sudden, I agree… But it would always be… I think this might have been the best time for the apes to get to know. Everyone is relieved to have survived, and now we will focus on getting to our new home. This -" He gestured between the two of them with his free hand. "is just one small change out of many. And now that it's out in the open, the apes have plenty of time to get used to it."

Giving a hum of assent, Lydia leaned back, letting her eyes roam across the rest of the colony once more as each family, some fractured, some still intact, huddled up together in their respective make-shift nests. A few torches and small campfires dotted the scene with flickering, orange lights, adding a sense of warmth to the otherwise cold and hostile landscape.

Even like this, with nests barely keeping everyone off the snowy forest floor and the fires only just providing the barest of heat, it was already a whole lot better than the conditions in the AO base had been – even if it still didn't offer any sort of privacy whatsoever.

Lydia didn't get to ponder on this for long, as Caesar's baritone voice pulled her out of her quiet reverie once more.

"I _did_ promise you that night that I would tell them all and we wouldn't have to hide it anymore." He deigned to remind her, his heavy brow raised at her.

Recognising the small beginnings of humour in his voice, accompanied by the somewhat sly sideways glance he shot at her, Lydia chuckled. Oh yes, she remembered that night very well – both what they had been doing, as well as the promise he had made to her.

"I know, but I honestly didn't expect it to happen _the moment_ everything was over. I barely got a chance to catch my breath before it was all out in the open." She said with just a shred of mock-exasperation in her tone of voice.

He shrugged at that, though still being careful not to disturb Cornelius too much with the action.

"I think you handled it well."

"There wasn't much to handle, really…" She spoke with a tired sigh.

Truthfully, Lydia couldn't really come up with any other way to reveal this to the colony. At least not any that didn't seem even more awkward and which probably would have caused more of a stir among the apes. Still, the whole being buried alive-experience was something she could have lived without.

A shudder threatened to go up her spine at the thought, though Lydia was quick to suppress it.

"Also," Caesar said, and she saw how the small beginnings of a knowing smirk were already starting to pull at the corner of his mouth. "We didn't manage to keep it a secret from _everyone_ , remember?"

She blinked, at first not understanding what he was hinting at. She was probably getting too exhausted for witty exchanged like these, her mind feeling almost sluggish from fatigue at this point. But in the end, her eyes widened as comprehension dawned on her, and Lydia reached over to playfully smack his arm.

"Oh, come off it! You and I both know Maurice doesn't count! That ape knows everything!"

"And Tinker?" He challenged further, clearly amused.

"She's my best friend – of course she would have noticed eventually." She shot back with small, lopsided smile of her own. "Besides, I needed someone to talk to about it apart from you – that's just how women work."

Caesar gave a low, knowing chuckle at that, and Lydia made a show of ignoring his soft mumble of "I'm aware."

She barely resisted the urge to demonstratively fold her arms across her chest in feigned indignation – or maybe she was just too exhausted to play such games right now, Lydia wasn't quite sure.

"And… What about Orion?" Caesar asked just then, his tone once again taking on a more serious, even doubtful note.

She should have known he would mention it, eventually. Would have noticed how Orion hadn't been surprised in the slightest at Caesar's panic and despair at losing her, nor the passion with which the two had embraced once Lydia had been found alive. She hadn't had the chance to tell Caesar that she had been forced to come clean about it to Orion back when the Ape King had been brought up to the Colonel's quarters.

She still didn't know what the two had discussed up there either. There had been no time to catch up on anything…

Lydia sighed.

"He saw the… marks you left that night." She said, noting that while Caesar didn't seem surprised by it, he _did_ have the decency to look sheepish. "He figured it out on his own after that – most of our conversation then revolved around how I had been dishonest with him… It wasn't a pleasant talk, to put it mildly."

Caesar's brow furrowed with guilt and concern as he exhaled heavily through his nose.

"I'm sorry we could not have done it differently… I should have been there to help explain it." He said regretfully, then ran a soothing hand over Cornelius' crown as the ape child stirred on his arm.

Lydia, however, shook her head at his words.

"Perhaps it was actually better that you weren't. Might just have made him more agitated having to face you at the same time." She reasoned with a sympathetic stare.

He pursed his lips at that, thinking it over before he slowly nodded in agreement.

"Maybe you're right about this…"

"Of course I am." Lydia replied with a smile and a teasing wink of her eye.

"Anyway, don't worry too much about it. While I don't think you're completely in his good books just yet, he's definitely not opposed to… _this_ , anymore." She gestured between them with her hand much like Caesar had done previously when referring to their relationship. "In fact, I think I just might have to finally resign myself to sharing the title of 'most important woman in Orion's life'."

She turned her head, trusting Caesar to follow her gaze as it sought out her eldest ape son, who had already gotten comfortable in another nest a few yards away, Ivy's smaller form wrapped securely within his arms.

Lydia had assumed that Orion would have wanted to continue to share a family nest with her, if only for just a little while longer. That he would want a small semblance of normality – the way things used to be – until they would arrive at the apes' new home. But when she had asked him earlier today if that was what he wanted, Orion's sideways look in Ivy's direction had told Lydia all she needed to know.

It made sense, she supposed. For two years now, Orion had been used to sleeping by himself and after that, most nights had been spent near Ivy and her parents inside that cage. Sharing a nest with his mother wasn't normality for Orion anymore.

Besides, he was, by all intents and purposes, a grown-up now and as he had said himself, not as much in need of her comfort as Cornelius was.

During that entire conversation, neither of them had made any mention of Caesar, though Lydia didn't think that was too much of a concern. Orion's confidence in Caesar had already been tested before the relationship had been revealed to him, and had Lydia been in a similar position, she would probably have had her reservations too.

"It'll take some time for him to adjust, but I think he'll be alright." She said finally, looking on fondly as Ivy seemed to snuggle further into Orion's embrace.

It struck her that Juniper and Shale must really think highly of her son to let him share a nest with their daughter, even though the couple hadn't officially declared themselves as mates yet. Then again, Lydia figured that they wouldn't have had much luck with forbidding Ivy from staying with Orion either way – she was just about as stubborn and independent as Lydia herself was.

Just then, Lydia felt Caesar reach over to gently brush the back of his hand against her cheek, letting it trail downwards to her shoulder and further down her arm.

"And how are _you_ feeling?"

She smiled fondly at him, grasping his hand.

"I'm fine, Caesar. Rather achy, but fine. Nothing is broken."

Her words didn't elicit the reaction Lydia had been expecting as Caesar, instead of simply looking reassured, pursed his lips in an almost shameful-looking manner.

"Are you sure…?" He asked softly, eyeing her with a hint of uncertainty, and suddenly Lydia realised that it wasn't just her physical wellbeing he was inquiring about, or even the avalanche to begin with. "Nothing is broken?"

Lydia didn't exactly feel up for this conversation at the moment. They had just survived the unthinkable and right now, all she really wanted was to lie back and be glad for that fact. To let herself process it all and rest her aching body for the journey that lie ahead come morning.

But she supposed it would be somewhat cruel to dismiss Caesar just like that. He asked because he cared, after all, and what was more, with his quest for vengeance taken care of, he finally seemed able to show it once more.

"Yes." She replied as she scooted over to sit so close to him that their shoulders touched. "I'm sure, Caesar. I wouldn't be here if I wasn't."

Lydia leaned in and pecked his cheek ever so gently. It was quick and sweet, nothing too intimate compared to some of what the two of them had already done together, but she hoped that a public display of affection – even a small one like this – would make him realise that she was being sincere. She had never shared many of those with Roy back when he had been alive simply because the two of them hadn't wanted to stir up things in the colony and she had, for obvious reasons, never shared such moments with Caesar at all.

But right here, right now, it just felt right… And when it all came down to it, what was the point of hiding it anymore, really?

Caesar smiled fondly at her and reached up to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear when Cornelius began stirring, drawing the two adults' attention.

The Ape Prince yawned tiredly but stopped as soon as he noticed Lydia sitting by his father's side, his eyes brightening instantly as he swiftly crawled across Caesar's lap and into her arms. As had always been his custom ever since he had been an infant, Cornelius then settled himself against Lydia's front, cheek pressed against her sternum as he gave a series of low, content gibbers.

It was obvious he was more than pleased with her being in his family nest, and Lydia didn't think she would be able to pry him off her, even if she had wanted to. He might be dozing off again already, she could still feel his strong grip on her clothes.

He wasn't going anywhere from this point on – but luckily, neither was Lydia.

"Looks like someone is ready for some sleep, huh?" She said, giving Cornelius a gentle squeeze before turning her gaze back to Caesar.

The fondness in his eyes as he looked at the two of them almost floored Lydia. It had been ages since she had last seen that look on his face.

Caesar laid down on the springy branches of the nest he had made for them and with a gentle tug of his hand, Lydia soon followed suit with Cornelius still cradled in her arms.

She had almost forgotten how cumbersome it could be to get comfortable in a nest with a two-year-old chimp clinging to her torso, but after a bit of careful manoeuvring, she soon managed to settle down on her side, her back against Caesar's chest and his large arm slung across her waist.

Cornelius still hadn't let go, even as the cloak of animal pelts Lydia wore was wrapped around the two of them. In fact, he even seemed to relish in the added warmth it provided… Or maybe it was the sense of security and closeness?

She kissed Cornelius' brow before closing her eyes, whispering a faint goodnight to the two apes as she finally let her entire body go lax and release the tension she had felt for so long now. A rough pair of lips softly brushing against the back of her neck was the only reply Caesar gave before his deep breaths began to even out into the slow, steady rhythm of unconsciousness.

And just like that, despite everything that had happened and everything which was still yet to be resolved, Lydia finally gave in to the need to sleep, quite unable to remember the last time she had ever been this content.


	76. In Anything But Name

**Author's Note:** This chapter, originally posted on the 30th of August, has now been proof-read and adjusted to the point that I'm happy with it - hope you enjoy it!

* * *

 _ **Tinker**_

The first week or so after the apes had set off on the journey to their new home, Caesar made sure Lydia stayed near him or someone trusted at all times.

Much like her mate, Tinker thought this was a needless precaution on Caesar's part, but chose to humour him nonetheless when he came up to her that morning, Lydia and Cornelius in tow, and asked her to help look after his family while he was gone for the day.

Tinker smiled brightly up at the pair.

" _I hope you know that I cannot look after her for you forever, Caesar._ " She couldn't help but jest, winking at him knowingly while also subtly hinting at her opinion about his overprotectiveness.

It wasn't like Lydia couldn't look after herself just fine and besides, should she decide to go off on her own anyway, there was little Tinker – or anyone else for that matter – could do to stop her without having to physically restrain her.

Before the Ape King could even respond, Lydia placed her hands on her hips in an almost challenging manner, head titled in that particular way of hers as she regarded Tinker with a playful look.

"What, so now I can't spend time with my best friend without you feeling like you're babysitting me, huh?"

Knowing full well that Lydia wasn't actually feeling offended at all, Tinker merely gave an amused huff and patted the ground beside her. Well, if Lydia was still willing to accommodate Caesar's whims, they might as well have a good time with it.

Lydia complied instantly with a grin and sat down her saddlebag before she too dropped down unceremoniously to sit cross-legged by Tinker's side, giving the material in her hands a curious glance.

Caesar had decided to make camp and get some hunting done, replenishing food supplies while also letting the more weakened members of the colony have some much-deserved rest. Everyone had readily welcomed that idea and those not selected for the hunt had already gathered in smaller groups all around the perimeter, tending to tasks such as bag-sewing and weapon-making.

Tinker had settled on the former and was currently in the process of pressing a bone needle through the rough tent canvas the apes had brought with them from the avalanche-site. The fabric was thick and coarse but overall easier to work with than the more brittle hides of the hares roaming the area and so far, Tinker was quite satisfied with what she had managed to produce with it.

It was a bag meant to be slung over the wearer's shoulder, the design perhaps a bit simple, but comfortable and easily accessible. Tinker had yet to decide if she wanted to decorate it to make it look less… bland.

Lydia wasn't going to let her hands be idle either, it would seem, as she began pulling out several thin sticks and ready-made flint arrowheads in preparation to replenish her supply of ammunition.

To Tinker's great surprise, Lydia made no protests when Caesar, like he had done so many months prior, left Cornelius in her care with explicit instructions to stay with the colony. All she did was offer him an indulgent, half-amused smile and a nod of agreement as she let the Ape Prince settle against her side. It was obvious that she thought her mate was making too much of a fuss as well, though she made no move to point that out to him – at least not yet.

"You better come straight back when you're done, alright." Lydia said to Caesar, raising her index finger at him in a manner which would have seemed stern, were it not for the obvious, teasing glint in her eyes.

Caesar, meanwhile, chuckled warmly at her words, though Tinker had no doubt that he understood the meaning that lie beneath them. The one telling him that he better not try to leave her behind again.

"I will be back before sunset, I promise." He spoke, his eyes resting fondly on Lydia for just a few more moments before he turned on his heel to leave with his hunting party.

"If you could find some feathers for my arrows that'd be nice too!" She was quick to remind him before he had gone too far off, and Caesar briefly turned to give a quick smile and a nod, indicating that he had heard her.

" _Careful you don't indulge him for too long, Lydia._ " Tinker warned once the Ape King was out of sight. " _Or he might get so used to it that he won't let you go out and actually use those arrows you're making_."

Lydia gave a soft huff of a laugh at that, her shoulders bobbing once with the action as she set about her task of crafting new arrows.

"Don't worry, Tinker. I'm just too tired to argue with him right now, but I'll be back to offering him some resistance soon enough. You can be sure of that." She said reassuringly, though also with a playful note in her voice. "Besides, for now I quite enjoy the extra time and attention, actually… I bet there won't be much time for that once we reach our new home – at least not for a long while."

Tinker nodded wordlessly, mulling over Lydia's words. Perhaps it wasn't that strange that Lydia, independent as she was, was willing to go along with Caesar's near-constant presence and care right now, especially since he hadn't ever been able to show it so openly before. And considering recent events, the two probably needed some time to reconnect, this journey providing the perfect opportunity to do so before everyone, and especially Caesar, would find themselves occupied with building up the apes' new home from scratch. Rebuilding their lives, really.

Just then, gibbering by Lydia's flank caught the attention of both adults, and they looked down to see Cornelius staring at a group of playing ape children with large, curious eyes. It was clear he wanted to join them, probably finding the two females' talk immensely boring, though he obviously wasn't too keen on leaving Lydia's side either, having clung to her and Caesar interchangeably ever since they had all escaped the soldiers.

Lydia smiled affectionately down at Cornelius, brushing a hand gently along his back.

"You can go play, Sweetie. I won't go anywhere." She spoke encouragingly while nodding towards the other ape children. "I promise."

Cornelius seemed to hesitate for a moment, his gaze shifting between his adoptive mother and his peers just a few yards away, only for him to dart off when he seemed convinced that Lydia truly wasn't going anywhere.

"Just stay where I can see you!" She called after him, and both she and Tinker laughed merrily at the way he paused and turned back to nod eagerly at her before he once again dashed towards his playmates.

Once the laughter had died down somewhat, the two females went back to their respective tasks once more, Tinker putting the finishing touches on her tent canvas bag while discreetly casting Lydia scrutinizing sideways glances every once in a while.

Though she still looked tired most of the time and hadn't regained the body fat she had lost over the past month and a half, Lydia no longer had that haggard look about her that she had so quickly acquired during their imprisonment. Tinker imagined that the privilege of getting to ride a horse rather than walking each and every day as they travelled helped a lot in this regard.

Lydia had offered her own horse up for those who were wounded or simply still too weak to travel by foot and had, of course, volunteered to walk instead. Caesar, however, had been quick to put that thought out of her head, insisting that she should ride with him and Cornelius – an opinion which Rocket, Tinker, Maurice and, obviously, Orion had shared.

Outvoted, Lydia had agreed in the end and let herself be hauled up in front of Caesar in the saddle, where she had stayed ever since they had first set out.

Well, it was her rightful place now, after all.

By Caesar's side. As his mate… and as the apes' –….

Tinker hummed thoughtfully, catching Lydia's attention.

" _You know,_ _I suppose this makes you our queen now._ " She observed simply, putting her craftwork down to sign.

Lydia's hands stopped dead in their tracks, the half-finished arrow suspended in the air between her hands.

"Uh, what?!" She exclaimed with a dumbfounded expression, only for her to shake her head at Tinker in the next moment. "No. Absolutely not."

" _Lydia, Caesar is our leader. Our King._ " Tinker reminded her, not that she thought the woman needed to be reminded of that – it had been the very reason she and Caesar had kept their relationship a secret to everyone in the first place. " _You are his mate. Officially, now. That makes you our queen._ "

Lydia frowned deeply at that.

"I don't want it." She stated matter-of-factly after a long, tense pause. "I can't be. I'm not an ape."

Tinker huffed in mild exasperation. Was Lydia really this oblivious?

" _The colony accepts you as one. They think of you as an ape. One of us._ " She pointed out. " _Now more than ever, after everything that has happened._ "

"It doesn't matter what the colony thinks, Tinker. I'm-" Lydia began to speak but stopped once she saw the look in the she-ape's eyes. It was Tinker's turn to frown now, confusion and disapproval evident in her features.

The woman sighed and tried again.

"I didn't mean it like that… It means the world to me that the colony accepts me – _and_ me being together with Caesar. Of course it does." She spoke sincerely, her brows knitting together in thought as she stared at the ground in front of them, seemingly weighing her words. "But… I won't be Ape Queen. Not ever. Because no matter what, I'm still a human… And…"

Tinker's brow furrowed as her face took on a compassionate expression, somehow already knowing what Lydia was going to say next.

"And because of Cornelia."

 _Ah, there it is_ , Tinker thought with no small amount of sympathy for her friend. It was the same sentiment which had nagged her back when Cornelius had first begun calling her his mother. That same look she had had on her face when telling Tinker about her and Caesar's secret union.

"I don't want to replace her. I've already taken over her role as Cornelius' mother… _and_ Caesar's mate." Lydia spoke softly. "But Ape Queen is _her_ title. I respect her too much to take that too – especially when I'm not an ape at all. It just doesn't feel right."

Tinker nodded in understanding.

" _But you do realise that is how most of the apes will see you from now on, whether you like it or not?_ " Tinker questioned, an inquisitive brow raised at Lydia. " _Besides, you were on our Royal Ape Council even before this, so you already have a powerful position, and have already gone above and beyond what is expected of a queen._ "

Lydia's posture seemed to slump at that, and she regarded Tinker with a tired, but curious look.

"Such as?" She asked, and Tinker could tell by her tone that she wasn't convinced in the slightest.

The she-ape smiled at that, amused by her friend's continued obliviousness.

" _Supporting and guiding Caesar, for one._ " She said with mirth in her green eyes, only for her expression to turn more serious as she continued. " _But more than just that, you have contributed to the colony from the beginning. Taken responsibility and helped protect us. Been a teacher for both young and old, and taught us a new way to defend ourselves. And when we faced death as the soldiers' slaves, you sided with us when you could have saved yourself. Helped organise our escape, ensuring our survival and risking your own life to do so. That's the mark of a true queen, Lydia_."

It was truly how Tinker felt and she made sure to convey her sincerity with every gesture and expression she made, willing Lydia to understand that what she had done had been of great significance to the apes. Still, she sensed that her friend was sceptical, even if she might agree with Tinker's idea of what a queen ought to be.

Lydia pursed her lips, her eyes downcast at the half-finished arrow that she still held in her hands, now twiddling it absent-mindedly between her fingers.

"I think you're blowing my role in this out of proportions, Tinker. I've only ever done what I felt was right at any given time, and most of the time it was to keep those I care about alive… Which I suppose is rather selfish… I'm not some great saviour who freed the apes from labs and zoos like Caesar did, and my contribution to the colony's survival as a whole has been rather insignificant. The apes would have made it even if I hadn't been there, I'm sure." She replied with a dismissive wave of the arrow she held, as if to brush off the notion with the movement.

 _Always downplaying the significance of her actions_ , Tinker thought, barely resisting the urge to sigh. But at the end of the day, this was very much Lydia's nature to do so. She had never been one to look for approval or a high social status. Those things had just sort of followed in the wake of her deeds towards the colony, and while Lydia seemed comfortable enough being a council member, Tinker sensed that she would have been just as content with her life without that moniker and the recognition she received from the apes.

Even so, Tinker was determined to make Lydia realise the meaning, the sheer _magnitude_ that her actions, selfish or not, had for those around her.

" _Maybe._ " Tinker answered, nodding. " _But from what I understand, Caesar probably would have died in there if not for you, and that means a lot. To some of us, it means everything._ "

She made a point to turn her gaze from Lydia towards the children still playing just a few yards away, watching as Cornelius did a rambunctious tackle to one of his playmates, the two of them chittering gleefully. Tinker knew Lydia had followed her eyes without even having to give her another sideways glance, just as she could imagine the tender, understanding look in the woman's eyes as she stared at the scene.

She turned back to the human beside her then, waiting for her to do the same before she began to sign once more, keeping her movements and expression open and sincere.

" _You don't have to worry, Lydia. You're not ever going to replace Cornelia_." She assured her friend, placing a comforting hand on top of Lydia's own. " _The two of you are too different for you to be able to do that… But I respect your decision nonetheless… To be queen in anything but name_."

Lydia's eyes seemed to swim with emotions at those words, though no tears fell as she stared back at Tinker, a soft smile pulling at the corners of her mouth.

"Thanks, Tinker…" Lydia spoke gratefully, reaching up to tuck a loose strand of her dark hair behind her ear. "That means a lot to me."

With that, the two abandoned the topic in favour of simpler, more cheerful ones, finishing their tasks while the sound of playing ape children filled the air.

* * *

 _ **Caesar**_

The hunt Caesar led hadn't initially yielded any promising results and his hunters were beginning to feel more and more discouraged as time went on. All they had caught today was about twelve hares, which wouldn't suffice to feed even one fourth of his apes – not exactly what Caesar had hoped to achieve after having the entire colony stop and make camp for the entire day.

It had begun to become difficult for the apes to hunt once they had left the snowy mountains and begun entering the desert, and for the last three days, the hunting parties Caesar had sent out had all returned empty-handed every single time. So, while today's hunt wasn't a total fiasco compared to the previous couple of days, it certainly wasn't a good result either.

It wouldn't have been as big of a problem had the soldiers' food rations, which the apes had scavenged a week earlier, not already run out during their crossing of the first stretch of desert…

And they still had such a long way to go…

At least they still had the guns, though Caesar didn't want the apes to come to rely too heavily on those, seeing as they were a limited resource too.

It wouldn't matter either way if they didn't find some bigger game, though. No point in worrying about how to down prey you couldn't find it in the first place.

Caesar's heavy brow furrowed in thought as he stared at his surroundings, taking in the wide space between the trees and the dry, rocky terrain they had to traverse.

This wasn't the lush, dense and roofed forest the apes were used to hunt in, with an abundance of hiding places and bare tree trunks for them climb with ease. Instead they now had to content with fractured patches of pine and spruce forest which, granted, became denser the further up into the mountains one went, but gave way to wide, open stretches of rugged plains down below. It was drier too and though the vegetation wasn't sparse per se in this particular area, it was certainly different from the fern, moss and bushes of their old forest home.

Of course, the wildlife here would differ as well but even with that in mind, Caesar hadn't thought he would find himself unable to feed his apes.

He gave a low, frustrated exhale, feeling a knot of doubt tighten inside his chest. Had they been mistaken in going through the desert? Were they going to starve out here rather than at the hands of the Colonel's men?

"Caesar." A voice suddenly sounded just beside him, its clarity and smoothness instantly giving away who it belonged to before the Ape King had even turned his head.

It was Orion.

"We need to change strategy. And hunting grounds." He stated simply, his tone polite but firm with conviction.

It was that firmness which made Caesar pay extra close attention to the younger chimp, taking a moment to stare searchingly at him before finally nodding for him to go on.

"I believe we will have a better chance at finding prey elsewhere. Either down in the plains or further up on the mountain – but not here. Down below I know there is a chance for us to find herds of deer. Smaller than the elk we used to hunt in our old home, but large enough to feed us all if we take down enough." Orion explained competently. "And in the mountains, we might find herds of large goats with curled horns. They are very agile and should be harder to kill because of the terrain, but if we manage to get some of the larger ones, the colony will be well-fed for some days."

It was almost strange hearing someone who could have been his own son speak with such expertise, and though he wasn't used to Orion's more matter-of-fact approach to advising, Caesar found himself very impressed with the young chimp, glad to have brought him along and that he had the confidence to speak so frankly to the Ape King.

It was usually Rocket who accompanied Caesar on his hunts, but he had been selected to stay with the colony and guard the perimeter together with what was left of the Gorilla Guard, as an extra safety precaution while they moved through this new land. Normally, Caesar would have had him come along and leave Orion with the colony instead but given everything that had happened, Caesar had decided that it was much safer to have his trusted second be in charge of the colony to handle any threats – foreign as well as domestic.

It wasn't like Caesar didn't trust Orion – of course he did – but Rocket was older, held more authority within the colony and had experience as a leader which Orion completely lacked. Based on that alone, it hadn't been hard for Caesar to decide who was going to stay behind and besides, Orion was also a skilled hunter in his own right. Adding his knowledge of the land to that, and Caesar was sure he would be of more use out here than back with the colony.

Caesar continued to consider the young ape in front of him.

Orion had dutifully followed him without protest as he had led the hunting party into the sparse forest halfway up the mountain, and the Ape King himself had so far relied on his own instincts rather than Orion's knowledge of the area.

And it wasn't just because Caesar was stubbornly sticking to his old habits when it came to hunting.

While Caesar certainly wasn't one to back away from tense or awkward conversations, and he knew Orion wasn't either, the two were somehow still subtly avoiding any one-on-one situations and had been ever since that day they had dug Lydia out of the snow together.

It wasn't as if there was any sort of animosity between the two of them, but rather… a sense of unfinished business. A conversation they needed to have but which neither were willing to initiate.

But now was not the time for such matters. It could wait for later – finding food could not.

"Which do you suggest we go for? And what technique should we use?" He asked Orion, "We rarely hunted in open spaces in the past."

It was true. The space back in the forest they knew so well had been tight and restricted, with hiding places that had enabled the apes to get close enough to their prey to down it with just the throw of a spear. The plains between the mountains here were far larger than any meadow back in the forest and provided little opportunity for concealment.

Caesar didn't doubt that they would find a new way to hunt – the apes had adapted to far worse in the past, having to learn how to hunt in the first place back when they had first escaped into the forest all those years ago. Adjusting their hunting technique should be easy to do in comparison to _that_.

But back then there had been human food stores to scavenge from and learning to hunt _had_ taken a very long time. Now the human food was gone, and time was more precious than ever before… If they didn't find some prey soon and, just as importantly, managed to kill it, the apes would be in a dark place indeed. As such Caesar was very interested indeed to see how Orion imagined they would accomplish it. To know if he actually had a plan – or even a hunch – as to what would be effective.

And the young chimp didn't disappoint.

Pursing his lips and adjusting the spear he held in his grip, Orion seemed to consider his answer very carefully.

"I think we should try for the deer, for now. We might need to catch more of them, but if we are all there and place ourselves well, we should be able to take down a good number." He estimated, his voice not as assured as it had been previously, but still with that certain level of firmness to it. "As for the technique… We might not have to change much with this sort of prey. One large group could form a line with spears, keep close to the ground, hide in the tall grass while the rest of us separates into smaller groups."

Caesar looked on as Orion began to draw his plan in the dirt at their feet, easily recognising the method as one they had used all the time back in the forest. The rest of the hunting party seemed to have gathered around them too, equally as intrigued by the young chimp's initiative.

"These groups will give chase to the deer and make sure they run towards the line of apes… But we will have to be more careful than we were in the forest. With such a flat land and with no trees and steep hills to do the work for us, we will have to surround the deer very tightly before we attack – no big gaps between the chasing apes, or the deer will escape before they reach the place we want them to go."

 _Yes_ , Caesar thought, still looking down at the drawing Orion had made in the dry dirt. It was indeed very much like what they used to do back in the forest, but he was right in his assessment – they couldn't expect the terrain to do the work for them, like it had in the past. They had always made sure to chase the elk back home down a hill, so there would be little room for them to stop once they reached the line of apes with spears further down.

No such luxuries out here.

Caesar fiddled with the bolas which hung by his waist, attached to the strap that kept the gun on his back. At least they had options…

"We will go down to the plains, then." He confirmed after only a short while. "We will try with spears and bolas' first… But if that doesn't work, we will have to shoot. We can't go back empty-handed today."

Around them, the other apes nodded and gripped their spears, bows and bolas' tightly, seeming encouraged by the decisiveness in their leader's voice – or perhaps it was due to the simple fact that they now had a solid plan to work with.

"Agreed." Orion nodded seriously, looking on as Caesar turned to their hunting party, a rather large group of both male _and_ female apes, and instructed them to gather up and head for the foot of the mountain.

Now, Caesar just hoped those deer were going to be there – and that they wouldn't have to look for them for too long, lest his hunters grow frustrated and anxious again…

The meticulously planned attack the apes executed only four hours later had been a success, though if Caesar had actually been counting on making enough kills to keep rations for the next day or so, he would have felt sorely disappointed. They had only managed to kill a few of the new prey, six of the desert-dwelling deer to be exact, while the herd they had found had consisted of about twenty.

Still, Caesar chose to look at this with optimism. Together with the hares they had caught, it would make for a fulfilling meal for every member of the colony, and what was more, they hadn't even been forced to resort to using the guns during the hunt.

Overall, the Ape King counted himself satisfied. At least they had caught enough to last them one day, and with their bellies full, perhaps it would be easier to make more kills tomorrow? Maybe, once they had truly mastered hunting in the open plains, he could take a group further up into the mountains to hunt for the goats Orion had spoken about?

It was these sorts of speculations that occupied Caesar's mind as he was making his way back towards the colony with his hunting party, the pleased chatter that always seemed to follow a successful hunt sounding throughout the large group of apes.

He had been too distracted to even notice when Orion came up to walk beside him, clearing his throat.

"Caesar…" He spoke the Ape King's name much like he had done earlier that day, though this time Caesar turned his head to find the younger ape trekking beside him, posture rigid and brows furrowed. "May I speak with you… Alone?"

Easily catching up on Orion's discomfort, as well as the underlying urgency of his words, Caesar nodded gravely before quickly signing for the rest of the group to go on without them, which they did with no questions asked. They were probably all just looking forward to finally getting back and relax after a long hunt in the sweltering sun, Caesar assumed, not at all blaming them for it.

It had been a long day and honestly, Caesar was itching to get back as soon as possible as well… To get back to Lydia and Cornelius and relax as he waited for a lovely meal cooked over a roaring campfire…

Nonetheless, Orion seemed eager to speak with him privately, and Caesar felt he could at least give him a moment of his undivided attention to hear what he had to say after their successful hunt. It was mostly due to his knowledge of the area that they had even made those kills in the first place, after all.

The moment Caesar turned to him to listen though, Orion seemed to draw himself up, standing at roughly the same height as the Ape King himself, his shoulders squared and chin up as he faced his elder. It was an unusually confrontational stance for him to take and had Caesar not known that that wasn't in Orion's nature, he would probably have thought the younger ape was looking for a fight.

But while his appearance seemed almost aggressive, Caesar did recognise the hint of anxiousness that lurked just beneath the surface. The twitch of a nostril, the gaze that seemed like it would falter one moment, only for it to grow firm and resolute the next. The hackles that lie flat against his body rather than stand up like quills along his chest and shoulders.

Orion wasn't aggressive – not outright at least – but he was anxious.

"Listen… I wanted to speak with you about you and Mother." Orion began, and though his body language may have conveyed his anxiety, his unwavering voice did not. "And how our family stands."

 _Our family_ , Caesar noted with a small jolt of surprise inside his chest. Not 'your' and 'my', but _our_...

"Yes…?" He answered carefully, raising a heavy brow.

So this was it, he realised. The talk they had both been avoiding – one he thought he had been prepared for. The one he thought he would be the one to take up with Orion.

But evidently, the younger ape had now beat him to it, catching Caesar quite off-guard and making him feel rather abashed for not having brought it up sooner himself.

However, if any of these feelings were in fact evident in his expression, Orion made no move to mention it or even acknowledge it as he continued to speak.

"I am not… _opposed_ to it. You and Mother being mates." Orion said and for a brief moment, Caesar couldn't quite tell from the expression on his face whether he meant what he said or if he was actually trying to convince himself of this as well.

Then, Orion released a heavy sigh, though his shoulders remained broad and square as he faced Caesar.

"I see you make Mother happy. Even if she still has not regained her strength completely, I see the change in her – this… glow she has now… I have not seen her like this since before Father died and I am very grateful to you for causing this change… but…" He seemed to straighten even more just then, a slow and deep intake of breath following the sigh from before and expanding his chest further, adding to the confrontational stance. "I do not know what happened between you while you were away from the colony… But I could tell that whatever it was, it hurt Mother. Deeply, even if she would not say so."

Caesar barely resisted the urge to wince, the memory of the things Orion spoke about all too clear in his memory still. The look Lydia had had in her eyes that time when he had left the colony to seek revenge, the expression she had worn when he had insinuated that Orion wasn't really her son, the way he had left her back in the mountains after she had agreed with Maurice about him sounding like Koba...

It was all still there, imprinted on his mind and made Caesar's heart shrink in shame each time he thought of it. He nodded at Orion's words nonetheless, not seeing any point in denying it. They _had_ hurt each other a lot lately, him and Lydia both, though Caesar was quite aware that he had probably been the one to initiate it most times.

Orion, pointedly ignoring the discomfort he was clearly causing Caesar with his words, continued undaunted.

"From what I can tell, you have resolved it now – at least somewhat. But I need you to know, Caesar… that if I find you leaving her behind again like you did that day, if you betray her trust and hurt her again… whatever your reason, I will not stand idly by. Even if I know she can stand up for herself."

He paused, a thoughtful look in his eyes as he searched Caesar's face before he spoke again.

"I have always been loyal to you as our leader, but my mother's honour will always come first."

Caesar took a long, tense moment to consider the young chimp standing in front of him, chest broad and puffed up, head held high and his green eyes staring directly, _defiantly_ , into Caesar's own.

Had it been any other ape facing him like this, _talking_ to him like this, Caesar might have taken it as a challenge. A sign of disrespect and a prompt to put this ape back in his place.

But this was different.

Orion wasn't deliberately trying to be disrespectful or even challenging Caesar for dominance. While his words and tone were frank, Caesar realised that Orion was simply being honest in his concern for his mother – a concern they both shared – as well as making it clear to Caesar where he stood on the matter, should it happen again in the future.

What was the phrase Will had used for this sort of honesty? Laying the cards on the table? To be honest and open with those around you, even if you don't necessarily see eye-to-eye with them – that was what Orion was doing right now.

Being honest….

It was a quality Caesar found to be exceedingly rarer and more valuable the older he got, though he supposed he shouldn't really be surprised to find it in Orion.

He was truly Lydia's child, adopted or not.

"I understand." The Ape King finally said, noticing how Orion's entire form seemed to instantly relax at his words. He had probably been preparing for an all-out argument, or at the very least a stern rebuke for his disrespectfulness. "Even so, I hope you also understand that I can't always put your mother before everything else, and that I can't promise we will never disagree or argue. My responsibility is to all of the apes, Orion, not only Lydia or even Cornelius."

Caesar thought it was important that Orion was aware of this. He didn't know how many disagreements he had ever had with Ivy, or how severe they had been – but Orion needed to understand that Caesar arguing with Lydia didn't necessarily mean that he was _trying_ to be hurtful towards her. Couples argue, and goodness knows that Caesar had had his fair share of heated arguments with Cornelia too, back in the days of their youth. When he had been too young and too hell-bent on doing everything on his own – and naïve enough to think that only he had the answers to all the apes' problems.

Orion was mature beyond his years, though. Had always been, so Caesar suspected he could tell the distinction quite easily on his own.

"Of course." Orion agreed and quite honestly, Caesar didn't think he had looked this relaxed while in the Ape King's presence since the day he came back from his journey with Blue Eyes and Rocket. "I think that is reasonable enough, given your responsibilities. It was something that always weighed heavily on Blue Eyes' mind, knowing he would inherit it one day. We talked a lot about this…"

The mention of his murdered son _did_ cause a slight stab of sorrow and regret inside Caesar's chest, but it was somewhat overshadowed by the spark of happiness he felt at seeing the brief look of fond reminiscence on Orion's face.

He had been an extremely fierce friend to Blue Eyes, Caesar knew. Almost as close as a true brother…

Caesar pursed his lips at that thought, twisting his fingers around the strap across his chest in an attempt to scratch his birthmark – a habit of his since he had been just a child.

"Sorry." Orion spoke then, and Caesar was pulled out of his reverie to stare up into the younger ape's apologetic gaze. "I know how it hurts to talk about dead family members… But Blue Eyes was like family to me as well, even before I knew about you and Mother."

Caesar shook his head at that, just as much to rid himself of his own sadness as to reassure the ape in front of him.

"Don't apologise, Orion, I'm glad my son had you to rely on." He replied, knowing his voice was thickening with emotion already, though he did his best to keep it in check. "And I hope it's a kindness you will continue to show Cornelius as well."

For the first time that day, Orion's face brightened as a subtle smile took over his features, making him look more like the young ape he actually was.

"Blue Eyes' brother is also my brother, Caesar." He spoke with a conviction not dissimilar to the one he had shown back in the pine forest earlier that day. "And though you are not my father, we are connected by the people we love. That makes us family."

Struck by Orion's words as well as the sincerity behind them, Caesar suddenly found himself swallowing a lump which had suddenly appeared in his throat. While he hadn't exactly expected them to be at each other's throats when they would finally have this conversation, he hadn't expected for Orion to so readily accept this… rather atypical family unit they had become a part of.

Then again, what had been a strange family to everyone else had been normal for Orion while growing up, so maybe this new, extended family wasn't all that strange to him after all?

Either way, Caesar, now regarding Orion with a warm, accepting look in his eyes, extended his hand for him to shake. It was a peace offering, and a very human-like gesture which Caesar nonetheless deemed appropriate, given their similar experiences with being brought up by a human. Yet another thing that connected them – and something the Ape King had never really pondered on until this moment.

Orion accepted Caesar's hand with a firm shake, the gesture adding a sense of finality to the conversation before they each let go once more.

"It was good that you came to me with this, Orion. I think we both needed it, and I appreciate your honesty, I really do." Caesar said while laying a hand on Orion's shoulder in a comradely fashion. "And I'm relieved that you are not _opposed_ to it."

Orion's nose wrinkled in an amused-looking grimace in response to that.

"Even if I was, I could not do much about it… You know how Mother is." He said, the barest hint of a sigh following his words, though Caesar sensed it was of the good-natured kind. "She will probably take it the wrong way when she finds out I even had this conversation with you."

At those words, the humour of them and the accompanying expression, Caesar couldn't help but crack a smile of his own. Yes, Lydia would probably take this the wrong way if she found out. She would think Orion was defending her honour because he thought she was incapable of doing so herself – which, obviously, wasn't the case, her blatant defiance to Caesar's authority the last couple of months alone being a testament to that fact.

"I won't tell her if you won't either." He bargained amusedly, giving Orion's shoulder a final, friendly squeeze before letting go once more. "And speaking of that, I think we should go catch up with everyone else before your mother starts to worry."

Orion shook his head at that, a huff of amusement escaping him.

"It is probably already too late for that." He replied with feigned trepidation as the two apes started to make their way back to the colony's campsite, Caesar chuckling at his words.

He didn't tell Lydia about his conversation with Orion – Caesar was an ape of his word, after all – though he _did_ make sure to tell her how it had been Orion's counsel and expertise which had led to them having a successful hunt, and he watched as Lydia practically beamed parental pride at this knowledge.

While the meal that evening wasn't exactly a feast, it was enough for the apes to keep going strong. To keep walking, hunting and living for another day.

And with the reassurance this recent success brought to his mind, Caesar was more than certain that the apes would be capable of making it through the desert – especially with counsel like Orion's.


	77. Taking Chances And Showing Kindness

_**Ivy**_

Ivy was too young to remember the wild dogs that had plagued the colony back in its early days. But she _did_ know the stories. Had been told of the thin, mangy beasts that had snatched tiny, vulnerable ape children and ravenously stripped the flesh from their bones. By the time she had been old enough to understand these stories, they had mostly been a means to make sure the ape children stayed within the safety of the tall, thick walls that had been erected around the colony to keep these foul predators out.

And it had worked – at least on Ivy.

These stories had scared her terribly as a child, to the point of her staying awake while lying safely between her parents in the nest at night, listening intently for distant barks. In the dark, her mind had conjured up images of large, starved monstrosities, their fur hanging off their bodies in bloodied clots. She had imagined how their large, pupil-less eyes, perfectly round and pale as the full moon, would be staring hungrily at her as rows upon rows of sharp fangs had teased her demise, and she had practically burrowed into her father's arms for safety.

But then daylight had arrived, and she had looked on in wonder as Orion played with Storm and Blaze, the small chimp completely at ease with the large dogs and fully trusting them not to tear him limb from limb, and she had begun to wonder. To doubt.

Now, Ivy had never interacted much with Orion at this point at all – only a few moments of play and the occasional, happy greeting before Blue Eyes and Ash had whisked him away to do whatever it is boys that age fill up their time with.

But one day, when she had been three years old and he had been four, Ivy's curiosity had become too great and she had walked straight up to him and asked why he wasn't afraid. Didn't he know what damage those jaws could do? Hadn't anyone told him the stories? He might have been from a strange family, but _someone_ must have told him, right?

At the question, Orion had looked at her as if _she_ had been the strange one, before he had let a bright smile spread across his face as he had shaken his head.

" _They would never hurt anyone. Not unless Mother or Father tells them to._ "

Somehow, that hadn't eased Ivy's worries in the slightest.

" _But your mother and father are not here now… What if they get… Hungry?_ " She had asked, trying to hide the slight shake of her hands as she had signed, though she had slowly started to move closer, eyeing the large canines nervously.

At that, Orion had grimaced and looked interchangeably at Blaze and Storm, the former sitting attentively by his side while the latter had been lounging on the ground, looking somewhat interested, but reserved.

To this day, Ivy still had to wonder if Orion had just been that good at putting two and two together even at this tender age, or if her attempt at putting on a brave face had really failed _that_ miserably.

" _Are you afraid of them?_ " He had asked her instead of answering the question, eyes narrowed at her, though not in an unkind manner. No, it had been a searching look on his face, concerned even, as he had tried to get to the bottom of this.

" _No…_ " Ivy had denied with a frown, only to have recoiled when Blaze had leaned forward to sniff curiously at her as she had gotten nearer.

The dog too drew back, head low as he took on an almost apologetic appearance. Like he had been sorry for scaring her. The thought alone had made Ivy pause. Of course, that was ridiculous – she had been told that dogs were simple predators. Something like that wouldn't be capable of feeling sorry about something… Would it?

" _Are you sure?_ " Orion had asked as he had observed her reaction, though his expression hadn't been overbearing or smug in the slightest. Just doubtful, really.

Ivy had pursed her lips and, after a few, long seconds of hesitation, shaken her head. No, she had definitely been afraid of them, she had just been too stubborn to allow it to keep her away any longer. She had wanted to know, finally, how Orion and most of the other ape children by now, could be so calm and carefree around creatures which featured so prominently in her own nightmares. What made these dogs different from the ones who had snatched and eaten those ape children in the past?

Orion had tilted his head at her then, his gaze thoughtful as he had seemed to study Ivy for a moment.

" _You know,_ " He had said, a small smile playing at his lips all of a sudden. " _Mother always says that dogs are smart and that if you are kind to them, they will understand it and return that kindness._ "

Though still unconvinced, Ivy nodded in understanding. That made sense to her, being kind in return to those who showed you kindness, but… Were dogs really able to understand a gesture like that? And how could they possibly return it?

But before she could even begin to ask about that, Orion had extended his hand for her to grab hold of.

" _Come, I will show you._ " He had encouraged her and that smile of his, soft as it was and yet so bright and genuine, had been what had finally made Ivy abandon caution and take hold of his offered hand, trusting the older ape child to keep her safe.

Gently, Orion had pulled her a few steps forward until they had both stood in front of Blaze, who had merely sat there, ears perked at the two young apes as they had approached. His tongue had been hanging out the side of his open mouth and Ivy had been able to feel the canine's hot breath on her face as he had panted softly.

It reminded her of those scary dreams. Of the times the monstrous dogs in them had caught up to her and jumped forward to snap their bloodied jowls around her arms and legs, only this time it had felt that much worse because the dog was _actually there_ , in front of her and very much able to snatch her if he had so desired.

But Ivy, despite her increasing fear, had resisted the urge to recoil a second time, reasoning that if Orion and the other ape children could trust these dogs, then she could too.

" _Blaze likes it when you scratch him behind his ears_." Orion had informed Ivy and, ever so slowly, tucked her hand up to the dog's head. " _Like this._ "

Ivy had gulped as the canine had sniffed the incoming hand, ears twitching curiously, though he didn't show as much as a hint of a growl.

And then her fingers, guided by Orion's hand, had been buried in the thick, light grey fur behind Blaze's ear and Ivy's eyes had widened in surprise and awe.

Not only had the fur been incredibly soft – softer than any ape's, in fact – but as she had begun to gently run her fingertips back and forth behind Blaze's ear, his big, brown eyes had immediately closed in what Ivy could only interpret as pure bliss. He had even seemed to lean into her touch and slowly, ever so slowly, a smile had graced Ivy's features.

And when Blaze had suddenly and unceremoniously flopped down onto his back, all four paws up in the air as Orion had begun to scratch the dog's belly, Ivy hadn't been able to hold back a joyous chitter before she had joined in as well. There was no way she could be scared of a dog like this, so kind, trusting and downright goofy as he had lied there, tongue lolling out of his mouth and his hindleg kicking senselessly into the air as the two ape children had scratched his belly. And once Storm had become interested in their antics as well, Ivy had soon discovered that this dog was just as nice.

Turns out these dogs hadn't at all been like the ones in her nightmares. In fact, Ivy had been certain that after this, these two dogs might be the ones to chase away those horrible images her mind had conjured up.

They would protect her, because she had been kind to them.

Though she and Orion had had fun together for the rest of that day, it hadn't resulted in them becoming inseparable friends like Blue Eyes and Ash. But it had certainly brought them closer together than they had ever been before and now, years later, Ivy knew that this had been the moment which had sparked her first interest in Orion. Not in a romantic way, however, as she had been much too young for that at the time, but in him as a person. He had been patient with her, seeing how she had put on a brave face and had had the kindness and grace not to ridicule her when that façade had crumbled – like she knew so many of the other boys would have done.

And aside from that, this incident had also been the first step towards Ivy completely conquering her fear of dogs.

Perhaps that was the reason why she wasn't nearly as fearful of the small pack of strays that now followed the colony as the rest of the apes were. They had trailed behind the large group ever since it had left the last abandoned town the apes had come across, keeping within sight but few of them ever daring to come closer than the distance one could throw a rock at them – which several of the more suspicious apes had already done.

It was a small pack, consisting of just five canines of varying sizes and shapes, and one in particular was quickly becoming Ivy's favourite.

A female dog with wheat-coloured fur and a sleek, athletic build. Her tail, when up in the air, held itself in an elegant curve which fanned out into near-white tufts of fur. The dog's most defining feature, however, and the one Ivy found most endearing, was her ears, the left one standing straight up in the air while the other bent forward, bobbing almost merrily as the dog trotted behind the procession of apes.

Coincidentally, she was also by far the most daring out of all the pack's members, trying to sneak closer to the apes as they sat around their cookfires each night and always coming back no matter how many times they tried to chase her away.

And tonight, as Ivy sat together with Orion and her parents around the cookfire, the entirety of the Royal Ape Council present as well, her mind had revolved around that little dog and her pack. Especially when Storm had come over to lie against Lydia's thigh and the woman absent-mindedly began to pet her.

Why couldn't they just take these dogs in? Like Lydia and Roy had done Storm and Blaze back before they had joined Caesar's colony. Wouldn't there be benefits in trying to tame these dogs and train them? They seemed friendly enough, after all.

What was the harm in trying?

Or suggesting it?

"Lydia… How did you first tame Storm and Blaze?" Ivy decided to broach the subject, making the woman, as well as everyone else sitting around the fire, turn and stare at her with raised brows. Even Orion seemed perplexed, looking between her and his mother for answers.

Perhaps sensing that an idea was stirring inside Ivy's mind, waiting to burst forth, Lydia learned forward to search her gaze, deciding to ask a question back rather than answer the original inquiry.

"What exactly did you have in mind, Ivy?"

Steeling herself for the rejection her idea would no doubt be met with by several, older members of the colony, Ivy released a slow exhale before she began to speak, being careful to not only look at Lydia, but shift her gaze between each member of the Royal Ape Council to make sure she had their attention.

"I was just thinking that. Since you took in Storm and Blaze. Maybe we could take in these dogs that are following us as well? Train them to guard us… And hunt like Storm can."

For a moment, silence prevailed, the only sound to be heard being the soft crackling of the cookfire and the distant sound of crickets' calls.

Then, Caesar cleared his throat.

"These dogs are different from Lydia's." He pointed out, earning himself a nod from several of the other apes surrounding the fire, including Father, Rocket and Ajax, the Gorilla Guard's newly-appointed leader. "We know nothing about them. They are wild and unpredictable. Untrained. We might end up in a situation similar to when we first escaped to the forest, with children being taken because we were not careful enough."

Again, many of the surrounding apes nodded, mostly the older ones who remembered the incidents Caesar was referring to.

Lydia, meanwhile, leaned forward to rest her elbows onto her knees in her cross-legged position, folding her hands together in front of herself as she began to speak.

"You can't judge these dogs to be the same as the ones who attacked the colony all those years ago, Caesar. They were used to humans, not apes. They probably saw you guys as prey animals rather than anything else." She argued, though her tone was calm and patient.

" _These ones are not used to apes either, Lydia._ " Maurice reminded before Caesar had a chance to speak. " _They follow us for the food we leave behind, but who is to say that they won't try to go for an ape child left unattended?_ "

It was true what Maurice said about the food, Ivy knew. Every morning, when the apes would pack up and start walking again, the small group of dogs would wait until the colony was far enough away before they went forward, sniffing through the campsite for leftover food, be it meat or bones, until they could find no more and set off to catch up with the colony once again.

"I'm not saying the risk isn't there, but it _is_ possible to rehabilitate strays, though it takes time and patience. A _lot_ of it." Lydia said wisely. "It also depends on the dog. Some will just never trust you completely, while others will do so almost the moment you offer them a piece of meat. Usually it really comes down to how much time they've spent with humans… and how they've been treated by them…"

Ivy nodded, hanging on to every word her mother-in-law said. The underlying comparison between apes and dogs being treated badly by humans in the past didn't escape her notice and she immediately thought of Koba. He had been treated horribly by humans and had never been able to trust them again – not even Lydia, despite her being with the colony for so long… But other apes, most of them in fact, had been able to find it in themselves to trust not only Lydia, but Malcolm, Ellie and Alex as well, even if they had never experienced kindness from a human before that point.

If they could do that then maybe there was hope for these dogs? At least Ivy wanted to believe that.

"And these ones? How good are the chances that they will be tamed?" Caesar asked, looking, as he so often did, to Lydia for answers.

The woman shrugged at her mate's inquiry.

"Hard to tell, really. We adopted a few strays back where I grew up, but I'm still not an expert… Though I think the fact that they're willing to approach us and, more importantly, hasn't tried to attack anyone, are good signs." She said, leaning back to lay a hand on top of Storm's head, the dog seeming to snuggle closer to her owner with the action. "Either way, I think it's worth a shot – and not just because it's Ivy who suggested it. Storm is a brilliant dog, but… She's getting old. At least eight or nine years by now, and I don't know how long it'll be before I can't take her with me on hunts anymore."

Ivy could tell that the topic didn't sit well with either Lydia or Orion, who both looked down at the aging canine with brows furrowed in affectionate concern. It wasn't like Storm was in bad shape or anything – in fact, she seemed as sprightly as ever to Ivy, despite the fact that her muzzle was now light grey rather than the dark shade of the rest of her furry coat. But there was no denying that age was starting to show on her, and with Blaze having been taken from them in such a horrible manner, it was no wonder that the two were extra protective of their last canine companion.

Ivy turned to Caesar then, not wanting Lydia to have to keep arguing in her favour. This was Ivy's idea, and she would reason with the king herself, even if she, technically, had no right to do so, seeing as she wasn't a member of the Royal Ape Council to begin with.

"Caesar, I know it is a great risk… I grew up with the stories. About dogs eating ape children. And for a long time, I was scared." She spoke, doing her best not to pay too much attention to her parents' stares. "But even so, I want to try… We have just as much to gain from this. As we have to lose… These dogs might help us like Storm and Blaze. They might hunt with us and guard us… But we will not know. if we do not try."

Caesar's green-and-golden eyes studied Ivy for an uncomfortably long while, though his expression wasn't set in the frown he usually wore. It was just… scrutinizing, as if he was trying to assess her resolve.

Finally, the Ape King nodded his assent.

"I will allow the attempt, though I wonder…" He spoke, voice gravelly as always, but his tone kind and mildly curious. "How do either of you plan to do this?"

The question was directed more at Ivy than at Lydia, the she-ape sensed, though Caesar was probably right to assume that they would both be in on this… well, this _project_ , so to speak.

Luckily, Ivy had the perfect answer for _that_ question.

"If we show them kindness, they will return it." She cited, looking over at Lydia. "It is what you always said to Orion, is it not?"

Sitting beside his mother, Orion looked rather surprised by the fact that Ivy had remembered the quote from all those years ago, though the expression was quickly exchanged for a soft, supportive smile – the same kind he had flashed her that day when they had been children, and which since then had always made Ivy all the more firm in her resolve.

"It is." Lydia confirmed. "And you might just get the chance to put that to the test now."

At Ivy's confused expression, the woman inclined her head towards the space behind where Ivy was sitting.

She turned around to see what Lydia was on about, only to be met with the sight of her favourite little stray, creeping towards the gathering on her belly, ears flat against her neck and tail wagging in a cautious manner.

A grunt from across the fire alerted Ivy to the fact that Ajax and one of his subordinates had moved to get up and chase away the persistent stray for the umpteenth time that evening. She turned to try and appeal to them herself, only for her to see Caesar unexpectedly hold up his hand, signalling for the gorillas to stand down. The Ape King's eyes were connected with Lydia's, Ivy noticed, and the woman slowly nodded her head in what appeared to be gratitude before she turned to Ivy once more, blue eyes full of expectation.

Ivy realised that the woman had made a silent appeal to her mate in that moment, urging him to at least let Ivy try this thing out for herself now and just like that, it like she was thrown straight back to the day she had first asked to try out archery.

And just like that day, Ivy now felt that she had to prove that Lydia's faith in her wasn't misplaced.

With that thought in mind, Ivy took a piece of roasted leftover-meat and, with incredibly slow movements, inched towards the little stray.

"Hello." She spoke in a soothing voice as she carefully knelt just a few yards away from the dog, feeling everyone's eyes bore into her – and imagining that most probably expected her to fail miserably.

Honestly, Ivy felt kind of silly for talking to this dog like it was a person, though she tried to assure herself that it was okay to do, since Lydia had always done the same with Storm and Blaze.

And it _did_ seem to have a positive effect, seeing as the little stray's tail wagged with slightly more vigour at Ivy's greeting and she crept closer to the apes by about a foot.

Encouraged, Ivy's lips quirked up into a gentle smile, and she continued to speak softly as she held out the roasted meat for the dog to sniff.

"Are you hungry? Hm? I have something here for you."

The dog licked around its muzzle at the scent of the offered treat and raised her head, left ear perked up at Ivy as she continued to inch towards the group.

A low, warning growl sounded behind Ivy, and the little stray's head lowered as her big, brown eyes nervously flickered towards the source of the sound.

"Easy there, girl." Lydia's voice sounded, gentle but firm as she made Storm stand down.

Though the display of aggression made the little dog pause, it wasn't enough to completely deter her, and she was soon so close to Ivy that the she-ape could clearly see the outline of ribs along the poor dog's flanks, as well as the bald patches scattered across her body – curtesy of fleas, Ivy suspected.

It only made her all the more determined to succeed, her heart already filled with compassion for the creature in front of her, still inching closer.

"It is okay. I am not going to hurt you." Ivy coaxed further, lowering her hand so that the meat would be easier to grab as the dog kept herself close to the ground, submissive but still with an obvious interest that seemed incredibly pure and innocent to Ivy.

She felt the dog's hot breath against her hand for only a moment as it came close enough to sniff at the offered piece of meat, snatching it from between Ivy's fingers moments later and scurrying a few yards away to eat at a safe distance form the apes. Further back still, the rest of the pack looked on with keen eyes as their companion devoured her prize, but even if they all did move closer, none of them seemed ready to come near enough for a treat of their own.

Spurred on by this little success, Ivy turned to flash a bright, triumphant smile back at the gathering by the crackling fire, taking note of the way Father and Mother shared looks of fond exasperation, while Lydia offered her a cheerful grin and a none too discreet wink.

And Caesar… Well, Caesar merely chuckled to himself and shook his head.

It would take another two days before the little, wheat-coloured dog trusted Ivy enough to let her pet her, and another week and a half for the rest of the pack to do the same.

There were two dogs about the same size as Storm. The largest, a male, sported floppy ears, thick, fawn-coloured fur and a black muzzle, while the female resembled Storm a little more, with straight ears and a more wolf-like coat, though it was both thinner and flatter in appearance. Lydia said that the latter might be a husky-mix, though Ivy didn't really know what that was supposed to mean.

The two remaining dogs were the most sceptical out of the group, though they too came to give in to Ivy and Lydia's combined coaxing in the end. One of them, another male, was only a few inches shorter than Storm and had a comparatively short but dense coat of dark-gold fur. His ears and muzzle were black, though he had white markings from the tip of his nose down his throat and chest. Once he became more comfortable with the apes, Ivy was surprised to note how he took an almost immediate liking to Orion who, despite his best efforts to hide it, seemed rather content with having a dog of his own once again.

The other of the two, a pure white female dog, was only a bit bigger than Ivy's little favourite and, being timid in nature, seemed to latch on to Maurice's quiet and mild-tempered adoptive daughter, Nova, the moment the girl first approached her.

Surprisingly, out of everyone in the colony, the one who took the longest to accept the its new members weren't someone like Caesar or Ajax or even Father and Mother – but Storm.

It was mostly the other female dogs which seemed to get on her nerves and, strangely enough, it was the one that looked most like herself which received the brunt of Storm's displeasure. Though it got a whole lot better over time, once Storm had firmly asserted herself, it was eventually decided that the wolf-like stray would go to someone else, since Lydia had already decided to keep the large male dog with the fawn coat, which Cornelius had quickly come to adore.

In the end, it was Ajax who took her in, reasoning that with the proper training, she might help the Gorilla Guard in securing the perimeters, though after a while, it became obvious that he had also developed a soft spot for the canine.

As for Ivy's own little stray, she was now trailing after the she-ape wherever she went and had already been taught the commands 'sit' and 'down', impressing even Lydia with how quickly she had taken to being trained. By her estimate, it wouldn't take long before they could begin training her for hunting, seeing as she was already showing potential in that regard. Nimble as she was, Ivy's favourite was quick as a flash and had already caught several mice and small birds on her own, impressing Ivy herself… And absolutely horrifying Mother. Especially when the dog decided to play with her dead prey by throwing it high into the air only to catch it again before it hit the ground.

It was late evening and over a month since Ivy had made the first move towards the dogs. Now the two of them were sat by the campfire once more, alone this time, enjoying the quiet of the night as everyone else had gone to prepare for sleep.

"What are you going to call her?" Lydia asked as she poked around the dying embers with a branch, doing her best to garner some heat from it.

Caught off-guard by the question, Ivy looked down into her lap where the little, wheat-coloured dog had curled up after filling her belly with leftover meat from the evening meal. Some care and attention, as well as regular feedings and washings, had made her a whole lot healthier to look at, her ribs no longer visible and the bare patches of skin on her body now only a distant memory.

Despite her being the first to get properly settled in with the apes, becoming Ivy's dog without anyone even questioning it, she was still the only one without a name, having been referred to as 'little one' or 'girl' rather than with an actual name most of the time.

It made Ivy feel slightly guilty now that she had been made aware of it. Her little dog was the most affectionate and trusting out of all them, never missing a chance to cuddle up against anyone willing to offer her a treat or a pat on the head and giving 'kisses' any time she got close to a person's face. Such a sweet creature deserved a name, surely.

But what sort of name?

The dog that had been adopted by Maurice and Nova had been affectionately dubbed Snow, curtesy of her pale coat, while Ajax had given his new guard dog in-training the name Wolf – not the most imaginative of names, as Lydia had pointed out, but suitable all the same.

Lydia herself had named her new dog Remus, while Orion's had been given the name Fang upon discovering that the dog was missing one of his canine teeth.

Ivy played with her little stray's soft, floppy ear, stroking it between her fingers as she thought. What would be a good name for her? She was the fastest out of all the dogs, and she certainly had physical characteristics that lend themselves to several names, but… None of them seemed right to Ivy.

But then, just as Ivy was about to give up on her endeavour and tell Lydia that she had no idea, it struck her. The perfect name.

"I think that I will call her Chance." Ivy said softly, testing the word by saying it out loud and finding that she very much liked it. "Because she was willing. To give us a chance. Just as much as I. Gave her one."

Lydia nodded, the soft smile on her face illuminated by the slowly-dying campfire.

"You know, it was always a common saying among humans that dogs usually resemble their owners." She said thoughtfully as she pulled her coat tighter around herself to ward off the cold night air of the desert.

Amused by the notion, the she-ape raised a brow at her mother-in-law.

"You think she is like me?" She asked, honestly finding it hard to find any resemblance between herself, with her silvery fur, and the wheat-coloured dog lying so comfortably in her lap.

Lydia, still smiling, shrugged within the confines of her coat.

"Well, she's smaller than the others, but cleverer and swifter than all of them combined. Evidently, she's also quite stubborn, not unlike yourself, I think you'll agree… And, well-" Lydia said, sneaking one arm out of her coat to reach forward and grab the thin braid by Ivy's right ear, very much like Orion usually did. "You both have a little something that makes you stand out from the crowd."

Ivy paused as Lydia retracted her hand from the braid, at first not quite understanding what the woman meant, until she looked down to study her dog and noticed, now with a smile, the floppy, right ear still caught between her fingers.

Yes, perhaps this dog was quite like her, now that Ivy thought about it – at least when it came to taking chances and showing kindness.


	78. Journey's End

_**Lydia**_

Lydia smiled fondly at the way Cornelius pressed his cheek into Remus' fur, the dark hair on his body standing out in sharp contrast to the dog's cream-coloured coat. The two had taken a liking to each other almost instantly and by now, their new canine companion was like a big, lumbering guardian for the young Ape Prince, staying near him whenever he could.

Lydia still hadn't eased up on her principle of not letting the dogs sleep in the nest with them so at the moment, Cornelius was dozing at the very edge of their bedding with his head resting just outside it so he could use Remus' back as some kind of pillow. And of course the dog had scooted as close to the nest as was physically possible without _actually_ being inside it to accommodate the child.

 _At least it helps him settle down for the night without us having to be there at all times,_ Lydia thought, knowing that Cornelius, in addition to having become rather clingy since their time with the soldiers, had also become a rather light sleeper, preferring at least one if not both of his parents to be there with him.

She just hoped it wasn't something that would develop further and potentially follow him into adulthood. Insomnia, even the occasional sort, was a bitch to deal with – something Lydia knew all too well herself.

Well, at least she had Caesar to help her with that now.

And speaking of the Ape King, he was currently sitting just beside her in the nest, his eyes also trained at Cornelius' sleeping form with a fondness that matched Lydia's own.

"It was a good choice to take in these dogs." He pondered quietly, his voice gravelly as always.

"I'm surprised you let Ivy try in the first place."

"How did you expect me not to when you so obviously sided with her on the matter?" He countered with a soft quirk of his lips and making Lydia roll her eyes in mock-exasperation.

"Why do you sound so accusatory when you just admitted yourself that it was a good idea all along?"

Caesar chuckled at her words, the sound stirring a feeling of warmth inside Lydia's chest. She had really missed the sound of his laughter these past few months.

"Maybe I just wish you would take my side once in a while. I wonder what that is like?" He retorted as the playful smirk only seemed to grow on his lips.

"Oh, come off it will you? I _always_ take your side – when you're not being unreasonable, that is." She said as she crossed her arms over her chest and raised a slender brow at him, daring him to question her.

"I suppose that is true." Caesar admitted, the smirk from before now growing slightly smaller again as his expression turned almost sheepish. "I hope I have improved on that."

Lydia, immediately picking up on the unexpected change in mood, shot him a smile that was a mixture between sympathy and fondness.

"Sure you have, you impossible ape." She said reassuringly, uncrossing her arms and leaning over to peck his cheek, to which he responded with a quick smile of thanks.

Their short moment of playful banter quickly ebbed into a comfortable silence as the dark of night finally managed to completely take over the sky, leaving the apes' campsite lit by starlight and the few torches that dotted the area.

The quiet moment provided Lydia with some time to contemplate the exchange they had just had, and she found her heart aching slightly by the fact that Caesar still seemed hell-bent on beating himself up over past events. Sure, he had been a goddam fool, and a selfish one at that, but if Lydia was honest with herself, they had already had enough time to think and talk to the point that she, while not having forgotten, then at least having forgiven him for his behaviour. Besides, it wasn't like she had dealt with the whole thing all that well either.

It was all in the past now though, and Lydia could easily admit that she had gotten closure on most of what had happened during their war with the Alpha-Omega Army…

Except when it came to one, small thing.

"Caesar…?" She asked softly, now with just a hint of hesitation that she really wished hadn't been there, knowing he would pick up on it immediately.

And sure enough, the Ape King turned to her, his face a mask of calm and collectedness while his eyes betrayed the worry that lied just beneath the surface. There was no doubt in Lydia's mind that he knew that she was building up to a serious conversation. They had had a lot of those recently, so it was easy to tell when one was on its way now.

"I've been thinking about something… It's been on my mind for a while now, actually, but… I couldn't really bring myself to broach the subject."

He nodded wordlessly for her to go on.

"The Colonel…" Lydia began, noticing how Caesar's shoulders tensed at the mention of the man, though she continued despite his visible discomfort at the topic. "You didn't kill him… Back when you had the chance, you let him do it himself… And he did…"

She paused, thinking back to that horrid morning and remembering the sight of Caesar standing back from the room, staring with eerie calmness as he watched the man kill himself. Lydia hadn't seen it happen. The only thing she had seen was the quick flash as the gun had been fired.

"You never told me why." She elaborated finally, staring directly into his eyes in search for an answer – or a possible lie.

That question – the _why_ – had been sitting in the back of her mind ever since that day, lurking like a predator waiting to pounce as soon as the opportunity would arise. Only it hadn't for several months now, as they had trekked through the once-state of Nevada. They had been so busy with everything from tending to the weak and wounded to learning how to hunt in this new terrain while also being on the move. Lydia hadn't wanted to add on to Caesar's concerns by probing him about such a sensitive subject and quite honestly, by the end of the day she had so far been too exhausted to even attempt it.

But now, as hunting had gotten easier and both Orion and Rocket had assured them that the apes were only a few days away from reaching their new home, weariness had ever so slowly ebbed away in exchange of anticipation and excitement.

And with that, Lydia had come to the conclusion that she had better get this uncomfortable subject out of the way before they reached their destination. She didn't want to have their new beginning be tainted by it. To her, it was preferable to get it out of the way, and deep down, she was sure Caesar preferred that too.

Now, the only problem with that was getting him to actually talk to her about it.

"He wanted me to do it." Caesar replied with a dismissive shrug and Lydia barely resisted the urge to huff at his evasive answer. "I didn't think he deserved that mercy."

Her eyes narrowed as she stared at him unblinkingly. A frown had appeared on her face by now, and it only deepened when she realised that he apparently didn't feel the need to explain further. Instead he seemed to have chosen to stay quiet and wait the uncomfortable silence out, perhaps hoping she would give up on the matter.

He had another thing coming.

Crossing her arms over her chest, Lydia shot her mate the most unimpressed look she could muster, a deep crease appearing on her forehead as she knitted her dark brows at him.

"You know perfectly well that's not what I was getting at."

Of course he did. Caesar was many things: A great leader, a loving father, a caring mate and a saviour of apes. But if there was one thing he had never been, it was a good liar – at least not to those he loved.

And they both knew that all too well.

"Lydia…" Caesar tried, his voice balancing between an order and a plea for her to let it go.

But she wouldn't. She had known since the day it had happened that something was off, though she had been able to let his avoidance of the question pass because they had been in a hurry to escape at the time. That's why she had played along instead of pressing him for answers

"Why did he shoot himself, Caesar? Why did he want _you_ to do it?" She kept on as she leaned forward, trying to catch his gaze once more.

"Why is this still important to you? He is dead and we are free. How it happened doesn't matter."

"If it didn't matter you wouldn't have to hide it from me." She spoke with a still-deepening frown. "Please, Caesar. I thought we agreed not to keep things from each other anymore…"

He seemed to deflate at her words just then, closing his eyes as a tired sigh left him.

It was indeed something they had discussed at length after having made it out alive that horrid day they had all escaped.

Lydia wasn't sure that Caesar having simply been honest with her from the beginning about his intention to leave would have made much of a difference. He would probably have gone through with it either way. However, it wasn't about him having left or not anymore – it was about the lack of communication – and ultimately trust – between the two of them. The hidden agendas and the half-truths and the guilt-trips when it came to Orion and Cornelius.

Knowing that they couldn't change the past, they had agreed to try and amend that by being completely honest with each other from this point on. And though Lydia could clearly see that Caesar was slightly annoyed by this reminder, it did provide him with the incentive to finally tell her what had really happened between him and the Colonel that fateful winter's morning.

"He was… sick." Caesar finally explained, still not meeting her gaze.

"You mean like Nova?"

"No. Not like Nova. Not exactly…" He was quick to say, shaking his head. "He wasn't just unable to speak. He was sweating with fever and bleeding from his nose too. Like the soldier we found in the snow."

Lydia listened carefully, remembering the soldiers they had found shot down and left for dead in the mountains. They had all had that tell-tale trail of blood coming from their noses and mouths.

"I could tell from the look in his eyes that he recognised me. He knew who I was and why I was there, but… The way he looked at me, it felt like… Like something had been taken from him. Something important to being human."

Though it was probably hard to explain, Lydia thought she could imagine what Caesar was trying to say and nodded her head in understanding.

"But how… How did he get it in the first place?"

That was something Lydia couldn't quite grasp. To her knowledge, the man hadn't been anywhere near Nova, and none of the Colonel's men had seemed to show any signs of sickness.

So _how_ had it happened?

"The doll. The one Nova threw into the cage… I think he got it from that. From touching it." Caesar said, his heavy brow furrowing. "When he had me brought up to his room, he told me that he had ordered his men to burn anything that had belonged to those who had been sick. I think he knew they might get it that way."

"Seems like he knew quite a lot about this disease…" Lydia spoke, narrowing her eyes in thought as she continued to regard her mate.

Clearly, there was a lot he hadn't been telling her still – and it seemed that there was more to come.

Caesar nodded his head once, still not looking at Lydia as he continued to speak, voice low and gravelly.

"He said it had all started when they tried to find us back in the forest…That it started with his own son, who had stopped speaking and suddenly turned… Primitive. Like an animal, he said…" Caesar's mouth formed a thin line as he recounted the conversation to her, his hands clenched together in his lap. "Even when he had put a gun to his face, his son had still trusted him… He hadn't understood…"

Lydia gaped at Caesar as realisation hit her. That picture of a young boy lying on the Colonel's war table…

"He shot his own son?" She spoke in a near-whisper, utterly horrified at the idea. What kind of parent _could_ even do that to their own child?

A parent like the Colonel, apparently.

"He did." The Ape King confirmed, still with that tense expression on his face. "And everyone else who became like him as well. A medic had told him that he thought it was the sickness that killed the rest of humanity which had suddenly changed. He wanted to prevent it from spreading – to save humanity, he said."

Somehow, it didn't surprise Lydia at all that the man had thought he could somehow save humanity from its final downfall – he did strike Lydia as quite a narcissist from about the time she had first witnessed him standing on top of his balcony back at the base, watching as his soldiers stood below him and cited their obnoxious war cry. Even if his face had remained stoic, it had been all to obvious to Lydia that he had enjoyed it. Enjoyed the power and being above everyone else. Enjoyed having others follow him unconditionally.

So no, the Colonel believing himself to be the saviour of the human race wasn't what made the cogs turn inside Lydia's head. Rather, it was the speed with which this disease, a mutated version of the Simian Flu, she supposed, had been in infecting the Colonel after he had touched a contaminated doll.

From what she could tell, it must have happened within a day's time, from the moment he had first picked up the doll from inside Caesar's cage and to the next morning when they had found him in his room.

And suddenly, it made a lot more sense to Lydia why the door had been barricaded from the inside – he hadn't wanted his men to come in and see him like that. Hadn't wanted his last moment to be one of defeat in the face of his followers.

"All of this still doesn't answer one question…" Lydia said after she had composed herself. "Why did he want _you_ to kill him after he got sick?"

"He was afraid." Caesar spoke matter-of-factly, still staring at the ground in front of him rather than at her. "I was the only one there to help… I almost did it as well – I _wanted_ to, but… It would not have been revenge anymore… So, I loaded the gun instead and put it in front of him. He died fulfilling what he thought was his purpose."

The silence that fell after that sentence was deafening to Lydia who, for the longest time, could only stare at her mate in equal parts sympathy and disquiet. His posture as he sat beside her was tense and clearly uncomfortable and if he had been any less of a confident male ape, he would probably have started fidgeting under her intense scrutiny. This was clearly a memory he hadn't expected, nor wanted to revisit.

"Why didn't you tell me this before…?" She asked softly, the hint of accusation only just noticeable in her voice. "Why did you keep this from me when we agreed to-"

"I didn't want you to worry needlessly." Caesar interrupted, finally lifting his eyes to meet her own. "You haven't seemed sick at all, and I didn't want to…"

He trailed off, his brow furrowing in thought, and Lydia figured he was looking for a human turn of phrase in the deep recesses of his memory.

"To tempt fate by telling me?" She provided helpfully, despite the slight agitation she still felt at him for not telling her about this.

"… Yes." Came Caesar's answer after a moment of uncharacteristic hesitation, accompanied by a subtle nod of his head.

Lydia reached a hand up to run it through her loose hair in a frustrated manner. She could understand his reasoning, though it seemed a tad too superstitious of him. Or maybe he was afraid that if he told her, she would just confirm his fears by saying that she was beginning to feel these changes they had seen in the sick humans they had come across? Perhaps he wasn't prepared to deal with that prospect just yet, given the circumstances? Perhaps he just preferred ignorance to knowing something was definitely wrong?

Lydia could sympathise with that notion, at least. Honestly, if she was going to die of some disease, she much preferred not being privy to it and simply enjoying the time she had left without having to count the weeks and days until her eventual demise.

However, this wasn't something she could die from – at least not right away, as far as she knew. It was much crueller than that – a sickness that didn't take her life, but which could deteriorate her instead. Sure, right now it might only take away her voice, but what if it evolved further? Took away other things as well? Maybe to the point where she would lose that which made her… well, _Lydia_.

And that thought was much scarier to Lydia than death. To slowly lose who she was, her personality, her abilities, her usefulness – and having those she loved watch while it happened.

"You didn't think I've been wondering about it myself? Why I haven't become sick after spending so much time with Nova? I might not have known how bad it actually was, but I _did_ figure that it was contagious after we found those soldiers in the snow, Caesar. He told us that it was a disease, remember?" She said and to his credit, Caesar had the decency to look sheepish, pursing his lips and reaching up to mindlessly scratch at the small, bare patch of skin on his pectoral, where his birthmark was located.

"Of course." He trailed off, only to speak up again after several moments of silence "What are your thoughts on it, then? Why has it not happened?"

Lydia leaned forward to rest her elbows onto her knees as she sat cross-legged in the nest. Why indeed? Well…

"I don't know much about this sort of thing really, but… I think I might be immune. Especially with how quickly the Colonel must have become affected by it, I think I should have been too even before we reached the soldiers' base, but... I honestly don't feel any different." She explained slowly and unsurely.

Beside her, Caesar merely nodded, a serious expression on his face, though he seemed puzzled by something still. It was easy to tell with Caesar – something about the way his brow furrowed. He always seemed to narrow his eyes just a little when confused, as opposed to the unflinching stare he delivered when he was agitated or trying to be stern with someone.

Lydia sat up straight once more and tilted her head as she looked at him, waiting patiently for the inquiry she knew was on the way.

She didn't have to wait long, though.

"Why would you be… immune?" The Ape King asked at last, seemingly testing out the word. It wasn't a term the apes used and though Caesar might know the word as well as the meaning behind it, it still sounded odd coming from him.

Lydia shrugged at his question. It wasn't like she was an expert in… What was it called? Virology? Yeah, probably… Still, whenever she had actually allowed her mind to wander into this territory, let it ponder on why exactly she still felt the same as she always had, she had theorized – and come to the same conclusion each and every time.

"The humans that survived the first outbreak did so because they had developed immunity to the virus… Maybe I've developed it further because my time with you all. It's the only reason I can think of. Apart from those three years I spent with Dad and Matthew after it all started, I've been directly exposed to the virus by being around apes for years now. Who knows? I might even have picked up whatever it is that makes you guys able to resist the adversary effects."

Upon seeing Caesar's rather impressed and subtly hopeful expression, Lydia averted her gaze from his own to stare down at her own lap, where she now wrung her hands together in anxiety.

"This is all just me thinking out loud, though. I really have no idea how these things actually work… I might be completely wrong."

She didn't want to dash Caesar's hopes by being pessimistic and to her own ears at least, her theory seemed solid enough….

Still, it wasn't like they had any way of checking, so it was really all just a big guessing game – one Lydia didn't think she could bear to lose.

A heavy and agonizingly prolonged silence fell between them, neither one knowing what else to say. Lydia could sense Caesar's piercing stare still on her, though she didn't look back until she heard him shifting beside her and she turned to see the resigned expression on his face.

"Come here." He said, reaching one of his arms out for her to scoot closer.

Lydia did so without a second thought and immediately felt comforted by his warmth as she settled against his side, his arm wrapped securely around her frame.

She released a shuddering breath as she let herself sink into his hold, her body relaxing while her mind was still racing, steeling herself for what she still wanted to say.

"Caesar… I hope you realise that just because I might be immune now, it doesn't mean that I'll be in the future." Lydia spoke quietly. "The virus might still change again. Like it did before…"

Caesar made no move to reply or even give an indication that he had been listening. He merely kept his green-and-golden gaze stubbornly turned forward, seemingly staring rather intensely at the dancing flame of a nearby torch.

He was listening, though. Lydia could tell by the slight expansion of his chest as he drew in a calculated breath, as well as the flaring his nostrils did with the action.

Lydia continued undeterred despite his visible discomfort.

"I know you don't want to talk about it. Or even think about the possibility – but it's one we have to at least consider. It's always going to be there, whether we decide to hush it up or not."

"Even so, we also can't worry about something that might never happen." The Ape King countered, still not looking at her, though his voice wasn't stern or dismissive like she might have expected. Instead it was calm and soothing, trying to ease her troubled mind from it's fruitless concerns.

"True…" Lydia conceded, biting her lip before she continued. "I just want you to know that if I ever _do_ get sick. If I become… something else than me – you're under no obligation to stay with me."

She had thought a lot about that too – about what would happen if she did eventually become sick. And not just when it came to Caesar, but Orion, Cornelius, Ivy and everyone else as well. If it was just about losing her voice, it wouldn't matter much. She could always use sign. In fact, Lydia still did that a lot when she spoke, and many of the apes still preferred it as a means of communication, but…

If it became more than that later on. If she lost more than just her voice, like she feared would eventually be the case, Lydia didn't want to end up being a burden to those around her. Or have Caesar feel like he was bound to her for the rest of his life because of what they shared now.

The arm around her shoulders squeezed her even tighter, almost possessively so as his large fingers seemed to clutch at the fabric of her jacket.

"Of course I am." He declared with a firmness in his voice that told Lydia that it wasn't up for debate. "You are my mate. That doesn't change because you can't speak. I will take care of you, always."

It was just about all Lydia could do not to release the shuddering breath that threatened to fall from her trembling lips, and she blinked the dampness from her eyes before it could develop further into actual tears.

She felt selfish for being relieved at his words just now. For being happy to know that he would stay if it ever came to that.

"This is why I didn't want to tell you." He spoke softly just then. Before she could protest and hide her face further against his neck, Caesar reached up with his other hand to hook a gentle, calloused index finger just beneath her chin, pulling her face up so that she was forced to meet his gaze.

Though his eyes were kind and full of tender care now, he frowned sadly once he noticed the glossy shine in her eyes. "I don't like making you cry. I have done it too much already."

Despite the seriousness of the moment, Lydia found it within herself to let out a mixture between a sniffle and a chuckle at this.

"It's not your fault. Not this time around, at least." She said, grabbing a gentle hold of the hand underneath her chin and pressing it to her chest instead. "It's just of life, really. Every time I think we will finally have some peace and quiet, it throws something new our way. Even if this isn't exactly something _new_ …"

The Ape King nodded in understanding.

"Maybe some humans are just… immune. The soldier we found with Nova could still speak." He said, easily manoeuvring around the subject of how he had killed the man – not that Lydia would blame him for it, as the guy had been the first to pull out his gun.

Sighing, Lydia lowered their hands into her lap and leaned against Caesar's shoulder while staring blankly into the darkness of the night. All around them there were sounds of crickets calling and apes young and old hooting softly at each other – no doubt a few parents were having trouble getting their children to settle down for the night – and in the far distance, a lonely coyote gave a single, lonely howl.

"He might just have been extra careful around her. We'll never know for sure." She said quietly as she fiddled idly with Caesar's much larger fingers between her hands. "Besides, I think it affects adults differently than it does kids." Lydia spoke contemplatively. "The Colonel told you his son had become… primitive, right? And you just said that something was missing from his eyes when the Colonel looked at you."

She rose her head from Caesar's collarbone to look in the direction she knew Maurice and Nova's makeshift nest to be. It wasn't far from their own, but in the dark of night with only a few torches to light the path from nest to nest, it was difficult to see anything but the rough outline of Maurice's hulking form as he rested a few yards away.

"But Nova doesn't seem like that. She's like a completely normal kid who just happens to be mute… I mean, apart from the whole not being scared of talking apes with guns." Lydia continued on, receiving a short huff of amusement from Caesar in response.

"Perhaps adults are worse at adapting?" He offered simply, drawing her attention back to himself once more.

Lydia raised a brow at him in mild surprise.

"Well, that _is_ actually a proven fact…" She provided softly, only for her gaze to quickly drop to the ground. "Wouldn't help me anyway. I'm an adult."

"But one who is used to change. One who does whatever is needed in order to survive." Caesar pointed out, putting his palm against the back of Lydia's skull and gently urging her to put her head against his collarbone once more, which Lydia did without any protests. "Try not to think about it too much, Lydia. Nothing has happened yet. It might never happen at all. But if it does, we will face it together. You didn't leave me when I was lost, and I will not leave you."

Biting her lip, Lydia felt her eyes getting misty with tears once more and she gave the hand still in her grasp a gentle squeeze, which Caesar returned immediately.

"Thank you, Caesar…" She mumbled quietly once she was certain she could keep her voice somewhat steady. She just hoped he understood that she wasn't just thanking him for promising to stay with her, but also for the simple fact that she had told him all of this in the first place, even if he hadn't wanted to.

His only reply was his mouth pressing a tender kiss against her hair.

Nothing more was said about the subject that night, the pair contenting themselves with just sitting quietly together and listening as the sounds all around them of apes rustling in their nests died little by little. By the time they too decided to call it a night, it was almost completely quiet, save for the ever-calling crickets and the occasional lumbering steps of a member of the Gorilla Guard doing their nightly patrol.

And yet, despite this calmness and the comforting weight of Caesar's arm around her midsection., it took Lydia several long moments to fall asleep, worries brought on by the conversation they had just had jumbling inside her head.

She only managed to find rest once she was literally too exhausted for her racing mind to be able to keep her awake any longer.

* * *

The worry stuck with Lydia for the next two days, though she did her best not to let it show. Really, it was more of a nagging concern rather than anything else, but it still managed to claw its way out from the back of her mind several times a day and have uncomfortable knots of worry tighten inside her gut.

Lydia refused to let it get to her to the point that it would affect her interactions with others, though- Especially when it came to Nova, who she made a conscious effort to not to give a wider berth now. It would be of no use after all this time, after all. If she had been infected, it would have happened even before they had reached the soldiers' base anyway. Besides, a sweet kid like Nova didn't deserve that kind of treatment.

Leaning back against Caesar's sturdy frame, Lydia exhaled softly as she tried to focus on the movements of the horse beneath them. She was riding with him again, at the very front of the colony, as she had done most days since they had set off from the snowy mountains. Tinker had mostly been right about Lydia not indulging Caesar too much, since he had kept on insisting that Lydia ride with him like this when they travelled. To his credit, though, he hadn't made too many protests once Lydia had suggested that she start hunting again after having regained her strength. In that, he had been very understanding and even accommodating – more so than either Lydia or Tinker had expected him to be.

It was all about compromises, she supposed, and Caesar was definitely getting better at making those.

Still, Lydia's mind continued to run in circles, jumping from one thing to the next, but always returning to the topic of her possibly getting sick. By now, she almost wished Caesar had actually refused to tell her – but then again, she also knew she wouldn't have let up until he had actually done it, very much aware of her own stubborn nature.

 _Well_ , Lydia thought self-deprecatingly, _it's not like it's the first time that has come back to bite me in the ass, now is it?_

Just then, a hoot sounded from beside her and Caesar, and they both turned their heads to see Orion and Rocket shoot each other excited looks after the latter had pointed to someplace in front of the colony.

"You recognise this place?" Lydia asked her son, whose expression was open and bright with anticipation as he turned to her and gave an affirmative nod.

"It should be just behind those hills, Mother. You will know it the moment you see it." He answered with a voice full of promise, and she couldn't help but return his excited smile.

Without having to look, Lydia knew Caesar's gaze had shifted to Rocket to seek confirmation on this claim, probably out of habit rather than him not believing Orion's words, and she felt how her mate's body straightened behind her as Rocket nodded his head too.

Naturally, it didn't take long for them to reach the hill Orion had pointed out, and as soon as they reached the top, Lydia couldn't help but let out a barely-audible gasp at what she saw.

The landscape was more or less the same as what they had been travelling through for the past week or so, and yet Lydia couldn't recall having seen a more fitting place for their new home. While this was nowhere close to resembling the dense woodland they had left behind, the vegetation was still lush, with large patches of forest for them to hunt in. All around them were sloping hills and mountains which created a beautiful backdrop for the large lake marking the very centre of the valley.

And right there, at the foot of the hill where they now stood, the landscape flattened out before it reached the bank of the lake, creating a plateau which would be nothing less than a perfect location for the structures the apes would soon start to erect.

Blue Eyes, Orion and Rocket had chosen well.

Apparently, Caesar thought so too as she felt more than heard the relieved exhale Caesar released behind her, his breath tickling the back of her neck.

He dismounted soon after and, still with Cornelius clinging to his back, he reached up to offer Lydia some help with getting down from the horse herself, ever the gentleman… erhm, ape, Lydia corrected herself as she sent her mate a soft smile.

Now, it wasn't like Lydia had any trouble getting on and off the horse since she had regained her strength after they had escaped the soldiers. In fact, she much preferred doing it on her own – just like she did with most things. But giddy with relief and excitement as she was by now, she more than happily indulged Caesar – again.

With large, incredibly warm hands, he grasped her hips firmly as she swung a leg over the animal's back and steadied her as she planted her feet safely on the ground, though he didn't let go of her to take the horse's reins. Instead Caesar let another of his apes take care of the horse while the three of them began to slowly make their way toward the edge of the hill, Cornelius now settled securely on his father's arm and Lydia's hand held within Caesar's own.

The rest of the colony quickly followed the Ape King and his family and soon, hundreds of apes seemed to almost spill over the top of the hill and trickle down into the valley while Lydia stood back with Caesar, Cornelius at the very top.

All around were hoots and chitters of joy as families and friends came forward to rejoice in having found their new home, letting their children run free as the adults settled down to rest their tired legs.

Lydia felt another hand clasp around her free one and turned to see Orion now standing beside her too, tall and proud as he looked out across the landscape.

"I told you that you would know when you saw it." He spoke teasingly, no doubt taking a whole lot of pride in her stunned expression.

Shaking her head at his tone, Lydia released a small huff of a laugh as she replied.

"You sure did, Sweetie."

Beside her, Caesar let Cornelius down onto the ground, giving the child and encouraging nod as Nova, who had come up there together with Maurice, reached her hand out for him to take, wanting to go play.

His father's urging was all the Prince needed for him to step forward and grasp the girl's hand, and Lydia's heart ached with fondness as she watched them go forward, only stopping to ask Bad Ape to come along as well.

As Caesar stood up once more, Lydia managed to share a brief look with him and, upon seeing his peaceful expression, green-and-golden eyes warm and loving as he stared back at her, Lydia felt her heart soar inside her chest.

It took a feminine chitter to pull her gaze away from her mate's and turn towards the sound, only to find Ivy standing further down the slope, the sun's last rays casting a golden sheen across her silvery fur and her bright, emerald eyes practically shining as she stared expectantly up at Orion.

"Looks like someone wants your attention, Sweetie." Lydia spoke amusedly, catching her son's attention once more. "Go on, don't want to keep her waiting."

Orion smiled at her, bright and brief, before he let go of her hand and began making his way down towards Ivy, a spring in his step that had Lydia chuckle with motherly adoration as Caesar pulled her over to sit on the ground with him and Maurice, right under the tree that stood on top of the hill.

Once settled, the Ape King's long, sturdy arm snuck its way around Lydia's body, pulling her close as the three of them, human, chimp and orangutan alike, looked out across the joyful gathering of apes, completely at peace now that they had finally reached their goal.

Lydia leaned her head against Caesar's shoulder, just like she had done a couple of nights prior, though this time there was not a trace of worry to be found either in her heart, her mind or her expression. There was only contentment as she felt Caesar's arm around her own. As she listened to Maurice's soft, melodic rumbling. As she saw Orion settle down on a nearby rock with Ivy's hand in his own and Cornelius playing nearby with Nova and Bad Ape.

Suddenly, all her worries from these past few days seemed to evaporate completely, disappearing from her mind as if it had just been a stray thought all along. Suddenly, it didn't matter anymore whether or not she could potentially get sick or not. That she might end up losing that which made her human – what did it matter when one was ape inside anyway?

 _It_ _ **doesn't**_ _matter_ , Lydia decided then and there. Because _nothing_ could ruin the purity of this moment. Of them having finally found their new home, finally able to rest and just be happy for the simple fact that they were there, alive and together as the sun set over the sloping mountains.


	79. Part Of The Family, Part 1

_**Orion**_

The rough texture of the rope grinded against Orion's calloused palm as he tied the last wooden beam in place, putting the final touches to the newest hut in the village. He had done this so many times in the last couple of months that by now that Orion was pretty sure he could build an entire hut in his sleep.

He huffed as he pulled the primitive rope, tightening the knot before he pulled out his flint knife and began cutting the remainder of the roughly hewn material. Then, once the fibres separated with a satisfying 'snap', Orion got up from his kneeling position on the wooden walkway he had just finished adding to the front of the hut and let his gaze travel across the village as he stretched his tired, overworked limbs.

It was amazing what they had achieved in just three months.

What had once been a somewhat flattened plateau was now a buzzling village full of apes going about their day. Most of the colony's adult members were busy either building homes, hunting, fishing, foraging or making tools and weapons, while the children played in the open area at the centre of the village.

Orion wiped his brow with his hairy arm as he continued to admire the result of their shared hard labour. The huts, made out of round wooden beams of varying size, were pretty uniform in their design, with roofs thatched with reeds and entrances shielded by animal skins, though the size depended on the family who lived in them. Older apes with no mate, like Maurice or Bad Ape, often opted to have a smaller hut built for themselves, since they didn't need as much space as a family of, say, four individuals, and besides, a smaller space was easier and quicker to heat during cold nights.

The biggest hut, of course, belonged to the Ape King and his family, and was located further up the hillside to the west, cleverly constructed around the trunk of a large tree and with the additional support of several sturdy wooden beams beneath it. Just as it had been in the old Ape Village Orion had grown up in, a walkway leading up to the hut winded around the tree itself, though since this tree wasn't as tall as the one back in the old village, the walk up to Caesar's home was considerably shorter nowadays.

Still, it made for an impressive sight, towering over the apes' new home and letting Caesar keep an ever-vigilant eye on everything that took place down below.

That didn't mean that the Ape King now contented himself with simply lounging up there, high above everyone else on his perch and looking on as his apes toiled down below. No, Caesar was, more often than not, down here with everyone else, either leading a hunt or helping with the construction of the village, getting his hands dirty just the same as every other ape. In fact, it was only when the sun began to set each night that Caesar let himself retreat to his home together with Mother and Cornelius.

Orion nimbly jumped down from the walkway and landed with a dull 'thump' on the dry dirt beneath it.

Yes, Mother lived with Caesar now. That was yet another thing that had changed – and for the better, Orion had decided.

He had been sceptical at first, mainly because of the state of mind Caesar had been in at the time he had gotten to know about it, and also because he knew that the Ape King, due to his position, wouldn't be able to provide the amount of time and attention Orion thought his Mother deserved. But after having seen the happiness he brought her, the peace of mind they provided for each other as well as the comfort and delight Cornelius clearly felt at them finally being together as a family… Well, how could Orion ever have any protests about it?

In fact, such a relationship – at least what it had become after the whole mess with the soldiers – was something Orion thought was worth striving for. Two individuals, loving and supporting of each other, while still being able to give each other space, as well as being brutally honest when the situation called for it.

Naturally, the dynamics between Mother and Caesar weren't really the same as they had been between her and Father, though both relationships shared these same characteristics – as did Orion's relationship with Ivy.

Which was why, with this in mind, Orion felt that it was high time he made this thing between them official – at least official in the way he had promised her he would all those months ago. He had wanted to do something about it for weeks now, and preferably before he and Ivy had got settled in a hut of their own, but… Everything had happened so quickly, with so much to do that Orion hadn't had the time to execute his plan the way he wanted – with the first step being to talk to Mother about it.

But today, he had promised himself that he would do just that, and as soon as he had finished with his duties for the day.

His mind having been made up since morning, he now waved a brief goodbye to the other apes who had also worked on the hut and started making his way through the village, intent on finding his mother and setting things in motion.

And he had a pretty good idea of where he might find her at this time of day.

He sidestepped a group of rambunctious ape children as he passed by the open space at the centre of the village, laughing off their hurried apologies as they ran off with a trail of brown dust in the air behind them. It was easy for the village's youngers to catch the adult apes off-guard like this, seeing as they seemed to enjoy running underneath the huts, which were mostly built in trees or on top of sturdy wooden pillars to make sure they didn't get flooded when it rained. It had been like that in the old village too, and Orion looked on in fond reminiscence as the children who had almost ran into him managed to do just that to another adult.

Moving on, Orion made his way down to a small hill just a few yards from the huge lake that marked the bottom of the valley. It was quieter here than it was in the village itself and as such, it was the perfect spot for what Orion knew his mother was doing right now.

He spotted her figure immediately, sitting by a small, spindly-looking tree together with the other person Orion knew would be here.

Mother was sitting together with Bad Ape, the two completely immersed in yet another lesson in sign. Mother, Caesar and Orion himself were the only ones who spoke fluently enough to couple movements with words for extended periods of time, and while the Ape King was usually too busy with his duties to the colony, Mother and Orion often took turns teaching Bad Ape.

It was… A work of patience, to put it mildly.

While the old chimp was a surprisingly eager and quick learner, he was also easily distracted, which tended result in lessons dragging on for what felt like ages.

"And this sign means 'you help me'." Mother explained, placing a closed fist with its thumb pointing up against the upwards-turned palm of her other hand and gestured them towards her own chest. "And if you raise your brows while you do it, you know, like people usually do when they ask you a question, you're asking the person for help."

"Uh-uh! Like this? This good?" Bad Ape asked as he mimicked the gesture, and rather well at that. "You help me?"

"Exactly!" Mother exclaimed with much encouragement, though also the barest hint of relief, which had Orion make a qualified guess that this particular lesson had been of the aforementioned sort – the kind that just never seemed to end as Bad Ape continued to get distracted and get it wrong.

Mother's response had the old chimp practically bouncing where he sat on the ground, excitement clear on his wrinkled features.

That's when Orion's eyes met hers above Bad Ape's head as he approached the two of them, and she immediately greeted him with a casual wave of her hand.

"Hi there, Sweetie. Come to join the lesson?" She spoke amicably, making Bad Ape turn back to stare at Orion as well, recognition soon finding its way to his features.

"Oh! Hello friend!"

"Hello to both of you. And no thanks, I am done for today." Orion said with a friendly smile as he made a show of reaching up to massage a sore muscle in his shoulder. True, teaching sign wasn't something physically strenuous, but the fatigue he felt at this point was sure to have an impact on his concentration. And besides, he wasn't here for that either way.

"I actually wanted to talk with you, Mother, if you have the time?" He continued, not seeing the point in 'beating about the bush' as Mother sometimes said it.

Knowing her, she had probably been at this for hours and would appreciate the distraction anyway.

"Sure, I think we can finish the lesson for today right, Bad Ape?" Mother said with a kind smile as she turned to the old chimp. "My son clearly wants a private word with me."

"Uh-huh." Bad Ape nodded in what seemed like understanding, though he made no move to get up and leave. Instead he simply stared back and forth between the two of them with large, expectant eyes, seemingly completely and utterly oblivious to Mother's hint about this being a private conversation.

"Uhm, meaning alone. Just the two of us." Mother tried again and with a patience Orion truly envied her for. After spending the better part of the afternoon teaching Bad Ape, he wasn't at all sure he would have been able to muster it himself.

It only took a few more seconds' worth of staring before the old chimp's eyes widened even further in understanding.

"Oh, oh, _oh_! Yes, yes, I go. I go leave. Find girl, maybe? Yes! Thank you for teaching, Lydia-friend!" He rambled as he got up to leave, turning around to look at them at the start of every new sentence before he tripped and fell over a large, dry branch on the ground. "Ow! I'm okay!"

Used to Bad Ape's comical behaviour by now, the two merely shook their heads as he scrambled towards the centre of the village, where Nova was to be found on most days, and usually in the company of a few ape children. At least he had the wits about him to know in which direction he needed to go – that was a huge plus.

Soon, Mother and Orion were alone, with the latter standing and still staring after the strange old ape, oblivious to his parent having turned her attention to him until he heard her calm, inquisitive voice.

"So, what did you want to talk about, Sweetie?" She asked, her expression bright and open as she stared expectantly up at him from her seated position on the ground.

Orion moved over to sit down in front of her, back straight and mouth set in a thin line of determination. He didn't feel uncomfortable about discussing what he was about to say with his mother. In fact, she was one of very few people who Orion felt that he could talk with about quite literally anything – at least nowadays, as a mature adult and not an awkward adolescent.

Still, he somehow felt that the situation called for a formal approach and so, he made a conscious effort to express that as he spoke his next words.

"I want to make Ivy part of our family."

There. He had said it, simple but firm in his wording, with no room for misunderstanding… Or so he thought, until Mother tilted her head at him, confusion evident on her features.

"Haven't you already done that by now, you think?" She asked, and Orion found himself momentarily dumbfounded.

Now, as previously stated, Orion _did_ feel that he could talk with his mother about anything, and goodness knows he loved her dearly… But that didn't mean it wasn't insanely frustrating how she _always_ managed to catch him off-guard like this – and with so little effort to boot!

"No-, I mean, yes! But not like-…" Orion stumbled over his own words, thinking Mother would disapprove if he didn't manage to word this right. The questioning curve of her slender brow certainly made it seem that way.

Of course Ivy was a member of their family by now! She and Orion had shared a hut for months now, and a nest for even longer – though nothing like… _that_ had ever come of it, as Orion stuck stubbornly to his self-invented principles and Ivy continued to respect them.

Heaving a great sigh as he tried to recompose himself, Orion shook his head.

"I told her a long time ago that I wanted to do this the right way. That she would wear a necklace like mine and yours one day and… I felt it was only right to ask your permission before I act on it."

"My _permission_?" She asked in an almost incredulous manner, wrinkling her nose at the word 'permission' as if it reminded her of something foul-tasting.

"…Yes?" Orion responded, somehow feeling like the adolescent ape he hadn't been for so long now. There was something humbling in asking his elder, his Mother, for permission to add another member to their family. A family she had started together with Father.

The fact that she seemed confused and even slightly appalled by the idea, however, made him once again have second thoughts about the way he had worded this whole thing.

For a long while after that, Mother said nothing, contenting herself with simply staring at Orion with a strange, contemplative look in her eyes.

"You know, sometimes I really don't know if these rather human-like sentiments you have are because of me or if it's something apes and humans have had in common all along…" She suddenly spoke in an almost solemn manner.

"Human-like sentiments?" He echoed as he felt a confused frown pulling at his features.

"Yeah." She said with a nod. "Across many human cultures, it was customary for people to ask their parents for permission to marry – to become an official couple, as it were. Though it was usually the man asking the woman's father for permission to take her as his wife. It was mostly just a silly tradition by the time I was born."

Orion listened intently to his mother's recount of bygone human traditions. It was, and had always been, rare that she ever mentioned anything from before the three of them had joined Caesar's colony all those years ago, and Orion had more than once made a mental note to ask her about it.

But just like every other time like that, Orion got distracted by something that would, inevitably, make him forget about it later on.

"I have not even thought of asking Shale or Juniper about this…" He remarked with a slight pang of shame. He had gone to ask his mother if it was alright, but not Ivy's parents – how thoughtless of him…

Mother immediately began waving dismissively with her hand, brows stuck in a critical furrow.

"And you don't have to. First of all because I think it's pretty clear that they approve of you being with their daughter and second of all, it's none of our business, neither mine nor theirs. It's _your_ lives and your decision." She said with a sense of finality that left no room for argument, making Orion theorise that this was probably yet another topic that humans of the past had been very divided on.

Somehow, it struck Orion as oddly contradictory. Mother had brought him up to always be courteous and considerate of those around him, and yet in matters such as this one, he was supposed to completely disregard what other people thought – even those who were closest to him and Ivy.

But well, she _was_ right about one thing; Shale and Juniper did approve of him, that much was obvious. His mother-in-law had expressed her joy and relief at Ivy finding a 'good and proper' mate several times, while Shale was more of the silent type, oftentimes just offering a smile or nod of approval, or a pat on the back.

"So," Mother spoke again, her voice seeming to drag Orion out of his quiet reverie by the scruff of his neck and unceremoniously dropping him right back into the conversation at hand. "I gather that you want to make a necklace for her? Like the ones we wear, am I correct?"

She leaned forward to rest her elbows against her knees as she spoke and tilted her head in that peculiar manner that underlined her genuine interest in the topic.

"Yes… I know I would have to hunt a bear and a mountain lion to get the claws and fangs I need. That is why I wanted to consult you." He informed her as he mirrored the way she sat. It must've seemed like a rather intense and down-to-business-like conversation from the outside.

Mother gave a noncommittal hum of understanding as she seemed to think over what he had said. He knew that she would never tell him that she wouldn't allow him to do it – after all, he was an adult male now, capable of making his own decision without his Mother's permission, though as it was with adding Ivy to the family, it still felt better – more appropriate – to make sure he had his Mother's approval on the matter.

"Can't say I'm all that keen on the thought of you going out on a hunt like that. These are some seriously dangerous predators, Orion." She said with no small amount of concern, which was underlined by the soft frown on her face.

She didn't need to remind him of this, though. Though he might have been young, his first-ever encounter with a mountain lion was still a vivid memory he preferred not to revisit most days, and the second time when he had been older hadn't been much better – seeing as he'd had part of his ear shot clean off soon after. Bears, on the other hand, he had little experience with and in general, the apes didn't go out of their way to hunt either of these species for food.

That was why Orion had already decided he needed at least one other skilled hunter to come with him for support. Someone with experience, who could understand the importance this held to Orion.

"I will take Rocket with me. I have not asked him yet, but I am sure he would agree." He informed her with a small, easy smile. "We hunt well together."

Mother, seemingly reassured by this, nodded her head.

"Well, that's a relief. So long as you look out for each other and come back alive. I don't want to have to explain to Tinker how you two got mauled because of a necklace." She admonished with slightly narrowed eyes, though Orion recognised the joke behind her words. It was probably a bit much to go through just for a piece of jewellery, but to Orion, this wasn't just about that – it was like a rite of passage. A way to prove to himself and to others that he deserved Ivy as his mate.

And no one would understand this better than Rocket, Orion was certain.

Still, he played along with Mother's half-joke, half-warning, letting another small smile play across his rough lips as he replied.

"I will make sure Rocket is careful, then."

Mother gave a soft chuckle, shaking her head at him in a fond but exasperated manner as she reached up to brush a stray lock of hair out of her face. Then, she seemed to school her features somewhat as she made an effort to return to the original topic of their conversation.

"Now, judging by the number of tracks around here, it isn't going to be a problem finding a mountain lion, but bears?" Mother said while scratching the back of her neck. "I've only ever seen one since we came here, and that was a black bear… I don't think they're native to this area."

Orion nodded, now with a more serious expression on his face. It was true that there didn't seem to be many bears roaming these forests, and the few tracks they had seen had obviously been from a different, smaller type than the huge, brown bears native to the redwood forest they had left behind.

Now, Orion would have preferred that the fang and claws for Ivy's necklace came from the same species of bear as the ones of his own and Mother's pieces so that there weren't any noticeable differences, but…

"If that is what is available, then that is what I will use." He spoke with finality, lowering his gaze to the ground between the two of them as he thought on it.

The claws of a brown bear were longer and straighter than that of a black one, and the fangs were larger too. If all Orion had to work with was black bear, it would mean that Ivy's necklace, while sharing the overall design, would look noticeably different from Orion's own. In a way, it _did_ bother him, though he tried to reason with himself that it'd just look like a more feminine version of his own piece, and also signify them staring a new family together here.

And well, he was certain Ivy would love it either way.

"Right… I'm sorry I didn't think to keep the remaining fang and claws from the bear me and your father killed back when we first made these." Mother spoke ruefully, tapping the centrepiece of her own necklace as she referred to it. "That would've made it so much easier."

Orion reached over and laid a heavy hand onto Mother's shoulder, a reassuring smile on his face.

"That was a long time ago. You could not have known, Mother, and I do not blame you for it." He spoke reassuringly, only to receive a tsk in response a pair of blue eyes rolling at him.

"Couldn't have known? What, that my handsome boy would end up finding a lovely girl and want to give her jewellery?" Mother spoke as she placed her hands on her hips as she shot him a disbelieving look.

"Luckily, I _did_ have half a mind to safekeep something else which I think will make up for it. Come with me." She said, uncrossing her legs and swiftly getting up from the ground.

Taken aback, Orion scrambled to his feet as well, following Mother's brisk pace as best he could as she made her way towards the home she shared with Caesar. Despite actually being taller than her, Orion struggled to keep up with her long-legged strides, and coupling that with the slight head start she had over him, he soon found himself forced to trail behind her like a child reluctantly following his parent home for a scolding.

No one seemed to take notice of the two of them as they walked through the village, though. Most were too occupied with other things, either being deeply invested in some task of theirs or in a conversation with other members of the colony. Well, at least the hustle and bustle of the apes' daily lives would distract everyone enough for him to keep this little plan of his a surprise. The last thing he needed right now was for one of the colony's gossipier members to alert Ivy about any unusual behaviour – she would know right away what was up if that was the case.

After a few more minutes of walking – or half-running, as Orion would prefer to categorise it – they had reached the home Mother shared with Caesar and Cornelius and, without even pausing to let Orion catch his breath, she began to lead the way up into the large hut.

Orion had been in the Ape King's treetop home a couple of times before since its construction. In fact, he had even helped built it. Nonetheless, the novelty of climbing that winding walkway around the thick, sturdy trunk of the tree and stepping into the large main room still hadn't worn off.

The entire hut had been cleverly constructed not only around the tree trunk itself, but also around its branches which provided support for both the floor and the roof above, acting as rafters like the ones sometimes seen in cabins made by humans. Contrary to those constructions, though, this wood was still very much alive and sprouting offshoot branches of their own, which would sometimes be cut off and at other times left to grow and provide a convenient place to hang up skins, weapons, bags of provisions or simple decorations. Apart from being practical, it also helped bringing the large space together and make it seem homier, with animal skins dividing the room with a few private nooks and with bundles of drying herbs giving the place a pleasant aroma.

Mother wasted no time walking across the room towards the nest she shared with Caesar and Cornelius, the sound of her leather boots against the floor dampened by the various pelts placed at random throughout the hut.

"Come now, Sweetie, don't just stand there. You can come in." She admonished once she realised that Orion had stopped to stand and wait politely after having taken just a few steps past the entrance.

It wasn't that he was nervous about being here or that he expected Caesar to disapprove of his presence within his home. In fact, the two males had become much closer as time had gone by since their little talk and nowadays, while not even remotely close to it being a father-and-son type of relation, they _did_ share a sense of camaraderie.

But this still wasn't _Orion's_ space and he couldn't help the slight awkwardness he felt at being in another, more dominant male ape's home without his knowledge or consent – even if it _was_ also the home of his own mother.

Nonetheless, taking her up on the invitation, Orion stepped further into the room, letting his eyes wander towards the view across the village and surrounding valley visible through the opening that led to the hut's balcony. It was a rather picturesque view, he had to admit.

The familiar sound of the zipper on Mother's backpack being opened alerted Orion to the fact that she was on the move again, and he pulled his gaze away from the sloping mountains outside to stare at her, crouched beside the nest she shared with Caesar and Cornelius.

"How much more do you have hidden in that backpack, Mother?" He spoke with a mixture of mock-suspicion and exasperation.

It really did sometimes seem like she had an entire world of stowaway treasures hidden in that thing. By now, Orion was half expecting her to pull out an already-finished necklace for him to give Ivy – it would be very much like her to pull something like that on him.

"Now, it'd be no fun at all if I actually told you that, now would it?" She only said teasingly, shooting him a playful wink before she returned her attention to the backpack's interior.

She seemed to struggle with something inside of it for a long while and pulling her hands out from within the backpack to shake and flex them as if she had strained them from pulling too hard on something. After two or three of such attempts – whatever they were supposed to accomplish – Mother suddenly released a low, frustrated huff and pulled out her hunting knife from its sheath against her thigh.

"Uh… Mother?" Orion questioned her with a raised brow, becoming slightly concerned.

Did she intend to slice open the inside of the old thing?

"Just give me a minute." Was all she said as her hands once again disappeared into the backpack, this time with one of them holding the large knife which seemed to gleam in the light from outside the hut.

The subtle sound of fabric and string being sliced by the blade sounded just a few seconds later, followed by Mother's triumphant exclamation.

"Ah! Here we are!"

She pulled the knife back out and returned it safely to its sheath before she once again stuffed her hand into the backpack. Orion, meanwhile, simply stood there, patiently waiting for his mother to finally reveal what this was all about when, at last, she seemed to have found what she was looking for and stood up from her crouched position once more, her fist closed tightly around something.

Then, in just three long, confident strides, she was in front of him, eyes bright with equal parts mirth and fondness as she put her hand up between them and opened her fist, palm turned upwards and showcasing what she had struggled so hard to find.

And Orion… Well, all Orion could do was stand there, completely baffled – and still slightly confused – as he stared at the outstretched hand between the two of the… Or rather, the contents of said hand.

"Mother…" He only just managed to breathe, his voice nothing more than a whisper all of a sudden.

It would seem that, yet again, she had managed to completely catch him off-guard – though this time, he didn't mind it so much.

He heard more than saw the grin she wore as she spoke to him just then, having the air of barely-contained excitement about her.

"I told you I had something that might make up for it."


	80. Part Of The Family, Part 2

_**Ivy**_

Chance nudged Ivy's thigh with her nose, big brown eyes seeking out her owner's emerald ones. It didn't seem like she was begging for food, as it was still being prepared on the cookfires dotting the communal centre of the village, where the apes always gathered for the evening meal.

Ivy was sitting here with her mother and father, waiting for the meal to be finished just like everyone else.

Well… Perhaps she was waiting for something other than that as well. For what felt like an eternity now, she had been scouting the area with her keen eyes in search of Orion, wondering where in the world he was at a time like this. He usually sat with either Ivy and her parents or Lydia, Caesar and Cornelius but today, he had been strangely absent since early afternoon.

It wasn't like him. Orion wasn't tardy like that, arriving for the evening meal at the very last moment and he certainly always told Ivy where she could find him if he decided to go and do something like hunting or fishing.

But not today. Today he had run off around noon without telling her where he planned on going and she hadn't seen a trace of him since then.

Ivy reached over and brushed her hand over the crown of Chance's head, giving a soft smile at the way the dog's eyes seemed to close in pure enjoyment at the touch. She could probably sense Ivy's anxiety at Orion's unusual behaviour. Dogs were smart like that, as Lydia always said.

The apes in charge of cooking the food were now beginning to take it off the fires and serve it out on carved wooden plates and even now, there was still no sign of Orion.

Ivy huffed, worry and slight irritation eating at her.

" _He will come soon, I'm sure. It's one time he's late, Ivy, don't worry._ " Father signed after having gained her attention with a grunt, and Ivy absent-mindedly nodded at his words, even though she didn't exactly heed them.

The thing is, while it was the first time he was late for the evening meal, it _wasn't_ the first time he had gone off somewhere without telling her about it, and it was beginning to irk her. It's not like she wanted to keep track of him at all times or that she wanted to control him – not at all – but… this sudden change in behaviour these past couple of weeks was starting to have her worry…. A lot.

And contrary to Ivy's expectations, speaking with either Orion or Lydia about it didn't do her much good. Her mate-to-be would wave it off as anything from Rocket needing him for some tracking task in the mountains to Caesar having ordered him to lead a small hunting party and being very vague about it at that. Lydia wasn't much help either, trying her best to reassure Ivy but seemingly making no attempt to have a chat with Orion about it. She didn't even seem to know much about these hunts Caesar occasionally sent him off on, despite the Ape King being her mate.

It was all very strange – more so with each day, in fact, though Ivy had been too occupied with her duties to the colony to do anything else about it, much to her own regret. Perhaps she should pull him aside tonight after the meal? Perhaps she should finally demand some explanation? Be a bit more assertive and show off some of that stubbornness that had first caught his attention?

 _That is, if he even chooses to show up at all tonight,_ Ivy thought almost hopelessly, only for her attention to be drawn to a figure coming up behind Lydia and Caesar, their pale features and damaged left ear instantly giving away who it was as the hunched over behind the couple to speak.

Orion… _Finally!_

Rolling her eyes, Ivy patiently waited for him to finish talking to Lydia and the Ape King just a few yards away, the three of them seemingly deeply engaged in conversation. After a while, Caesar gave a final nod of his head, which in turn earned him a look of gratitude from Orion, who promptly straightened from his bent stance, receiving a pat on his arm and a bright and almost…. Reassuring smile from his mother…?

Had something happened? Was he upset about something?

As he rose to his full height and stepped away from Lydia and Caesar, Ivy noticed that Orion held what appeared to be a small parcel in his hand. However, she didn't get to inspect this little detail further before she realised that he was walking straight towards her, shoulders squared, and eyes firmly set on her form. His expression was determined yet nervous and, unexpectedly, he stopped only a few steps away from her, stretching his free hand out and beckoning for her to rise and come to him.

Ivy's emerald eyes widened as she briefly cast a nervous glance to the side, looking out across the entirety of the village's communal area. Most had already stopped what they were doing and turned to stare at them, and a low thrum of quiet mumbles had already begun to sound across the gathering.

Looking back and seeing that Orion wasn't budging, standing tall and sturdy in front of her, Ivy got up almost reluctantly and stepped over to her mate-to-be, strangely, urged on by both of her parents. Chance stayed put on the ground, alert-looking and wagging her tail eagerly as she laid on her belly beside Father.

Letting her eyes trail towards Lydia, who sat a little off to the side together with Caesar and Cornelius, Ivy only received an encouraging smile and a wave, which the little Ape Prince immediately mimicked with an amused chitter.

Finally, Ivy was stood in front of Orion, looking up to meet his eyes and seeing that he seemed almost as uncertain as Ivy herself felt.

"Orion…What are you doing?" She whispered confusedly, but also with an unmistakable urgency. While she had never been outright shy by nature, Ivy wasn't too comfortable being the centre of attention for the entirety of the colony like this.

Really, what was this all about? What had gotten into him?

"What I have wanted to for a long time now… I am making this official, like I said I would." Orion stated out loud for everyone to hear as he held up the parcel in his hand, offering it to Ivy. "And making sure everyone knows."

Ivy wouldn't help the way her mouth fell slightly open in surprise and awe, at his words immediately realising what he was doing.

She had never doubted that Orion would one day fulfil his promise to her, but she hadn't imagined he would do it at a time like this, with the construction of the village not even having been completed, the apes still trying to map out the best hunting grounds and foraging trails and everything in-between. There was just so much to do still that Ivy hadn't thought Orion would be able to find the time for what she knew he wanted to do to make their union official to everyone.

Her eyes trailed down from his own, landing on the parcel that he was still holding out for her to take. It was made of a luxurious, tawny pelt, which Ivy immediately recognised as being that of a mountain lion. Keeping the parcel wrapped up was a single string of tenderised leather, neatly tied together in a loose bow on top of the pelt.

Ivy knew what this wrapping contained before she had even begun pulling at the string, her hands almost shaking as she went about slowly pulling away at the soft pelt around the item.

Everyone was still watching them, most having even stopped eating to look at the display that was taking place up on the elevated plateau where the Ape King and his family sat. Ivy could feel the entire colony's collective gazes set on her and Orion, a sea of curious green eyes trained on them like hawks.

In her mind, Ivy was both endeared and exasperated at this fact. She wouldn't have minded him doing this when they would be back in their hut by themselves, the setting being private and intimate instead of a public statement like this. He really didn't have to – but she could understand his reasoning behind it.

When she finally managed to pull away the edge of the pelt that covered up the parcel's content, Ivy's emerald eyes widened in surprise as her breath caught in her throat. The hand she had used to unwrap the parcel had frozen in place mid-air above Orion's gift.

Against the soft inside of the pelt laid a necklace very much like the one Orion and Lydia wore around their necks. A beautifully-crafted string made up of three interwoven pieces of leather, which had been decorated with polished teeth and claws – those of a mountain lion and a bear. And though Ivy did notice the slight difference in size and shape of the latter, that wasn't what had her stop and stare at the jewellery offered to her.

No, what had made her breath catch and her eyes widen wasn't the soft look of the leather string or the sheen of the teeth and claws gleaming in the light of the sunset and the cookfires. It was what had been placed on the bear canine that was the centrepiece of the necklace.

A small golden ring with a single, medium-sized stone set in its middle. The shiny metal seemed to expand towards the middle and wrap around the stone, holding it in what Ivy could only describe as a simple, yet elegant design. She had little to no clue about what kind of stone adorned the small band, though she was sure she had never seen another one like it. Clear and see-through, it should have appeared bland as the glass humans used for windows in their houses – that is, if it hadn't been for the intricate way it was cut, with multiple little surfaces that each caught the light of the cookfire in a different way, making the entire stone sparkle with orange from the flames.

The ring itself was placed like in such a way that it resembled a small crown on top of the bear fang, with the necklace's string tied to the golden band on each side of the tooth to keep it in place.

Ivy lowered the hand still suspended in the air above the gift, tracing the smooth surface of the fang in an almost revering manner.

"Orion…" She breathed softly, tearing her eyes off the necklace to stare up into at his face. "What is… How did you…?"

He smiled somewhat sheepishly as he began fiddling with the centrepiece of his own necklace, showing it to her as he finally explained.

"Mother helped me." He offered, as if Ivy hadn't already figured out that Lydia had something to do with this. This clearly wasn't meant to be worn by an ape and it certainly hadn't been made by one either. Besides, when they had still been with the apes, Ivy had seen Malcolm and Ellie wear adornments similar to this one on their fingers – so, it was clearly a human object.

"I realised there are no brown bears here, so I could not find a fang and claws like the ones we have." He continued to explain, briefly motioning towards Lydia, so looked on from her now-customary spot beside the Ape King. "This was my human grandmother's… Mother gave me that instead and said it might make up for the fact that our necklaces will not match completely…."

Suddenly, it all made sense to Ivy. Orion disappearing without telling here where to. Lydia seemingly like she was not even speaking to Orion or even concerned by the fact that he was behaving differently than usual. Caesar and Rocket backing up his explanations of hunting tasks at odd times of the day… And Father trying to reassure her just moments ago...!

They had all been part of it! They had all gone out of their way to help Orion keep this a surprise until the right moment.

Ivy didn't know in that moment if she should send a mock-dirty look towards Lydia or her father, if she should giggle or start getting teary-eyed from all of these emotions washing over her just now.

"So… does it? Make up for it?" Orion probed almost nervously, and Ivy saw a just the barest flicker of that soft, gentle and very much nervous Orion that had approached her as she had sat back in the caves all that time ago, weaving one of her many baskets. Then, in a split-second, he seemed to become aware of this too and immediately straightened his posture, taking on an air of confidence Ivy knew he didn't truly feel – she could easily tell. "Will you… Will you be my mate, Ivy?"

Ivy took a brief moment to simply stare at the ape in front of her, taking in his words – and almost ending up outright giggling once her mind had finally wrapped around it all.

Really, after all this time, after her having shown such devotion to him during his journey with Blue Eyes and Rocket, their reunion, their imprisonment, their escape – the fact that they slept in the same hut – scrap that – in the same _nest_ each and every night and had done so for months now… After all of this and he _still_ felt like he needed to ask? Especially after having presented her with a gift such as this one?

At that thought, Ivy's eyes travelled down to the necklace in her hands once more, where it still laid on top of the piece of soft mountain lion fur. He had gone through the trouble of slaying two of the fiercest predators known to the apes just so he could make this simple, beautiful piece of jewellery, which he had crafted with his own two hands?

And then there was the ring – an heirloom from Lydia, her friend and teacher. A sign of her approval just as much as her son's devotion.

Truly, her Orion was a strange ape, but… That was part of what had made her fall in love with him. His peculiar yet endearing way of being. How he stands by his principles, even if nobody else understands them. How he can be fierce and dominant when the situation calls for it but is otherwise sweet, calm and gentle. How he had never tried to change her into a more mellow and agreeable female, but loved her for her adventurous, independent nature.

"There is nothing to make up for, Orion. I would be your mate, even without this." She informed him with a bright smile, only for her to raise a brow as she added. "On second thought… Maybe you could make up for keeping secrets from me? And making me worry."

The smile he flashed her just then was uncharacteristically smug, almost to the point of being wicked, and Ivy had a feeling she knew _exactly_ how he planned on making up for these things…

And somehow, just the unspoken promise in his green eyes was enough to make Ivy shiver pleasantly.

His expression changing, Orion's gaze softened as he made to place his forehead against her own, already beginning to close his eyes in preparation for the contact – the seal of their union, when Ivy, quick as a flash, grabbed hold of his jaw. Giddy with excitement and boldened by his open display of love, she then pulled his mouth to her own in a surprise kiss, barely able to keep the amused smirk off her own lips as she heard her mother's scandalised gasp behind them.

Somewhere off to the side, Ivy thought she could also hear Lydia's voice cheer something along the lines of "Atta girl!" or something along those lines, but paid it no mind as she poured all of her feelings into the kiss.

Orion had only made a brief, muffled groan of surprise against her lips before he realised what she was doing and completely settled into it as well, clearly not caring any more than Ivy did just now whether or not their intimate moment was on display in front of the entire ape colony – not even after everyone began hooting and cheering at the sight.

It didn't matter that everyone was looking, or that her necklace didn't look exactly like Orion's and Lydia's. Heck, it didn't even matter that he had kept secrets from her anymore – even if it had been to make this necklace in the first place.

All that mattered was that he was hers and she was his now – wholly and truly, as it was supposed to be.

* * *

 _ **Lydia**_

Still in her seat beside Caesar and with Cornelius looking on curiously from his place in her lap, Lydia regarded the display of affection between her son and his mate with a knowing grin, glad that she could play a part in this special occasion.

Thinking back, Orion's look as she had showed him the rings a couple of weeks prior had been priceless.

He had seemed so disappointed by the fact that he couldn't give Ivy an exact replica of their own necklaces that it had sparked an idea inside Lydia's head, which had prompted her to storm off into the direction of her and Caesar's home with Orion hot at her heels, confused beyond measure.

Then, when they had arrived at the hut and she had begun cutting open the interior of her old, weathered backpack, Lydia had barely been able to keep from chuckling at Orion's bafflement. He had probably thought she had gone completely nuts – perhaps something along the lines of life with the apes having finally gotten to her.

Well, it had been her own fault for hiding the things so damn well – back when she had first left the Minneapolis Colony to make it on her own, she hadn't wanted anyone to be able to find and take them, should she be ambushed, and her backpack searched through for valuables.

Not that jewellery had meant much in a world after the Simian Flu, and Lydia would readily admit that she had probably kept these things safer than she had herself in those months she had been on her own – but hey, you can't argue with sentiments.

Then, when she had finally found what she had been searching for after having ended the struggle with her own old sewing attempt, Lydia had walked over to her son with a noticeable spring in her step, eager to hear what he would say – if anything at all.

"Mother…" She had barely heard Orion say as his jaw had seemed to go slack and his arms had hung limply at his sides. His green eyes had been wide in surprise and dawning realisation as she had stepped up in front of him.

Lydia couldn't remember the last time she had felt that smug about anything, having been drinking in her adoptive son's reaction to the heirlooms she had kept safe for so many years.

"I told you I had something that might make up for it." She had spoken with mirth and excitement she had struggled to keep in check.

In her hand had been two golden rings, one rather plain, broader than the other and more masculine in its overall design, while the second was thinner and had a more feminine look to it, with the gold seemingly coming up to wrap around the diamond that was the centrepiece of the object.

"This one used to be my dad's. I'll hold on to that for now, but this." Lydia had explained as she had picked up the slightly smaller, more elegant ring with the gleaming, colourless gem. "This was my mom's. My dad gave it to her when he asked her to marry him and now…"

She had held out the ring in offering to Orion, who had quickly put out his hand to receive the object. It had looked absolutely tiny as Lydia had put it in his large, calloused palm.

"Now I'm handing it over to you, so you can ask Ivy to be yours – properly, as you say." She had spoken in an almost solemn manner, though she still hadn't quite been able to contain the humourful spark in her eyes.

She hadn't known what to do with those rings until that point. Truthfully, she hadn't even been too sure why she had taken them in the first place, never having intended to sell them for food or something similar. Her dad had kept them in a drawer after they had moved to the Minneapolis Colony and Lydia remembered having been angry at him for not wearing his own ring after her mom had died. Like he had wanted to forget about her. Or wanted to find someone new among the survivors – but he never had.

And nowadays Lydia had finally come to understand why he had done it.

Though people had come to value food, water and clothes more than luxury items like gold and diamonds, the latter had still been of value, even after the Simian Flu's outbreak. And with the Minneapolis Colony's slow descend into dystopia, status symbols like jewellery quickly became something reserved exclusively for those in charge. Dad hadn't stowed away the rings to forget about Mom – he had done it to keep them safe.

And Lydia had continued doing just that, keeping them safe in a secret, sewn-shut compartment in her backpack but never really thinking they would ever be used again.

But giving one of them to Orion – to have Ivy wear her mom's old ring together with their family necklace… The idea had seemed like fate the moment it had occurred to Lydia, pure and simple.

However, Lydia had almost thought Orion had somehow been displeased with the idea and not known how to tell her when he had remained silent for several long seconds, simply staring down at the golden band resting innocently in his palm.

But then, just when Lydia's smile had begun to freeze in place and fade, his eyes had shifted from the ring to her and she had been able to see the love and gratitude on her son's face.

"This was my… Grandmother's?" He had spoken almost reverently, sounding as if he was testing out the word.

Lydia had nodded wordlessly, watching as realisation had dawned on Orion. As he had realised the importance of this small object. That this ring would connect Orion and Ivy to Lydia's family – an heirloom passed down through three generations – and two species.

The smile on his face had only broadened at the knowledge.

"Humans wear these on their fingers, right?" He had inquired then as he had carefully turned the ring over on his palm to study it.

Lydia had nodded once more, realising that Orion must have either remembered Malcolm and Ellie wearing rings similar to these ones, or simply guessed it from the object's shape and size.

"They do. It probably won't fit Ivy's, though." She had said. "But I was thinking that you can put it on the necklace you're going to make for her. You can even exchange it for the bear tooth at the centre."

Orion's expression had turned thoughtful at that as he had continued to examine the diamond ring. It had almost seemed like he had been testing out the way the afternoon sun's rays were caught in the gem's intricate cut, and Lydia had almost been able to hear the figurative cogs turning inside her son's head, planning out how he wanted to add the ring to the design of the necklace.

In the end, he had shaken his head at the idea Lydia had offered.

"No, I think I will keep that. But I have an idea that might work – I just need the tooth first so I can tell." He had said, closing his fist around the ring as he had brought it to his chest. "Mother… Thank you for this. I… I don't know how I would ever… - I wish I could somehow thank you for how much you have given-…"

Lydia had reached up and cupped his cheek just then, brushing his cheek with her thumb and interrupting his words.

"Thanks Sweetie, but you don't have to." She had said with a fond expression on her face, willing herself to keep from tearing up right there, in front of her son. "You and your father did more for me by just being there than I could ever do in return… As long as I know you're happy, that's all the thanks I'll ever need."

The soft crinkle at the corners of Orion's eyes as he had smiled down at her and the way he had drawn her into a bone-crushing hug was what had made Lydia cave in the end and let the tears fall as she had returned the embrace. They had let go of each other after what had seemed like hours, though the smiles – and the traces of happy tears – remained on both of their faces.

"Tell me, Mother, what do you plan to do with Grandfather's ring?" Orion had inquired after having let go of Lydia, that probably being the first time she had ever noticed him doing that peculiar tilt of his head that she herself was so known for.

"Well…." Lydia had drawled as she had taken a moment to wipe the last remnants of tears from her eyes, the mirth from before having returned to them. "I have two sons, don't I?"

Lydia, lost in thought as she watched Orion and Ivy sit down together so that the meal could begin at last, smiled fondly at the memory of that day. It had been several weeks ago now, but that didn't take away the sweetness of the heartfelt mother-son moment they had shared – especially not after having just witnessed all of Orion's devotion, thoughtfulness and hard work come to fruition like this. With Ivy proudly wearing the symbol of their family around her neck for all to see and Orion seemingly having grown at least three inches because of this simple fact.

 _I hope you're watching, Roy_ , Lydia thought, though with no trace of sadness or melancholy – with the joy she felt at the moment, there was no room for such emotions. Only love, pride and a strange feeling of calmness inside her heart despite the thought of her lost first love. _Our boy has made it._

And somehow, Lydia was certain that Roy knew. Even if he wasn't here, alive and with them – with _her_ \- he knew, and he was proud, just like Lydia was.

Beside her, a deep, gravelly chuckle of amusement caught Lydia's attention and she reluctantly turned her gaze away from the young, happy pair to see what her own mate found so amusing.

The Ape King wasn't staring at Orion and Ivy anymore, but at Lydia herself, his lips curved into a soft smirk and a heavy brow raised at her.

"What?" She asked him, still with a smile on her face.

"Nothing." He replied as he laid a large, calloused hand on top of the one she had placed on her own knee, the other being held hostage between Cornelius' hands. "I just like seeing this look on your face."

"Oh, and what sort of look is that?" She inquired playfully, only to feel Caesar's large, rough fingers close around her hand and squeeze it ever so gently as he replied.

"A happy one."


	81. Just Hopeful

**Author's Note:** I've had to postpone the posting of this chapter because life has been a bit hectic this past week and I've simply found myself unable to write as much as I wanted.  
For the future, if any of you are interested, my posting schedule for this fic can be found on my profile and should I find myself unable to meet the deadline in the future, I will be updating the schedule at least one day prior so that you guys can know what's going on.  
I hope this was all worth the extra wait, you guys!

* * *

 _ **Tinker**_

The sky was forebodingly grey as the clouds rolled over the valley, and Tinker had just finished up sorting another basket filled with mushrooms, roots, tubers and berries. It was her last one for the day, and she nodded with relief as a young male orangutan came over to helpfully move the now-sorted provisions to the hut reserved for food storage. The help was quite welcome, as Tinker's feet ached from her recent foraging expedition with the females.

Or rather, the females not out hunting. Ivy was partially in charge of that nowadays, as per Lydia's request and the young female had readily accepted the task with no small amount of pride. It had taken a long time for Lydia to decide, even though Ivy had been the obvious choice all along – she might be young, but she had had more practice with hunting than any of the females in the colony and had been personally trained by Lydia to boot. To Tinker it had been a no-brainer, though she could understand Lydia's reluctance to display favouritism towards her daughter-in-law. In the end though, it was always going to be Ivy, and nobody had even questioned once the decision had actually been made.

Besides, the female hunting parties were still considerably smaller than the males'. It was primarily the young, childless females and the older ones with adult children who took part in the hunting and scouting while those with young children often stayed behind to forage with Tinker – a much safer activity that allowed for them to bring said children along.

Tinker sat down on an old stump and stretched her long arms up above her head, her muscles aching from sitting in the same position for most of the early afternoon. An ominous-sounding, yet thoroughly pleasant pop sounded from somewhere in her back and she shivered as she let down her arms once more. She knew she would have to go check up on the newly established garden in the village, a project Tinker herself had suggested to start up again now that the apes' lives had become more or less stable once again. Back when she had first arrived all those years ago, it had been Lydia's idea to start up a garden to grow their own food as a supplement to the hunting and foraging, though she had quickly (and gladly) handed the responsibility over to Cornelia when the Ape Queen had showed her immense interest in the project. Nowadays it wasn't much different, with Tinker, Lake and, surprisingly, Ivy, overseeing the garden and Lydia only occasionally making an inquiry about how it was coming along. It didn't surprise Tinker, as she knew her human friend to be more of a hands-on sort of person. It wasn't that Lydia was impatient – no one who took it upon themselves to teach Bad Ape sign could be accused of that – but she was the kind of person who liked to have a continuous impact on the process.

Be it learning how to use a bow or how to sew, how to thatch the roof of a hut or tan a hide, Lydia wanted to be a part of it. to be active. To _do_ – not just plant a seed, see to it once in a while and let the earth and sky do the rest of the job, hoping the outcome would be satisfactory.

At least that's how she put it herself anyway.

Tinker didn't mind, and she certainly didn't question it. She just enjoyed the quiet, simple task of pulling out weeds and caring for the tiny sprouts which had just started to pop up from the ground just a week ago. It was an unhurried and, so far, non-committal task since the apes' hunting and foraging was enough to feed them all for now. There was no pressure to produce a successful harvest and even if there had been, Tinker knew the process couldn't be rushed either way. Plants simply took the time they needed to grow.

Now, if she could only muster the energy to get off this stump and actually go check up on this growth, that would be great. But instead, she simply leaned an elbow onto her knee and rested her head in her palm as she observed the bustling life of the village all around her. It had been a long day, after all. A couple of moments longer here wouldn't hurt.

"Need a hand, Tinker?" Came a familiar, friendly voice from off to the chimp's right, and she turned to find Lydia standing there, staring down at her with a soft smile on her face and a hand extended for her to take.

Beside her was Storm, as per usual, tongue lolling out of her mouth and tail wagging as she too stared at Tinker in a curious manner.

Returning Lydia's smile, Tinker nodded kindly and grabbed the offered hand, letting Lydia pull her up with a grunt from her seat to stand in front of her.

"Thank you, Lydia. I was just about to go to the garden. Do you want to come? Are you done with your other tasks?" Tinker signed

"I've been done for hours." She casually informed Tinker, stuffing her hands into her pants' pockets as she and Tinker started making their way through the village and towards the colony's garden, Storm hot at their heels. In the open space at the heart of the village, Maurice was hard at work teaching some young apes their letters, with little Nova playing the part of teacher's assistant. She had settled in well with the apes, taking to their lifestyle like a fish took to water. She helped teach the youngsters with Maurice, she was being taught how to fish by Orion and how to sew by Lydia. With her innocent, compassionate way of being, she helped calm Sparrow's more unruly patients over at the healer's hut and she was one of the very few people here who could make Bad Ape go quiet – which was a feat in itself.

But most of all, she made Maurice seem… happier. More content than he had ever been before. Maurice had never found a mate within the ape colony and as such, didn't have any children of his own, which both Cornelia and Tinker had agreed several times was a damn shame. He had always been good and patient with the young ones, and it had always been clear that he had a very nurturing nature. Even so, he had never seemed to crave the company of a female, nor have the wish for a child of his very own.

But, now that he had taken in Nova as his child, Maurice was practically glowing with paternal love, and everyone agreed that it really suited the orangutan. That this little human girl had really brought out the very best of him.

 _It is amazing what joy a child could bring to a person's life_ , Tinker thought with a small pang of sadness as memories of Ash flashed across her mind. Goodness, how she missed her son. If only he could have been here…

Not for the first time since that fateful night, Tinker cursed Koba into oblivion for what he did. For what he took away from her and Rocket. For how his actions still haunted the colony to this day.

But as quickly as the thought had invaded her mind, she had buried it once more before evidence of it could reach her face. Surely, Lydia would start to fret if she suspected something was even slightly wrong – which was rather sweet and endearing, but also exhausting and bothersome at times. Especially when there was nothing that could be done to fix the problem in the first place.

Besides, if rumors among the village's females were to be trusted, Lydia had her own stuff to deal with as of late…

Tinker shot the woman a sideways glance as they walked beside each other, Lydia making the occasional comment about anything from food stores to hunting parties that had been dispatched that day, and Tinker simply hummed in agreement most of the time, all the while discreetly eyeing her old friend.

She looked rather tired. Had done so for a long time, in fact, though it _had_ gotten a bit better since they had settled here. Still, the fact remained, and that was despite her having actually let Ivy, Tinker and Lake help with some of the tasks she was supposed to see to as the mate of the Ape King. Leading the foraging expeditions was still Tinker's responsibility, and so was tending to the garden, while Ivy occasionally led the female hunting parties. Lake, meanwhile, often looked after Cornelius when it wasn't convenient for Lydia to do so, such as when she was out on a hunt.

And while it wasn't an unreasonable thing to do, it was rather unusual for someone who usually took so much responsibility upon herself.

In addition to that, Tinker could see as well as anyone else that Lydia had gained some weight, and that she had seemed rather off recently – uncomfortable, even.

"Where is Remus?" Tinker asked, making an attempt at actually engaging in their light conversation as they walked on.

Lydia waved her hand dismissively in the air, a smile playing on her lips.

"Oh, he's with Cornelius – as usual. I swear, that dog sticks to him just like Blaze used to stick to Orion. It's rather uncanny."

Tinker chuckled, also remembering how very connected Orion and Blaze had been to each other, though her mind still wasn't _entirely_ focused on the conversation at hand.

They finally entered the Ape Village's garden, a combed piece of land, fenced off to discourage any animals from walking in and eating the apes' hard-earned produce. Several plants were already sticking up from the ground, though among them were also the occasional, disruptive weed which Tinker had every intention to remove. Several of the rows of fruits and vegetables also seemed to need some water, and so Tinker quickly fetched a wooden pail filled with water, which stood by the entrance to the garden, and got to work.

"Do you mind if I just stand back for today? I can barely tell the difference between a weed and a tomato plant anyway." Lydia said with an apologetic smile, already moving to stand against the fence with Storm at her side.

And looking none too comfortable as she tried to discreetly adjust the waistline of her pants while her hands still remained in her pockets.

Tinker shrugged. She didn't mind doing this job alone. It was peaceful, almost meditative in a way and besides, Lydia was right – the woman was just as likely to pull up a useful plant rather than a weed, so it was probably better for her to simply be there for the company rather than the work.

And so, their easy conversation went on for a while as Lydia inquired about the day's foraging. Tinker did her best to answer, she truly did, but was somehow distracted by the thought she had had just before they had arrived here and, in the end, it seemed that Lydia managed to pick up on it.

"Tinker," She said, head tilted and a half-amused smile playing on her lips. "What's on your mind? You look like there's something you're itching to talk about."

 _Ah, well_ , Tinker thought sheepishly, sucking in her lips as she pulled a particularly large weed from the soil. _No point beating around the bush – wasn't that they saying?_

" _Well… there is something I've been meaning to ask you._ " She signed carefully as she sat back on her haunches, arms resting on her knees.

Lydia nodded for her to go on, and Tinker drew a slow inhale as she steeled herself for the conversation they were about to have. She didn't want to be dishonest with Lydia, and she hoped the woman wouldn't be too offended by her asking. To be honest, though she did like listening in on it, Tinker had never put much stock in gossip – but this one rumor…. Well, it _was_ about her best friend, and when she put it all together, Tinker had just about convinced herself that it was, in fact, true.

Still, she wanted to hear it from Lydia herself.

" _Lydia…. Are you…_ " Tinker began but paused halfway through the question. It was a rather sensitive subject, after all. A private one too, and Tinker knew very well that Lydia, for all her direct talk and no-nonsense approach to most matters, was actually a very private person.

But Tinker had to admit that all the signs did seem to add up, and besides, the two of them were best friends. The fact that Lydia might not feel comfortable sharing something like this with her bothered Tinker and so, she finally did what nobody else seemed willing to do and just _asked_ – for better or for worse.

" _Are you pregnant?_ "

Silence fell between the two as they simply resorted to stare at each other, Tinker remaining crouched on the ground among the growing produce while Lydia stood dead-still over by the fence.

"Come again?" The woman frowned at the question, as if she had somehow misheard it, nose wrinkled and an eyebrow raised, though Tinker knew she had heard her. Could see it on her expression, which was more akin to disbelief rather than confusion.

Coincidentally – and rather comically as well – Storm, who sat dutifully beside Lydia, briefly looked up at her as if to gauge the woman's mood, only to turn back to Tinker and tilt her head to the side, mirroring Lydia.

The sight of the two of them like that, the timing and the similarity between Lydia and her dogs which had never been starker than right now, would normally have made Tinker laugh.

But right now, as Lydia's eyes seemed to narrow in suspicion as Tinker failed to explain herself, all the female chimp could do was lift her hands from the soil and wave them defensively in front of her, as if to ward off Lydia's unspoken barrage of questions.

" _I dismissed it as a silly rumour, but…_ " She hurried to explain. " _You have gained weight recently. Handed out more responsibility to others too, and now… Well, you just seem so tired. And really uncomfortable._ "

Lydia, for a moment, seemed completely dumbstruck by Tinker's words, mouth agape and eyes wide as she continued to stare.

Then, when she finally regained her composure, Lydia closed her eyes, released an exasperated sigh and shook her head at Tinker, almost as if she was a lost cause or something.

"Okay, normally I'm not really concerned with dumb stuff like that but coming from you… I've gained weight? Ouch…" She spoke with no small hint of sarcasm, topped off with a raised, dark brow in Tinker's direction.

Ah, of course. Humour – Lydia's go to tactic to ease the tension. A tried and proven method, Tinker would agree, and it _did_ help lighten the mood, the she ape would readily admit. What it _didn't_ do was answer her question, though.

" _So…_ " Tinker pressed on with narrowing eyes staring searchingly at Lydia. She already thought she knew the answer, though. " _It's not true?_ "

The woman seemed almost offended by Tinker's continued inquiry.

"Of course, it's not. I'm not tired and uncomfortable because I'm pregnant, Tinker, I'm tired and uncomfortable because I'm having my _period_ – Jeez, you've seen me like this a hundred times before. I'm currently the exact _opposite_ of pregnant."

Tinker, still sceptical, regarded Lydia with a doubtful look before she shook her head at the woman.

" _It can't just be that. You have been tired for longer. Much longer._ "

"I was malnourished, and we were travelling. Of course, I've been tired." Lydia shot back, now with her arms crossed over her chest. "That's probably also why you noticed I've gained weight. I suppose it has gone a lot faster after we settled down here. No more walking from dawn till dusk or skipping meals was bound to do the trick, I suppose."

Tinker shook her head once more.

" _It's not just me who noticed, Lydia. Many of the females have been commenting on how you're not as thin anymore_."

A long pause followed that sentence in which Lydia simply stared at Tinker with a blank expression. The only sound to be heard was the usual chatter of the Ape Village a few hundred yards away, the birds' chirping and Storm's soft grunts as she scratched the spot behind her ear with one of her hindlegs.

"… Great…. Just great…" Lydia finally uttered as her arms dropped from where they had been crossed over her chest.

" _Are all human females this concerned about their weight, or is it just you?_ " Tinker asked in part sarcasm, part actual curiosity. Lydia had never seemed vain to her.

The dark-haired woman shook her head at the inquiry, brow furrowing as she stared hard at the ground.

"It's not about my weight, Tinker. It's about gossip. I always hated that." She revealed and now, it was Tinker's turn to frown.

" _Well, you're a human and Caesar's mate. You're already easy to pick out from the crowd as is._ _Put all of it together and add some odd behaviour and nosy ape females and it's no wonder there will be gossip._ " Tinker pointed out matter-of-factly as she used a wooden pail to water a row of sprouting vegetables. " _I really don't understand is why it bothers you so much, Lydia. It's not like there wasn't any gossip about you and Roy._ "

The woman bit her lip at the mention of Roy and the rumours that had gone around about him and Lydia.

"Just because I've tried it before doesn't mean it doesn't still bother me. I guess it was easier to accept back when I was a new member of the colony, but… After all this time and everything that's happened, I honestly thought people would lose interest in what's going on with me." Lydia answered with a note of disappointment in her voice.

She inhaled sharply through her nose and moved to lean against the fence, doing her best to look nonchalant as she watched Tinker work on the garden. The she-ape chose not to comment on that for now.

" _You're our queen. Of course they wouldn't lose interest. The colony centres around what you and Caesar get up to. Not only what decisions you make for us all._ "

Lydia winced slightly and shot Tinker a tired, disapproving look.

"Would you stop calling me that already?" She all but whined. "It's getting old."

" _Doesn't make it untrue._ " Tinker pointed out, much to Lydia's chagrin.

The woman's shoulders seemed to slump in defeat, and she released an exasperated sigh, which prompted Storm to begin nudging her head against her thigh – probably in an attempt to appease her.

"Did I ever mention to you that humans consider it a really, really unwise thing to irk a woman who's on her period?" Lydia asked then, looking inquisitively at Tinker as she patted Storm's head.

It sounded like one of those rhetorical questions humans seemed so fond of asking, though Tinker answered anyway for the sake of friendly banter.

" _You may have told me once or twice._ " She drawled, though she did in fact remember at least a handful of times throughout the years they had known each other that Lydia had informed her of this very fact. " _You never told me why, however._ "

"We get incredibly cranky." Lydia offered simply, as if that alone was enough to concern Tinker. "You would be too if you were bleeding and having stomach cramps for about a week."

Yes, she probably would, Tinker agreed inside her own mind as she pulled a persistent weed from the soft soil. Luckily, if the virus that had made the apes smart and given them the ability to speak also made them more like humans in… other regards, Tinker could happily state that she hadn't experienced such changes yet. And she sincerely hoped she wouldn't, because from what she had garnered from both Lydia and Ellie, it clearly wasn't an easy ordeal.

Sometimes, somehow, Tinker really pitied humans.

"Well, for you, being cranky is nothing new." The female chimp shot back with a teasing smile and a wink to which Lydia let out a short chuckle before she winced once again.

This time Tinker could tell it was from pain rather than annoyance or embarrassment as Lydia's eyes squeezed shut and her hand flew to her lower abdomen. The female chimp got up and moved over to lay a hand on her friend's shoulder, now with a hint of concern pulling at her features. Lydia didn't seem to care that Tinker's fingers were dirtied with soil.

" _Anything I can do to help?_ " She asked, nodding towards Lydia's stomach and the hand she had placed over it.

She shook her head, as Tinker should probably have expected.

"Nah, I'll manage. If it gets unbearable, I'll ask Sparrow if she's got something that could help."

The ape scoffed at her friend's words. The village healer probably _did_ have something that would ease the pain, but it was most likely some herbs that Lydia would need to chew for a good, long while and that was something she had only ever been willing to try once, due to the taste. Of course, there was always the possibility that Caesar would manage to convince her if it got really bad, though Tinker still had her doubts.

And speaking of the Ape King…

" _Don't you think you should talk with Caesar about this?_ " She asked with a raised brow. " _Before the rumour reaches him on its own, I mean?_ "

"Yeah, I probably should…" Lydia agreed, though Tinker saw a flicker of doubt in her eyes that hadn't been there throughout the entirety of their conversation. "I mean, before he gets the wrong idea and gets his hopes up, right?"

 _And before there will be a new rift between you because of a silly misunderstanding…_ Tinker thought to herself, moving to pull another weed up from the rich soil.

* * *

 _ **Caesar**_

The Ape King entered his treetop hut to find Lydia lying on her back in their softly padded nest, though she didn't look the least bit relaxed. Above her closed eyelids, a slight crease could be seen, indicating irritation. On her abdomen, one of her hands rested carefully against her bare skin, seeing as she had pulled up her shirt slightly and untied her pants – probably to not feel constricted by them.

Caesar quickly deduced what was wrong and regarded her with a look of compassion. It wasn't all that hard to figure out what the problem was, actually – Lydia had been uncomfortable for the last couple of days now due to her monthly bleeding, and this morning had been especially bad.

Having stopped in the doorway at the sight, he now stepped fully into their shared living space and let the animal hide making out their front door swing back into place behind him. He then made his way over to the small fire pit that had been built into the floor of the main room of their hut and stoked the dying embers within it before throwing a new log of wood onto them. Perhaps he could salvage it and revive the flame.

It didn't take long before his eyes drifted towards Lydia again, however.

"It's still bad?" He asked in his deep, gravelly voice and Lydia, without turning her head towards him or even opening her eyes, stuck her arm in the air and offered him a thumbs-up.

The Ape King light-heartedly rolled his eyes at his mate before he proceeded to once again stoke the embers in the firepit with a stick, resuming his attempt at stirring them back to life.

"It's not as bad as it was earlier today, but it's still not quite good. On a scale from one to ten, I'd probably give it about…. Six or seven." Lydia's voice came after some time, even if she still hadn't opened her eyes to look at him. The crease between her brow had disappeared as soon as he had begun speaking, however.

With a grunt, Caesar rose from his crouched position by the firepit, having finally managed to make the flame take hold of the new, fresh log of wood, and walked over to sit down beside her in the nest. Before she could protest, he gently nudged her hand aside to rub her lower stomach in an attempt to ease the discomfort.

At this move, she finally opened her eyes and looked up at him, a grateful look on her face as she let both of her hands move up to rest against her ribcage instead.

"That _is_ better. This morning I remember you saying it was 'a solid nine'." Caesar attempted to joke and to his relief, Lydia _did_ manage to crack a smile at that.

Well, as long as she hadn't lost her sense of humour, Caesar knew her pain wasn't too serious. This morning he had been just about to make Lydia go to Sparrow for herbs because of the way she had curled up inside the nest, taking way longer than usual to get up and looking absolutely miserable once she actually did manage it. It was only because of the fact that she had been able to make a joke out of her level of discomfort that Caesar had decided against dragging her to the healer.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Lydia chuckled softly, only for her expression to grow apologetic just a second later. "Sorry if I'm being a bit moody recently because of this, though. I really don't mean to be…"

She averted her eyes with a look of slight guilt on her face, but Caesar was having none of that now.

"I haven't noticed any changes." He informed her bluntly, the small, teasing smile he intentionally let play across his lips the only indication that he was, in fact, still joking.

Lydia caught on to this immediately, of course, and reached over to playfully swat his arm with her hand as her chuckle turned into a short, outright laugh.

"Why, you impossible ape!" She admonished, shaking her head at him, and Caesar couldn't help but give a huff of amusement as well.

Yeah, it wasn't too serious if she could still laugh and joke around. His mate would be just fine, just like every other time this happened.

As their laughter died down, the two of them settled into a comfortable silence as Caesar continued to gently rub her abdomen. Over in the firepit, the flames had finally caught the fresh log of wood and had now turned into a bright, crackling fire which cast a warm, flickering light across the hut's interior.

It was a peaceful and intimate setting, with the two of them being caught up in their own trains of thought as Caesar's rough palm smoothened over the skin of Lydia's lower stomach.

"I had a little… chat with Tinker today." Lydia suddenly informed him, followed by a fond, yet somewhat exasperated sigh. It was easy to see something about that conversation had irked her, though not enough to actually make Lydia truly frustrated with the female chimp. Probably, it was just some friendly teasing.

Caesar smiled down at his mate.

"Did she call you 'queen' again?" He inquired with a great deal of mirth, knowing how uncomfortable it made Lydia when Tinker did that.

The apes, while seeing Lydia as a figure of authority and having done so for a long time due to her position on the Royal Ape Council as well as for her hunting expertise, hadn't taken to using the title of queen for her. This suited Lydia just fine, Caesar knew, as Lydia thought herself undeserving of the title and didn't want to completely take Cornelia's place. It was a talk she had had not only with Tinker, but with Caesar as well and while he, much like Tinker, thought that Lydia deserved the title, he also appreciated the respect Lydia held on the matter in regard to his deceased wife.

Lydia scoffed, tapping her index finger against the back of her other hand where they rested on her ribs.

"Well, yeah she did that too, actually, but…" She trailed off, suddenly all serious-looking, which immediately caught Caesar's attention as he sensed the change of mood in the room. "She asked me if I was pregnant…. Said that there'd been some rumours among the females that I was – she also said I've been putting on weight, can you believe it? Honestly, she even seemed to have convinced herself about it."

Even with Lydia's attempt to ease the newfound tension by taking on a more joking tone, Caesar froze at the word "pregnant" all the same. His entire posture stiffened, and his hand momentarily ceased its soothing, circular movements across Lydia's abdomen.

Now, he knew that, given her condition right now, Lydia most definitely _wasn't_ pregnant, but… Caesar would be lying by saying he hadn't entertained the thought more than once. Especially after their relationship had been revealed to the colony. Hell, even before that the thought had struck him on occasion, though back then the excitement he had felt by the idea had been tarnished by the concerns of what would happen once the colony found out about it as well.

Because if an ape and a human being together romantically was taboo, an ape and a human having a child would be even more so, Caesar had known. He was well aware of the fact that the colony's acceptance of their relationship was largely due to Lydia having proven her loyalty to the apes for so many years – though especially so back in the Colonel's base, when she had had the chance to ensure her own survival by casting the apes aside and had chosen suffering and starvation over that option. Also, Caesar supposed that it had helped that, after the avalanche, everyone had been so relieved at having actually survived that the Ape King's taboo relationship hadn't mattered as much as it would have otherwise.

"Caesar?" Lydia's voice echoed within his mind, pulling him out of his quiet reverie. "Is everything alright?"

At first, he didn't reply. Didn't even look her in the eye as his mind raced on, processing the information. It didn't surprise him at all that there had been rumours, especially among the colony's females – that was quite a normal occurrence, and something even Cornelia had had to deal with back when she and Caesar had begun their relationship. Besides, he could see why some might make the connotation, what with Lydia clearly having been more tired since their escape from the soldiers, but also more relaxed and willing to let others help or even completely take over her tasks at times.

And she _had_ put on weight, but having basically been raised by humans, Caesar was also privy to the fact that you should never actually mention this or agree when others pointed it out about a human woman – not even if it was the woman herself who said it. Besides, she looked way healthier now compared to the way she had looked while they had been travelling, and it wasn't like she was even remotely close to being fat anyway.

So no, he most definitely wasn't going to mention _that_.

"Do you think it could happen?" He asked suddenly, trying not to sound too hopeful.

Unbiddenly, and not for the first time, the Ape King found himself imagining what it would be like. Lydia and him having a child together. The swell of her belly as their child grew was in particular a stirring thought to him as he continued to trace her soft, flat midriff with his hand.

When trying to imagine what such a child would look like, however, Caesar's mind drew a blank. Perhaps a long-limbed, less hairy chimp of sorts? With a pointier nose and a flatter face? Or maybe it'd be the opposite?

Before Caesar could dwell on this further, Lydia spoke up once more.

"I think it's still far too early for that… Despite our similarities, humans and apes are probably still too far removed from each other for it to be possible – otherwise it would've happened to me a long time ago, I'm sure." She reasoned while staring up at the hut's ceiling with a contemplative expression on her face.

Caesar nodded thoughtfully. Yes, if such a thing had indeed been possible, she and Roy would probably have had a child of their own a long time ago… Maybe even more than one?

Still, Caesar had thought that, given who he was – _what_ he was – it might have been different with him. That him having been born like this might have meant something in this regard.

"Perhaps, given time, it will be possible someday… But I don't think it'll be in our lifetime." Lydia concluded, still with that contemplative look on her face that he couldn't quite read.

"Does it bother you?" He asked tentatively, studying her features intently for any sign of dishonesty in her reply. "That we can't have a child? That you will never experience it?"

Caesar knew he had to voice the question carefully. He didn't want this to come across the way those words he had said to her on the first night on their journey had – insinuating that the children she did have were never truly hers.

"Not really, no." She answered, thankfully not taking offense by his wording. Then, her eyes connected with his, concern clear in their depths as she spoke again. "Does it bother _you_?"

For a moment, the Ape King said nothing, searching his heart and weighing his words carefully. He didn't want it to come out wrong – but he also didn't want to lie.

"In a way… Yes, it does…" Caesar admitted truthfully, heavy brow furrowed as he pursed his lips. "You are my mate. Us having a child would be…"

He paused his sentence, narrowing his eyes at nothing in particular as he discarded word after word that he deemed unfit for describing it.

"Natural?" Lydia provided helpfully, to which Caesar nodded his head.

"Yes, natural." He agreed slowly, as if tasting the word.

Well, it _was_ natural. It was the way most relationships progressed, regardless of species. A male and a female meet, become mates and, eventually, build a home and have children together. It had been like that with him and Cornelia, with Rocket and Tinker – even Bad Ape had had a mate and child once upon a time. And Lydia and Roy as well, though the order in which they had achieved it had been a bit skewed compared to most other couples.

"Caesar," Lydia spoke his name in a sigh, moving to sit up in their nest and face him. "Life doesn't have to revolve around having children. It certainly never did for me – it just sort of happened along the way."

He slowly nodded, taking his time to consider her words. He could kind of see where she was coming from with this. While Lydia had always been a loving mother to both Orion and Cornelius, she wasn't exactly the typical picture of a maternal figure. While he knew she had been very young at the time when she had taken on the role as Orion's mother and that people's idea of what they wanted in life often changed over time, he also knew her to be the kind of person who just went with the flow and took on whatever life had to give her – or throw at her, rather. But she was a self-made female first and foremost made the best of what she had. Be it alienation from her own kind or the task of motherhood thrust on her due to tragic events – Lydia made the best of what she was dealt in life and rarely bemoaned what she would never get to have – only what she had lost or failed to do.

And yet…

"I got to experience it and I feel you deserve to as well… It's something I should be able to give you… But it seems I can't." Caesar lamented, feeling a strange pang of disappointment in himself.

Because this wasn't just about them never having a child of their own. To have their relationship strengthened by such a powerful experience that the Ape King knew it to be. It was also about him thinking it unfair that he had had this in his life while Lydia had not. It was a gift he wished to grant her and somehow, knowing that he most likely couldn't made him feel just a tiny bit contrite.

Lydia, however, and perhaps unsurprisingly, didn't seem to see it that way at all.

"A child isn't something you give. It's something you create together." She corrected him in a gentle, understanding voice as she caressed his cheek with the tips of her slender fingers. "You're no less of a male for not being able to get me pregnant, and I'm no less of a female for not ever giving birth to a child of my own."

Pushing his cheek fully against her hand, Caesar was comforted just as much by her warm touch as he was by her words. She was right, of course, and though a small, rather unfamiliar feeling of inadequacy still dwelled inside him, Caesar was relieved that Lydia didn't seem to carry any resentment of the fact that her lot in life would forever be that of an _adoptive_ mother and not a biological one.

"You know…" Lydia said softly then, and Caesar immediately took notice of how her teeth dug into the soft swell of her bottom lip. "A long, long time ago, back before we came to the colony… Roy said something similar… About having children."

Had she not experienced the same kind of loss, she might have expected Caesar to freeze up again or be somehow annoyed or hurt by the fact that she had brought up her first mate during such an intimate talk, but all the Ape King did was nod at her words. While still a sore subject for both, it wasn't unusual for them to talk about their previous partners from time to time, both knowing that the other meant nothing by it in regard to their current relationship. It was no secret that Caesar missed Cornelia dearly, just as Lydia missed Roy and sometimes, either one of them just needed to talk about it.

Besides, Caesar could easily imagine Roy wishing for the same thing as he himself did. Ape or human, having a child with the person you love wasn't an unreasonable thing to wish for.

"And what did you say to him?" The Ape King asked, even if he was pretty sure he already knew the answer.

"Just about the same thing I'm telling you now." She responded, pulling her hand away from his cheek and moving it down to take hold of his larger one, which was still lying against her aching abdomen. "We've already got two wonderful kids. Now, I know you've never been a father to Orion, and I know that I'm not his or Cornelius' mother by blood, but that doesn't make our family any less real or our bonds any less genuine."

Her blue eyes looked damp to Caesar, or maybe it was just a trick of the light as the flames danced a few feet away from them, but her words, once again, struck him right in the core of his heart like her arrows did an unsuspecting deer – only for Caesar, much unlike the deer, this was a good feeling. One of understanding and compassion and love for the woman who sat before him. A woman he, after so many years of friendship, hurt and reconciliation, felt that he could open up to completely – which was a feeling he had only had one other time in his entire life.

"You're right." Caesar spoke deeply as he turned his gaze briefly down towards their joined hands. To this day, it still baffled him how dainty and even fragile her bare, pale hand looked while enclosed within his larger, rougher one. "I just hope that… You won't be disappointed later because of it. That you will regret it."

It was quiet between them for a while, the only sound to be heard being that of a distant clap of thunder that signalled an oncoming storm. Caesar knew that meant Cornelius would come home soon, as would every other ape child in the village in order to escape the rain. It wasn't the thunder or the expectation of his son's arrival at their hut which eventually pulled Caesar's attention back to his mate's face, but instead Lydia's low, warm chuckle that suddenly filled the air between them.

"Well, that wouldn't do me much good anyway, now would it?" She lightly joked, and Caesar managed to crack a small smile in return. Well, she did also have a point there, even if they both knew that just because you realised your regrets wouldn't do you any good, it didn't mean you wouldn't still have them. That they wouldn't stay with you.

But the Ape King sensed that was a talk for another time.

"Besides," She continued, now in a bit more serious, though still light tone. "I'd only be disappointed about it if _you_ are… And more so because I wouldn't be able to make you feel complete rather than because of us not having a child."

He immediately shook his head at that, not at all liking this way of thinking on her part. Them having a child wouldn't be the thing that would make him feel complete – honestly, he already felt that by being with her. By seeing the colony that he had worked so hard to keep safe prosper in its new home. To get to see his son grow up. _Those_ were what made him complete.

"I'm not disappointed, Lydia. Just hopeful." Caesar informed her and squeezed her hand as he caught her gaze. "But just like you, I'm happy with what I have."

The look she regarded him with just then was a mixture of immense fondness and relief, and Caesar realised that she had expected him to tell her that he was _still_ bothered – at least a bit – by the fact that they would probably never have a child together. Now, as he sat here in front of her, he realised that she had projected that initial disappointment onto herself and that she probably thought herself inadequate because she couldn't give him that one thing he seemed to want – just like he had felt moments before.

But it wasn't like that at all, and Caesar was quick to make that fact known by offering her a sincere, loving smile, preferring, as ever, actions over words to show how he felt.

"Come here." He said and, as he so often did, laid a long arm around her shoulder and pulled her close before she could even comply with his request.

And as was her custom, Lydia didn't protest one bit, accepting his embrace as she pressed herself against his chest, her cheek resting against his shoulder and her nose against the side of his neck.

Another long silence prevailed, this one more comfortable than the last as the Ape King directed his gaze towards the opening that lead to their hut's balcony. Outside, lightning lit up the sky in the far distance, the flashes briefly revealing the shape of the ominous-looking clouds that were otherwise obscured by the darkness of late evening. Hopefully, Lake would be over with Cornelius soon, seeing as she had volunteered to look after him and the other ape children for the evening. She still very much cared for the young Ape Prince and was a close friend of the Royal Ape Family. As such, she often took looked after Cornelius and occasionally came over for a short visit, something which both Caesar and Lydia enjoyed. She may not be Blue Eyes' mate anymore, but it still felt like she was part of the family.

He didn't know how long the two of them sat like this – it could've been minutes, or it could've been hours, really. He was so lost in this tranquil moment with Lydia and the almost soothing rumble of the thunder that he almost missed the content purr-like sound that his mate emitted all of a sudden.

"I've missed this…" She spoke softly, reaching up and carding her fingers through the thick, greying beard on his jaw. "I've missed _you_ …"

"I have been with you this whole time." He reminded her, confusion suddenly marring his features.

"You have… But not really." She tried to explain, her voice low and tired-sounding, as if she had been just about to fall asleep in his embrace. "Ever since we first set out… And even a while after we escaped, you were there physically but… It wasn't _really_ you behind those eyes. Not until now, after we came here."

He nodded, pursing his lips as he brushed them against the top of her head.

"I've got the real Caesar back now… My Caesar." Lydia finished softly as she let her hand trail down to rest over his heart.

The Ape King closed his eyes and squeezed her to his chest, deciding then and there, as the skies opened outside their hut and the rain began its steady drumming against its roof, that what they could or couldn't have didn't matter one bit.

Because honestly, what he had right here was more than enough.


	82. A Good Day

**Author's Note:** This one was rather delayed due to me being sick and bedridden, and then due to a flood of work immediately afterwards. Heck, it's not even Friday - but such is life, I guess, though it has bothered me really much that I've had to postpone so much recently. I hope you'll all understand, though.

* * *

 ** _Bad Ape_**

With a groggy, satisfied hum, Bad Ape stretched his hands up over his head in his nest of animal pelts. Broad rays of sunlight were filtering through the gaps around the hides that covered his hut's windows, warming his mostly-hairless body as they landed on him. It was tempting to just lie there all morning and listen to the sounds outside as the village woke up – the hustle and bustle as apes of all shapes and sizes got up and went about their daily business.

But it was this exact sound which also encouraged Bad Ape to leave the warmth and comfort of his soft bedding and so, Bad Ape opened his eyes wide and, with a sudden, excited jolt, sat up in his nest.

It was with a bright smile that he took in the interior of his home, as he did every morning nowadays. It wasn't the biggest of homes in the village, but it was far more spacious than the home he had made for himself in that little human-made cave inside the big house in the mountains. That place had been cramped, dark and cold, and the hard stones it had been made of had his body aching every night, no matter how much human clothing he had piled up in there.  
This – this was much nicer. The hot was raised onto beams above the ground, which meant that the floor wasn't nearly as cold as what he had been used to in the past, and the wooden interior made this place feel altogether warm and inviting.

And, best of all, it was a place made by his friends specifically with him in mind. That alone had made Bad Ape love his little hut from the moment it had stood finished. Just being in here reminded him that he wasn't alone anymore and that there were others who cared enough for him to make sure he was safe and warm at night.

The bald chimp squeezed his eyes shut and drew a deep inhale, taking in the smell of the wood and the pelts that surrounded him. Sometimes, after all these years of being completely alone, it was hard to believe that he had been this lucky.

To have a warm place to sleep at night – a proper home!

To have friends! Lots of friends, even!

And to not be alone anymore! Even when after everyone had gone back to their separate homes to sleep and even if he didn't share his hut with anyone, he didn't feel alone.

Bad Ape reopened his eyes, wide and shining, and released the breath he had drawn in moments earlier, a smile on his face.

This was how he woke up almost every day now. Not quite believing, but relishing it nonetheless.

Outside, a cacophony of different noises could be heard – sounds of the village, the life of the friends he was now surrounded with.

And somehow, through all that noise, Bad Ape managed to single out the soft, barely-audible knock against the frame of his hut's entrance. A moment later, the thick hide that covered it was pushed slightly aside to reveal the pale, hairless face of a small human with long, light hair and big, curious eyes.

Bad Ape jumped to his feet, nearly tripping over the edge of his nest in excitement before he caught himself with a hand against the floor.

"Oh, oh, hello, Friend!" He greeted Little Nova with an enthusiastic smile as he straightened up – a smile which she returned with a sweet quirk of her own lips.

"I come now!" He assured the girl as he moved with hurried steps towards the entrance to his home, excited to get started with the day. Little Nova moved the covering of the entrance aside and moved to let Bad Ape pass through – so kind of her!

Bad Ape liked the human girl a lot. She was a sweet and gentle child, and she never seemed to get frustrated with him like others sometimes did. In fact, when his usual lessons with Friend-Lydia finished in the afternoon, Little Nova often approached Bad Ape and spent the time before the evening meal practicing more hand-words with him. In addition, it had become part of their daily routine for Little Nova to come over to his hut in the morning to wake him – though most of the time Bad Ape was already awake when she arrived, and they would walk together towards the place where Friend-Tinker's group of females would gather before setting out to forage for the day.

He was probably the only grown male ape to help with that task, though Bad Ape didn't mind it all that much. He had never been much of a hunter – as Friend-Rocket and the other males had quickly found out that one time they had brought him along. During winters he had mostly relied on human food rations, only hunting now and then the few times he had been able to find a gun and actually use it. In the summer, he had lived of roots, fruits, mushrooms and berries– maybe the occasional eggs from a bird's nest, if he had been lucky, which had made him an excellent forager. The females seemed to respect him for that, which was why it was one of the tasks Bad Ape enjoyed taking part in the most. It was so nice being able to feel useful again. And be admired for something he was good at – that was nice too!

Together, they made their way down from the small patio at the entrance to Bad Ape's home and towards the centre of the village, where each group, be they hunters, foragers or scouts, gathered before they would set out for the day, each in their own corner to keep things in order.

In the centre of it all, Friend-Maurice was already sitting at the big stone they had rolled to the middle of the gathering place back when Friend-Caesar had decided exactly where it would be. Around him, ape children were already crowding together – some more willingly than others – to learn from the old and very smart ape, as they did each and every morning. For the first half of the day, Friend-Maurice would use the writings on the stone to teach the village's children, showing them hand-words and how to write them using the letters on the stone. By the time most of the adults would return home, the children would be done with their lessons and Friend-Maurice would withdraw – to where, Bad Ape didn't know – while the young ones would be free to play as they saw fit.

And most days, a few of them chose to tag along with Bad Ape and Little Nova.

Speaking of which….

"You help today?" Bad Ape asked the child beside him, shooting her an inquisitive stare as he pointed towards the large ape and the children gathered around him. Sometimes, Little Nova would help her adoptive father with his lessons, and sometimes she would join Bad Ape and the females on their foraging trips.

She nodded her head and her long, pale locks of hair bounced around her shoulders with the movement.

Bad Ape smiled.

"Oh, oh! Okay!" He stammered and began nudging her towards the growing group of ape children. "I go, then! Go find food! We talk later?"

Dimples appeared on her cheeks as she shot him a bright smile and an enthusiastic nod. Then, at the sound of Friend-Maurice's distant, low hoot, she spun on her heel and hurried to him, casting one last, friendly smile at Bad Ape across her shoulder. He waved at her in return and continued to do so even after she had turned once more and darted towards Friend-Maurice's lesson.

So, he was going to pick berries and roots alone today. That was fine too. The ape females were nice – and it wasn't like they avoided him in any way, really – but most of them did not speak and only used hand-words, something Bad Ape had yet to get completely right.

Well, Little Nova didn't speak either, Bad Ape knew that, so maybe that wasn't _really_ the reason… Somehow, she was just easier for him to read, her face seeming far more expressive to him than most of the other apes'.

The thought quickly left his mind once he heard Friend-Tinker's insistent hoot and turned to see the female wave him over with a friendly smile directed at him. His face broke out into the wide grin that had faded after having said goodbye to the human girl, and he darted over to the large group with a renewed spring in his step. Friend-Tinker was nice – just like her mate – and she always made personally sure that everyone was present before heading out for the day.

Today was going to be a good day!

* * *

In the landscape the apes had settled, berries and mushrooms were mostly few and far between, and the foraging group had to scatter over a wide area to pick out the variety of food they needed. More than once, Bad Ape had picked up scattered hand-words of his companions, words like: 'good' and 'have' and 'garden', as well as 'without' and 'hungry', and caught on to the context from that.

He hummed to himself as he sought out a place to look for food. At least he was getting better at understanding hand-words. Friend-Lydia had said it would take time but after five months, Bad Ape could already tell that it was working. Maybe soon, he would be able to have an easy conversation with just about anyone without help from Friend-Lydia or one of the other speaking apes.

He promised himself he would celebrate that day when it came, just like he had celebrated the day he had met his new friends.

Well, maybe not _just_ like that time – they didn't have any human food packages left, but maybe he would be able to gather something extra nice for everyone? Or try to catch some fish?

Still, despite the females' worries and complaints, Bad Ape found that the soil was easy to dig through, and there were plenty of roots, wild tubers and the like if one knew where to find them.

As he had expected, he was pretty much by himself, not really following any one particular group of females, but only making sure that he wasn't slacking behind as they moved through the dry, sparse forest. He didn't mind it, though. It was just nice having others around him, listening in on their conversations and knowing that he had something to come home to. That in itself was a huge comfort.

Suddenly, however, around the time late morning turned into early noon, someone approached him. A young female, a bit taller than most, with skin that was dark around the eyes and light around her muzzle, and with her hair arranged in small braids at the sides of her head.

It was Friend-Lake, a female who often looked after Little Cornelius and came to visit his parents at their hut high up in the tree on the hill.

He hadn't talked much with Friend-Lake in the time he had been with these new apes, but she seemed to be a kind, young female – pursuing a position as healer, as far as he knew.

She crouched down beside him once she reached him, shooting him a friendly smile which he responded to with a wave and a curious stare.

" _Why are you alone?_ " She asked with her hands,

"But I not alone." He responded, confused. Then, he pointed towards several groups of females, one at a time as he explained. "Friends over there, friends over there, and there and there."

She followed his finger as he pointed, giving a soft hum once she returned her gaze to him.

" _But why not sit with them?_ " She persisted, seeming quite curious.

"Oh! Uhm…" He exclaimed, suddenly feeling a bit self-conscious as he had to explain himself. "My hand-words are not good yet."

Well, it was the truth – at least half of it. Another reason was that he really didn't know what to talk with them about. He had been separated from others for so long that small talk didn't come natural to him anymore and, most of the time, others seemed either confused at the questions he made, or uneasy with him silently following the conversation.

" _But you understand me?_ " Friend-Lake asked, brows furrowed in what he understood to be confusion – at least he hoped he understood it. Just going by expressions was hard. Especially when he also had to focus on the person's hands to know what they said.

Nonetheless, he nodded his head.

"A little. Know few, simple words. Can guess rest." He shrugged, regarding her with an open expression.

She seemed to understand, luckily, and gave a nod of her own in response before she began digging through the loose soil.

" _I will sit with you, then._ " She made a pause to speak with her hands and Bad Ape felt a jolt of joy inside his chest. How nice of her – it seemed he would have someone to talk with after all!

He nodded eagerly and joined her in looking for food buried beneath the earth, under trees and bushes and wherever else they thought there was a chance of finding something, and though the words spoken between them weren't very challenging, Bad Ape rejoiced in the simple fact that she had approached him in the first place and, more importantly, didn't seem bothered by the fact that he sometimes didn't understand her, forcing her to adjust and simplify her language – make workarounds to accommodate his limited skills. Other apes did that too, but often got tired after a while of having to explain the same thing four or five different ways until he understood them. Friend-Lake didn't seem to have that problem and, much like Friend-Lydia, was quick to figure out the words he definitely knew and kept using them whenever possible.

She was easy to talk to, Bad Ape quickly found out, and

It sparked a curiosity about her. As kind and hard-working as she was, Friend-Lake seemed… secluded. Those she spent the most time with were Friend-Ivy or her mentor, Healer-Sparrow, and when she wasn't talking with the small, silvery female or learning from the healer, she could be found taking care of Little Cornelius. In fact, if his parents weren't around and he wasn't in the company of Bad Ape and Little Nova, the Ape Prince could most often be found with Friend-Lake.

He hadn't thought anything of it the first couple of months, thinking that maybe Friend-Lake was his aunt or assigned babysitter but somehow, that didn't seem right. As far as Bad Ape knew, Friend-Caesar and Little Cornelius were the only ones related to each other by blood, and Friend-Lake didn't even look like either of them and she seemed more invested in the Ape Prince than any unrelated caretaker Bad Ape could remember seeing.

And so, he decided to simply ask – it seemed to be an innocent topic to him, anyway, and it _had_ grown quiet between them a few moments ago.

"You… family of Friend-Caesar?"

She looked startled by the question and for a moment, Bad Ape thought he had said something that had upset her. Her eyes, green like the rest of the apes', widened in what seemed to him like horror, and her entire posture seemed to stiffen at the question.

Then, she shook her head hurriedly.

"No?" He asked, perplexed as he studied her. She had a kind face, but that didn't change the fact that he still wasn't good at reading others anymore after such a long time by himself. What did the hunch of her shoulders mean? The thin line of her lips? Why did she avoid his stare, all of a sudden?

Why was there a frown on her face?

Oh… Oh!

He had probably offended her! And now she was sad!

"Oh, no…! Is sorry, Friend! Please, don't-don't cry!" He stammered apologetically, reaching out for her but not really knowing if she would welcome his hand on her shoulder. So, instead, he let it hover awkwardly mid-air between them. "Why-why sad?"

No actual tears had been shed. In fact, all Friend-Lake did heave a shaky sigh as she sat up a little straighter, though she still didn't meet his eyes as she began to make hand-words to him.

Bad Ape subconsciously scrunched up his nose in concentration as he focused on the movements.

" _It's fine. Don't worry. I'm not crying_ " Friend-Lake reassured with a small, sudden smile. He wasn't quite convinced that it was genuine, though. " _But it is… hard to speak about._ "

Perplexed, Bad Ape let his mouth open and close a couple of times as he attempted to find something to say. And here he had thought he had picked an easy topic!

But… He was still curious – and he didn't like seeing his friends sad. Especially not a new friend he had just made that same day.

"You spend so much time with son. Friend-Caesar's son. Look after. Take care." He pointed out in a soft voice, still watching her as she began picking at some roots inside the basket she carried, probably to double-check them. "But no live with them. Live alone – like me."

It wasn't common for females to live alone. If they were without a mate, they lived with their parents, whereas it was slightly more common for males to leave the family's hut once they reached a certain age. If the female had a mate, she lived with him. And if her mate or parents had died, she usually either stayed with other single females or found a new mate.

But rarely alone like Bad Ape.

He scooted a bit closer to her, gently nudging her hand with his knuckles as he crouched by her side.

"If not family, then… Why…?" He asked simply, his voice small and gentle. He didn't want to offend her any more than he already had, but the flash of sadness he had seen on her face had made him even more curious.

At first, he thought she would reject the question. Get up and walk away like a few others had already done when he had asked a question that had unintentionally offended or saddened them. But to Bad Ape's relief, Friend-Lake only took a moment – to think, he assumed – before she stopped absent-mindedly picking at the roots in the large, weaved basket and turned her head to cast him a careful, sideways glance.

Perhaps she was thinking about whether she should even answer or not? If she didn't, that would be okay too. Bad Ape knew by now that most of these apes had been through things similar to him and that could be hard to talk about.

Then, Friend-Lake once again put her hands up in front of herself and began to move her them into words.

" _Caesar had other child. A son. Same age as me._ " She said, still using slow, simpler hand-words.

Bad Ape appreciated that – he was getting better, even as they spoke, but it was still hard for him to separate the movements from one another to decipher the exact word in relation to the rest of the sentence, so slowing down and simplifying it helped him a lot.

" _We were…_ " Friend-Lake paused and sucked in her bottom lip. " _Mates… Future mates._ "

Bad Ape's eyes widened in understanding as realisation hit him like a sudden, heavy pile of snow sliding off a roof and landing on top of him. This young female had been intended for Little Cornelius' older brother!

Friend-Lydia often called Friend-Ivy her daughter-in-law… So, Friend-Lake must have been Friend- _Caesar's_ daughter-in-law!

The young female ape pursed her lips, her brows drawing together as she kept her eyes downcast towards the ground in front of the two of them.

" _But then, he…_ "

"He died." Bad Ape finished when Friend-Lake could not, seemingly surprising her. Maybe she didn't think he knew? Maybe she didn't expect him to

He shrugged, knowing that the smile on his face was a sad one

"Friend-Caesar told me… His child dead. Was why I help." He informed her softly, twiddling a tuber between his dirtied hands.

She gave a soft chitter in reply and when Bad Ape rose his eyes to look into her own with a meek expression on his face, her brow was now curved in what he figured was confusion. Or was it sympathy?

Then, she gently raised her hand and pointed timidly at him. It seemed to be a question. And he thought he understood.

"I had child" He nodded as he echoed the words he had spoken to Friend-Caesar that night before they had left his mountain home. "Family… Friends… Human kill. All dead now. Everyone but me. Alone for a long, long time."

While still holding on to the tuber he already had in one hand, Bad Ape started to dig for more with the other as he spoke. It was as hard a topic for him as it was for the young female at his side, and he was very much aware of how small his voice had grown as he explained his circumstances to her. It seemed that Friend-Caesar had not.

A soft, feminine hoot sounded from Friend-Lake, and he looked over to find her sitting there with a soft, sad frown on her face as she reached over to pat his hand holding the tuber.

Oh, this was a really kind thing to do. Friend-Lake was very comforting to be around. Bad Ape could easily understand why Cornelius was so attached to her.

He reached over to drop the tuber into the basket once she removed her hand again.

"But now, everything is good again. I'm with friends. Many friends. I wake up and everywhere; new friends!" He stated with a small, sincere smile. "You young – can start again. Find new mate – someone special. Can have good life and not be sad always."

He placed that same hand on her shoulder, by now forgetting to think about whether or not the move was welcome. Either way, she didn't seem to mind the contact.

"You still alive. Still here. So you should live, too. Stopping because someone close did, not good."

With the way she looked at him once he had said that, Bad Ape couldn't quite tell if she was impressed or incredulous. Her brows were raised and her lips slightly parted as she merely stared at him and for a moment, it was completely quiet between the two of them.

At least it felt like that, anyway. Sure, the birds sang their songs, the wind rustled the dry grass and leaves of the trees, and a short distance away, the rest of their foraging group was moving further and further into the forest as they continued to search for food. The sun's rays were still beating down on them through the sparse treetops, and the dry air still made the inside of his nose itch ever so slightly.

But Bad Ape didn't notice any of that. He was entirely focused on the surprisingly deep and personal conversation he was suddenly having with this young female – one he barely knew – about one of the most difficult things in life – living after losing.

And for a moment, he almost thought he had convinced her with his words. That he had made her see that life moved on – no matter if you wanted it to or not – and that she still had others around her who made it worth it to keep going.

But then, she shook her head and avoided his eyes once more, that same, sad look on her face.

" _I find new mate… I lose Cornelius and Caesar… Lydia, Orion, Ivy…_ " She spoke sadly with her hands. " _I will not be family anymore._ "

Bad Ape shook his head at that. That was a horrible way to think!

"No. No-no-no. You still are family! Never stop being family." He insisted, waving one hand distractedly in front of himself while the other was still placed on Friend-Lake's shoulder. "They love you. You love them. Take care of Little Cornelius. Help Friend-Caesar and Friend-Lydia. Still see them. Still visit. Still family."

" _But we are not..._ " The young female spoke with her hands, ending her statement with a movement he didn't know, which made Bad Ape's stare at her blankly for a moment.

She seemed to realise the issue before he himself did, quickly shaking her head and correcting herself.

" _We are not… of blood? To each other._ "

Of blood…? Ah! so she meant they were not related! Now he understood.

Because they weren't related, maybe Friend-Lake meant that she would lose her bond with Little Cornelius, Friend-Caesar and everyone else because they weren't bound by blood.

But Bad Ape knew that wouldn't happen.

"Friend-Lydia not of blood with Friend-Ivy, even if she is mate of Friend-Orion. They still family." He pointed out with a smile, continuing before she could make any protests to his logic. "Friend-Caesar not father of Friend-Orion. They still family. Friend-Lydia not even Friend-Orion's real mother and they still family!"

She nodded slowly after a moment of thought, eyes fixed on him and just then, Bad Ape imagined that this was how Maurice felt when teaching the children. A slight discomfort at being the centre of attention coupled with the thrill of being able to share hard-earned knowledge with someone else.

It was a good feeling, overall.

"Little Friend-Nova not real daughter of Friend-Maurice, but…?" He spoke, only to trail off an give her a meaningful look, wordlessly urging her to complete the sentence.

" _Still family…_ " Friend-Lake echoed his words – well, it was more like she matched them with the corresponding movements, really. He figured it counted either way.

"Still family." He agreed with a nod, his smile growing brighter as he saw how she was beginning to finally understand.

"I have not lived long with friends… But I learn one thing from it."

He spoke as gently as ever, squeezing Friend-Lake's shoulder and giving her the most fatherly look he could manage.

"Blood is not only thing that make family." He spoke with a confidence he didn't usually feel – but this, what he was saying now, he was surer of than anything else. "You young. Can find new mate if you choose. Can find happiness – and still keep family from before."

At that, her lips started to quirk, first into a faint, barely-noticeable upwards curve, only for it to slowly turn into a full-blown, bright smile a few seconds later as she nodded in acceptance. It was like a light had sparked inside her eyes that he hadn't seen before, and Bad Ape felt immensely proud and accomplished for having put that light in them. She was a kind, young female. And brave too, much like Friend-Ivy, in fact.

She deserved to be happy and if he could help her – or anyone of his friends – with that, Bad Ape would do his best!

"Thank you." She spoke quietly, and Bad Ape almost fell over backwards at the sound. He hadn't known that Friend-Lake could speak up until that point, though he quickly realised that, just as it was with most other apes, this was because the act of speaking was so straining to her – she just didn't do it much.

Still, he thought her voice was very nice, and even commented on it, which made the young female giggle sweetly.

They spent the rest of the trip foraging together, talking from time to time as they dug through the soil. They didn't even bother to try and keep up with the rest of the females and at one point, they even got lost before they eventually found their way back and was able to return to the village with a basket chuck-full of food, chuckling under their breaths as Friend-Tinker rolled her eyes at them.

And in all that time, Friend-Lake's eyes never seemed to lose that newfound spark in them.

* * *

Later, Bad Ape met up for his early afternoon lessons with Friend-Lydia, and proudly told her how he had been able to interpret the hand-words the foraging females had used. He stumbled a couple of times in his enthusiasm, bouncing in his seat with eagerness to tell about his progress, but his human teacher didn't seem to mind much, simply staring back at him with a soft smile of interest on her face as she listened to him.

"I see hand-word clearly!" He exclaimed with eagerness. "They speak about the garden. Place where we grow food! I think- I think they said it's good…."

He paused, squeezing his eyes shut as he tried to recall the other word he had seen. Come on! He knew that hand-word! It was one of the first Friend-Lydia had taught him!

Suddenly, he opened his eyes wide once more and uttered a series of urgent huffs.

"Oh, oh! I remember! 'Have'! They said it's good we have! And 'hungry'! They said 'hungry' too! I see! I remember"

He recreated the hand-words for her as best he could while the human woman followed his hands intently with her pretty-but-strangely blue eyes.

He liked Friend-Lydia very much, he had decided early on. She could be just as scary as Friend-Caesar when she was angry but luckily, Bad Ape had never been at the receiving end of that. In fact, she seemed to be extra patient with him in particular and had a way of explaining things in a manner he understood. He supposed it helped that she could speak as she made the hand-words. That had made it a lot easier for Bad Ape to make the connection between the two than when Friend-Maurice did it, who usually only rumbled due to the strain speaking put on his voice.

Today, after his detailed retelling of how he had managed to understand the conversations between the females, Friend-Lydia seemed… distracted? Or confused? Or…

Well, he couldn't really tell – he only knew that she seemed to be thinking of something else, because she had stopped asking him questions concerning the hand-words and instead simply nod at his words as she pursed her lips. Her eyes, though directed at him

"Friend?" He spoke after a short pause, trying to recapture her attention. "Something wrong?"

Perhaps she was thinking of a way to explain to him that he had misunderstood? Maybe he had gotten one of the words wrong? Maybe the females hadn't been talking about the garden in the first place? Or maybe he had misinterpreted the word in such a way that the female had been talking about herself being hungry, not the apes as a group?

After all, he still had trouble with the smaller details in this way of speaking, where one little, added movement could alter the entire meaning of the sentence. That had been a struggle from the start.

Friend-Lydia blinked then, almost as if he had woken her up from a nap, and stared at him for a few, short moments before answering.

"Huh? No, nothing is wrong, Bad Ape – What you said just got me thinking, that's all." She said, offering a lopsided smile. "Sorry if I seemed a bit off for a moment there."

"So, I did good? I understood the words well?" He asked, now with a slight uncertainty.

Friend-Lydia gave a small huff of a laugh at that.

"You did, yes. All of those words are correct." She reassured with an approving smile, which served to completely remove all doubts from his mind. "I'm very impressed with your progress. You've come a long way in just a couple of months!"

He felt himself perk up at the praise, back straightening and shoulders squaring as a sense of pride settled inside his chest. It felt really good to receive such praise, and especially from someone who had devoted so much of their time to teaching him.

He proceeded to tell her about the conversation he had spent with Friend-Lake, watching as the woman's face changed from uncomprehending, to sympathetic, to surprised and relieved – happy, even.

Maybe he was getting better at reading expressions too, after all? Or maybe Friend-Lydia was just easier to read. Humans did seem to have more expressive faces in general.

"You know you could have asked me about this sort of stuff, right?" She asked with a raised brow, the dark hair of it clearly defined against her pale, bare skin.

Bad Ape shrugged at that.

"Forget, sometimes." He explained simply. Well, it was true – thoughts slipped easily from his mind and by now, he had lost count of how many things he had forgotten to ask because he had gotten distracted by something else – most often another thought or a change of topic. "But, maybe it's good I did not? If I ask you or other friend, I maybe never talk with Friend-Lake. Never help."

Tapping her finger against her thigh, Friend-Lydia leaned forward to rest her chin on the heel of her hand, staring at him with what seemed like a teasing smile.

Despite that, her words were genuine enough, though.

"That's really was really kind of you. And it was some solid advice you gave, too." She commended him, only for her eyes to narrow and her lips to quirk up into a slight smirk. "Though I hope you're not going to… _try something_ with her. She's still my former adopted-daughter-in-law."

She winked at him, and Bad Ape's ears go slightly red. It wasn't like she never teased him – and he had a feeling that he completely missed it most of the times she did it, anyway – but this one was impossible to miss, even for him.

"Oh, oh!" He exclaimed in a flustered, incredulous manner as he shook his head, making Friend-Lydia laugh out loud. "Is not like _that_! She could be child! Friend-Lydia! No, no! no good!"

"Easy, Tiger – I'm just messing with you, that's all." She reassured and though he didn't quite get the phrasing, nor the name she had used for him just then, he understood that she really had meant nothing by it. "I'm just happy someone was able to get through to her without her balking or changing the subject. You really do have some people skills, my friend."

He smiled shyly and shrugged once more. Oh, he didn't know about that, really – but if Friend-Lydia said it, it was because she meant it. So, maybe he should believe it? Maybe him getting through to Friend-Lake was a sign that he was getting better at reading others? Maybe he would get closer to more people soon?

That would be really nice.

"And got lot of practice, too. Friend-Lake only speak once! I understand almost everything!" He stated proudly, only to grow quiet again when he noticed how Friend-Lydia once again tapped her finger against her thigh.

"I see…" She nodded, a smirk appearing on her face and suddenly, Bad Ape didn't know if he should've mentioned that last part after all…

A soft, easy chuckle left Friend-Lydia – probably due to his expression – before she spoke up again.

"Speaking of practice, you seem to have had plenty today so… How about I stop talking and then we'll conduct the rest of this lesson purely by sign, huh?"

His eyes widened in slight panic at the prospect, which only made the woman in front of him laugh even harder.

Okay, maybe he should have just stayed quiet for once…

* * *

The meal that evening was delicious.

Friend-Rocket and his hunters had brought home plenty of meat, and the addition of roasted roots and tubers made it a very fulfilling meal – most of all due to the satisfaction Bad Ape felt at having helped gather the ingredients. Though only a select few apes were assigned to cooking the meals, it still felt like everyone had helped. Like everyone played an important part in it.

He liked that very much. Having a place within a group again. Being able to help – and more so than he had ever felt he did back in the days before apes got smart and humans got sick.

Though, admittedly, those days were somewhat hazy to him, and he didn't know if it was because he hadn't been smart back then or if it was only because it was so long ago now that he had forgotten.

Bad Ape let his eyes travel over the large gathering of apes, all recently finished with their meal and most now only staying for the chatter. Even if he couldn't speak properly with most of them (yet, he reminded himself), it didn't take a particularly clever ape to realise that the evening meal was the time of the day everyone would gather around and share stories from the day that had passed. He watched with interest as the hand-words flew between individuals and trying to keep up was almost dizzying to him. Like earlier that day, he only managed to pick up on a few words, but was nonetheless pleased by the fact that he was even able to now.

In the middle of it all, he spotted Friend-Lake, who seemed to be deep in conversation with none other than Friend-Ivy. That was funny, he hadn't noticed that the younger female had moved from her place beside Friend-Orion and her parents.

Friend-Lake was signing in that same soft, easy way she had done back when Bad Ape had been talking with her back in the forest, though he didn't manage to catch on to what she was saying before she gave a sideways glance in his direction to find him looking at her.

He met her with a wide, friendly smile and an enthusiastic wave of his hand, not at all embarrassed to have been caught staring – the thought never even occurred to him, actually.

Friend-Lake seemed unfazed by his stare and offered an equally bright smile back, though the small wave she gave was far more discreet than his own. Friend-Ivy, following her companion's gaze, simply gave a smile, though there was something about the way she looked at him which almost seemed… surprised? Approving?

Like so many times before, Bad Ape couldn't quite interpret the meaning behind the way others looked at him, though he could at least tell that it wasn't anything bad. Friend-Ivy looked happy and so did Friend-Lake – more so than she had done since the day they had arrived here, in fact – and that was even after she and the other female had turned away from him to continue their conversation full of hand-words Bad Ape didn't know yet.

He didn't notice the talk between Friend-Lydia and Friend-Caesar, nor the surprised, yet grateful look the Ape King sent his way once his mate had finished discreetly recounting the conversation that he had had that day with Lake.

Instead, Bad Ape returned his attention to Little Nova, who was now poking his arm and asking – in her own, silent way – to come play with her and the ape children now that the meal was done – which he agreed to with much excitement.

* * *

The day was over before Bad Ape was truly ready to let go of it – as was the case most days by now – as one ape child after another were called home by their parents until, at last, there was only him, Little Nova and Friend-Caesar's son Cornelius left.

That was when both Friend-Lydia and Friend-Maurice approached them to pick up their respective children, the orangutan's lumbering strides looking quite cumbersome compared to the woman's long, easy ones.

"Ready to come with me home, Sweetie?" Friend-Lydia asked Little Cornelius, who only briefly cast a bright smile back over his shoulder at Little Nova and Bad Ape before he turned and darted into his adoptive mother's arms with a childish glee that managed to charm all of the adults present – and especially Bad Ape himself.

Little Cornelius was a good child, curious and full of energy, as most ape children his age were, but with a strange maturity to him that easily shone through, even to someone like Bad Ape, who was by no means good at reading others. The child was, overall, very concerned with the well-being of those around him, being compassionate and protective of others, and often being the first at the scene when one of his peers injured themselves during wild playtime.

And, as Bad Ape had said to Lydia on more than one occasion, Little Cornelius seemed to have the ability to sense when a fight was escalating between his playmates and would more often than not put himself in between them and put a stop to it.

Friend-Lydia barely had to crouch down at this point, but merely opened her arms wide and welcomed Little Cornelius as he jumped up into her embrace – though at around three years old, Friend-Lydia now had to brace for it and take a wobbly step back to steady herself as she caught him.

Bad Ape grinned at the sight. Soon, Little Cornelius wouldn't be so little anymore, and this sort of boisterous greeting would have to come to an end… But for now, he would enjoy the sight of a child greeting his mother with such joy. Though it was hard not to notice how different Friend-Lydia was from her child – and most others in the village for that matter – Bad Ape had to admit that it easily slipped his mind when seeing her be with her children.

"I take that as a yes." She declared with much humour, playfully rubbing her nose against Little Cornelius', which made the child gibber with glee. "Let's get back home before your father starts to think we've been eaten by a bear or something. Goodnight everyone!"

The pair waved at them all before turning away and trudging towards their home on the hill, Friend-Lydia's voice gradually growing fainter as she asked her child about his day.

Bad Ape finally tore his eyes from the pair as they disappeared into the night, only to come face to face with Friend-Maurice, who seemed to be staring at him very intently as Little Nova made her way over to the aging ape.

" _Good talk with Lake._ " He suddenly said with simple hand-words to Bad Ape, catching him completely off-guard. He simply stood there, staring wide-eyed, carefully monitoring Friend-Maurice's hands as he continued to speak. " _We all need someone to talk to. And we should all help. Death is difficult. Finding new place in life is difficult._ "

His movements were usually slow due to his arms' sheer size and the weight of his swinging fur on them, but even so, Bad Ape could tell that the orangutan was being extra deliberate with his hand-words in order for him to be able to follow – just like Friend-Lake had done.

Beside Friend-Maurice, Little Nova smiled proudly at him.

He scratched his arm in thought, a bit confused as to why the other ape felt the need to tell him this, but finding himself agreeing with his words nonetheless.

In the end, he nodded.

"I want to help. Friend-Lake is nice. Very kind. Everyone here nice. Deserve being happy." He spoke softly "But I don't know her that well."

Friend-Maurice gave a gentle rumble in return.

" _Maybe that was good._ _What you said helped more than you know. I can see it on her._ " The large ape spoke, still in slow, easily distinguishable hand-words. " _Sometimes, it is better to hear a thing from someone you do not know very well._ "

The nod he gave after that sentence seemed to have a sort of finality to it, and Bad Ape merely found himself nodding once more in reply. Well, it was probably true – sometimes, maybe it was better to hear something from a stranger rather than someone who knows you. Maybe it made an advice seem more sincere?

Admittedly, he didn't quite understand the logic behind that, but something in inside his chest told him that it was true and so, he didn't question it. Friend-Maurice was probably right – he was a smart ape, after all.

The large ape righted himself and half-turned from Bad Ape, clearly intending to leave the conversation at that and return home, only to stop in the last moment and, in a deep, gritty voice, add "Goodnight, Friend."

Bad Ape's jaw went slack for a second as he simply stared wide-eyed at Friend-Maurice. In the little-over four months they had lived here, he had never, _ever_ heard the ape speak out loud. The closest he had ever gotten to hearing Friend-Maurice's voice was back when he had half-growled, half-roared at him down in the tunnels under the human zoo, and that had been too startling for Bad Ape to truly be able to remember the voice that had lied underneath the sound.

As such, it took a couple of moments for Bad Ape to find his own voice right now, and when he finally did, it was with an equal part surprised and excited stammer.

"Oh, oh! That- G-goodnight, Friend-Maurice! F-friend-Nova! Sleep-sleep well!" He told the duo, receiving an amused rumble from the ape as well as a sweet smile and wave from the girl before they both fully turned and started towards their own hut, leaving Bad Ape standing there, mouth agape and all by himself.

It took a short while for him to truly snap out of it and realise that everyone had now, in fact, left. It was dark now except for the occasional torch around the village, and the only apes besides himself out at this time were the members of the Gorilla Guard on duty for the night.

With that realisation, Bad Ape decided then that he should probably be heading back to his own hut as well, and he began walking towards his small home with hurried steps. He hadn't noticed how chilly it had truly become now that the sun had gone down, but the slight nip in the air was now beginning to become noticeable against his hairless skin. Maybe he should have brought his hat or his vest out, but with everything that had happened today, it really hadn't occurred to him at all.

It was easy to forget such a thing when surrounded by friends and warm cookfires.

Finally reaching his hut and pushing the animal hide at the entrance aside to get inside, it wasn't long before Bad Ape found himself snuggled up in his nest, surrounded by thick, warm pelts. A single torch fixed to the wall lit up the inside of his home, and he found himself staring at the wall as the shadows danced across the wood.

And as he did every evening, Bad Ape found himself thinking about the day that had just passed.

In a way, it had been just another day in his life, and yet it hadn't been like any other day at all. As always, he still marvelled at the fact that he had been lucky enough have a life like this after all those years alone, but also found himself pleasantly surprised with how he was finally starting to understand again – to connect with others instead of feeling like he was just latching on to them.

And though he didn't know Friend-Lake that well, it felt great to know that him talking with her had seemed to help – and that others could see it in her too.

He closed his eyes to the sound of crickets outside his hut, the feel of the day's waning warmth going over the skin not covered by the nest's comforting pelts. Behind his eyelids, he could faintly sense the flickering of the flame from the torch that kept his small hut lit.

To everyone else it might seem like he was alone right now – just like Friend-Lake had thought he had been alone today because he hadn't been sitting together with a group.

But he wasn't.

He had friends all around him, and though they were all in their own homes, together with their own families and separate from him, they were still there – and as always, that was the last, comforting thought that went through Bad Ape's mind before he drifted off to sleep.

Today had been a really good day.


	83. On A Cold Winter's Morning

**Author's Note:** Friday 20th of December - the last post of the decade! I'll be putting up my new posting-schedule around New Year, so be on the lookout for that if you want to know when to check for updates. I'll also be stretching things a bit more to accomodate my work hours, so updates, sadly, won't be as frequent as they've been these past two years. However, I do this with the intent to keep up the quality and at least some regularity when it comes to posting, so I hope you can all live with it for the remainder of the story - seeing as I plan for it to reach its end in 2020 :)  
For now, I'm gonna take a little Christmas/New Year's break, so - Merry Christmas to you all, and cya (hopefully) in the next decade!

 **Warning: This chapter contains nudity and smut! The beginning and ending of the smut will be clearly marked and, while this is not recommended, is skippable.**

* * *

 _ **Lydia**_

"Mother? Mother?" A voice sounded, and Lydia groaned tiredly as she was pulled from sleep. Beside her, Caesar rumbled and turned away, his back facing both her and the large door that led to their hut's balcony.

She blearily blinked open her eyes, grimacing as she peered through the thin opening between the hide-curtains.

Outside, the sun hadn't even risen yet, the sky nothing more than a canvas of colours transitioning from pale yellows and oranges and into a dark hue of blue as the night receded.

"Mother!"

"Mhmm?" She hummed tiredly as she pulled the thick pelts closer around her. It was one of those clear, icy mornings of winter and though their hut was warmed by both torches and a small, built-in firepit, simply looking at the cool colours of early morning outside had her shivering.

She turned her head to look at the person who had woken her so rudely, knowing that feigning sleep wasn't going to be an option.

And right there, so close to her face she could feel his breath across her cheeks as he bowed down in front of her, with two large hands clutching the edge of the nest in impatience, was Cornelius.

"Are you awake, Mother?" He asked curiously, his voice just above a whisper now that he finally had her attention.

Just like Caesar's voice was a rich, gravelly timbre, so was Cornelius', if only a few octaves higher in pitch rather than the deep tone of his father's, and with more of a scratch to it. Still, Lydia had no doubt that once he reached adulthood, the Ape Prince's voice would be just as mesmerising as the Ape King's own, if not more so. It carried the same warmth, for sure, and would surely be enchanting to any young female.

How far he had come from that time he had spoken his first word over in Orion and Ivy's hut just a couple of months after they had all settled here.

That was now a year and a half ago, and their new home wasn't so 'new' anymore.

And little Cornelius was suddenly no longer so 'little' either.

At five years old, he was now too big for her to carry him around, and certainly more active – and talkative – than his adopted older brother had ever been at this age.

Especially in the morning…

"Can I go visit brother? He promised he would take me out fishing today." He asked urgently, his big, green eyes intent on her as he waited for an answer.

Lydia didn't know whether to groan or laugh in exasperation. Still only half-awake, she was almost tempted to just turn onto her side with the words 'ask your father' and let Caesar deal with it. But if she did that, her mate would most likely just rumble out a quiet 'yes', completely uncaring of the absolutely ungodly hour of the day – and anyone else's right to a good night's rest.

Blinking the sleep from her eyes once more, Lydia resolved to prop herself halfway up to lean on her elbow, running a hand heavily across her face to wake herself.

"Sweetie, don't you think it's a little early? Orion and Ivy are probably still asleep."

 _Like any normal person should be right now_ , she added inside her mind, though she made sure not to show her slight irritation at having been woken up to her (hopefully) unsuspecting son.

Lydia was _not_ a morning-person. Never had been, never would be, despite her job as a huntress. On the days she had to get up, she always just shouldered through the morning-grumpiness and stayed in her own hut until properly awake so that no one else – except maybe Caesar, the poor ape – had to deal with her.

But today wasn't a hunting day. Both Rocket's group and Lydia herself had been quite successful yesterday and thus, there was no need to set out this morning. It was, essentially, their day off.

Though, apparently, her youngest didn't get that memo…

Cornelius shook his head.

"I looked down there through the window. There is light in the hut." He said smartly, and already Lydia barely had the will to argue anymore.

Still, for Orion and Ivy's sake, she figured she should.

"It's winter, Sweetie. They have a fire going through the night, just like we do." Lydia reminded him with a tired sigh. "Why don't you let them sleep? The fish aren't going anywhere."

"Orion says it's best to start early with fishing." Cornelius said matter-of-factly, the trust he put in his brother's knowledge all too clear. The two had grown incredibly close over the years and nowadays, there was no one Cornelius idolized more than Orion – maybe except for Caesar.

Lydia yawned, feeling dampness pool in the corners of her eyes from the sheer intensity of it.

Well, if Orion had told Cornelius this himself…

She waved her hand dismissively, giving up on her endeavour to save her oldest child some rest.

"Do what you want, then." She said, plumping unceremoniously back down into the nest. "Tell them 'hello' from me, will you?"

So much for making an effort.

Above her, Cornelius smiled almost triumphantly, those green eyes shining with happiness in the low morning light before he leaned down to sweetly kiss her cheek.

"I will, Mother!" He promised before getting to his feet and darting towards the door. "Sleep well!"

"Have fun, Sweetie." Lydia called back with a tired wave as the wooden door at the hut's entrance was slammed closed and silence – sweet, blessed silence! – fell once more.

Lydia sighed in relief, though felt a soft smile tug at her lips at her youngest son's antics, so very different indeed from when Orion had been that age.

Back when he had been younger, it had been much harder for Lydia's subconscious to tell them apart and on more than one occasion, in those sluggish moments of half-consciousness as she had woken up, she had sometimes woken up believing it had been Roy and little Orion she was lying next to – not Caesar and Cornelius.

It had felt as if she had gone back in time – or the horrible events that had transpired after Koba's betrayal had never taken place at all – and those moments had been rather confusing - jarring, even, and she had talked a lot with Caesar about them.

But as Cornelius had grown and the quirks in his personality had become more outspoken, these occurrences became less and less frequent. Lydia didn't quite know if it was because her mind had finally decided to accept this new family or if it was because Cornelius was usually up and about much earlier than her nowadays. Perhaps it helped that his daily routine turned out to be so different from Orion's?

She really couldn't tell, but she did much appreciate not waking up a confused mess every fortnight.

"Your thinking is so loud I can almost hear it, Lydia." A deep, gravelly voice sounded beside her, almost making her jolt in surprise.

She was sure Caesar felt her slight twitch, though he didn't comment on it. In fact, once she had rolled onto her back and turned her head to face him, Lydia noted that he was still on his side with his back towards her.

A low, amused huff left her.

"I'm surprised you're still awake." Lydia commented drily, placing her hands to rest on top of her stomach. "I expected you to fall asleep again as soon as Cornelius left."

Well, it would have been safe for her to assume that. This early in the morning, even Caesar could be considered a heavy sleeper. She had honestly expected him to pass out the moment their home had grown quiet again.

"Your breathing was uneven." He stated simply, deciding to finally flip onto his back and turn his head to stare at her, mirroring the way she was lying.

"Seriously?" Lydia asked, chuckling and with a dark brow raised at him humorously. "You sure you aren't just turning into one of those old apes who wake up with the birds, huh?"

She reached over and ran her fingers through the thick hair lining his jaw, the colour having settled on a salt-and-pepper grey since they had moved here. At least it hadn't gone completely white yet, as Lydia had suspected it might have with the continued pressure he had endured these last couple of years. Further up, at his temples, streaks of solid grey swept backwards to mingle seamlessly with the original, black colour of his hair, adding to his already distinguished look.

Still, there was no denying that Caesar had aged since they had first met all those years ago – and especially so throughout the last three to four years.

Didn't mean he had lost that rugged, burly look that Lydia was so attracted to, though. In fact, it was quite the opposite.

The Ape King raised a heavy brow, playful challenge clear in still-tired his gaze.

"Old?" He asked in mock-offence. "That's what you think of me?"

Chuckling, Lydia withdrew her hand to wave it at him in what was supposed to be a placating manner.

"Oh, I'm _sorry_. I forgot I was talking to the Ape King himself." She answered sarcastically, then rolled onto her side and propped herself onto her elbow, leaning over him in the nest. "I didn't mean to say 'old'… Hmmm. _Venerable_. Yes, that's the word I was looking for! Of course!"

She ran the index finger of her free hand down the side of his face, tracing its contours until she reached his chin, which she then held between her thumb and index finger.

"You must forgive me for my transgression, your majesty! I never meant to offend you so! My, oh my!" Lydia drawled, making Caesar roll his eyes and give off a low chuckle. "Is there _anything_ I can do to make up for this blunder? Anything at all, your majest- hmm!"

A pair of strong arms quickly wrapped around Lydia's back and shoulders, and a large palm encased the back of her skull, pulling her down towards Caesar until his lips met her own.

She didn't mind the interruption, though, as his mouth moved beneath hers, coaxing her into reciprocating the kiss – not that he even needed to, really, as a pleasurable chill ran down Lydia's spine, trailing after the tips of Caesar's rough fingertips.

The hand, having snuck underneath her shirt, settled firmly on her lower back, grounding her as the kiss grew more passionate and Lydia found herself softly moaning against Caesar's mouth.

Then, all too soon, the hand on the back of her head, now entangled in her dark hair, pulled her away from his mouth, ending the kiss sooner than Lydia would have liked.

Dazed, she cracked her eyes open, not having even realised that she had closed them in the first place, to find Caesar staring up at her with an infuriatingly handsome smirk.

"That will do, I think." He said, moving his hand in front of her face to trace her cheek with his thumb.

It was obvious that he was goading her along.

Well… Cornelius always being up and out the door before either of them _did_ have its advantages… And since they were _both_ awake right now…

"Oh please," She said, eyes still lidded as she let her hand travel down from his chin to his chest, where she began to slowly massage his pectorals. "I can do so much better than _that_!"

Lydia leant down and brushed her lips against the edge of his mouth, letting her lips run along his jaw until she reached his ear, where she contented herself with nipping teasingly at the lobe.

 **(Smut Begins Here)**

A low rumble left him as her hand methodically inched lower and lower along his body, tracing his stomach and circling his hip before she finally let it settle heavily on his lower abdomen, just above his member.

"Unless…" Lydia whispered sultrily against his ear, a devious smile on her lips as she made to remove her hand from his body. "You're _completely_ _sure_ a kiss will do?"

Caesar's grip on her lower back tightened, keeping her in place as he released a soft growl of warning. Well, looks like he wanted more after all, huh?

Instead of placing her hand back, Lydia reached further down and grabbed her mate's hardening cock, which had his chest expand with a sharp inhale of surprise and lust.

The look on his face, though, was what did it for Lydia. The hard, thin line of his mouth, the flaring of his nostrils, the way his eyes smouldered once he finally opened them and stared up at her.

Perhaps waking up early wasn't going to end up being a _complete_ bother after all?

* * *

 _ **Caesar**_

He took a long while studying the way her dark hair, messy from sleep, seemed to tumble over her shoulders. One wayward strand hung partially in front of her face, and Caesar brushed it away with his thumb as he stared into her deep, blue eyes.

They were half-lidded and shimmering with lustful mischief, the look only amplified by her enticingly full lips hovering above his own, _just_ out his reach.

"Maybe you're right." He admitted just as her hand squeezed him again, making him arch his back ever so slightly. "I think I will need more convincing."

"Mhmm. I figured as much." Lydia agreed with a low hum, and Caesar could practically hear her smirking as she shamelessly fondled him. Her hand would slide up and down his shaft, squeezing playfully, groping roughly and brushing softly as she saw fit, and all he could do in return was grunt and growl, relishing in the feel of her deft hand as it worked him up.

Normally, he wouldn't be this uncharacteristically passive during intimacy, with his hands idly holding on to her as Lydia worked to please him. But he knew this was part of the idea – the joke about her having to make up for calling him old. He hadn't minded really – it was probably true. He had seen his reflection recently and the grey was definitely starting to break through his black coat of fur, there was no denying it.

But if she wanted to make a game out of it, then who was he to refuse her?

Still, Lydia didn't seem to mind his uncharacteristic passiveness. In fact, by the way she bit her lower lip and rubbed her thighs together none too discreetly as she stroked his length, she was taking just as much pleasure in doing this to him as he did being at the receiving end of it.

" _Now_ who's breathing unevenly, Love?" She whispered cheekily, to which Caesar could only respond with a laboured groan as she continued her ministrations for a few minutes more, driving him all the way to the very brink of orgasm before she, frustratingly, drew back her teasing hand.

"Stay still, Caesar – I can still do better." She instructed him in her most seductive voice as she sat up and began removing the top she had slept in – the navy blue one with the pattern on the back… the one that was pretty much see-through at this point.

Caesar exhaled, slow and calculated, as she pulled it over her head with crossed arms, so obviously giving him and eyeful of her rounded breasts as she stretched her arms over her head.

Soft, dark tresses fell wildly around Lydia's shoulders once the top was finally off and tossed aside, and for a moment she simply sat there, on her knees, looking him over with hazy eyes as the light from the fireplace danced across her naked flesh.

Caesar reached out and let the tips of his calloused fingers drag slowly down from her collarbone and through the valley of her breasts, down across the expanse of her midriff before finally meeting with her abdomen. Once there, he hooked his large digits around the waistband of her undergarments and shamelessly tugged them down, purposely brushing against her mound as he did so and earning a soft gasp from her in return.

Before long, Lydia had shimmied out of her last piece of clothing and, to Caesar's surprise, bent down to nuzzle her face against the hard plane of his stomach, slowly easing her way up as she inhaled his scent.

Caesar sucked his bottom lip into his mouth and buried one hand in her dishevelled hair, thoroughly enjoying her undivided attention as she made her way past his ribs, his chest and his collarbone.

"You smell so good." She complimented before capturing his lips in a deep, open-mouthed kiss that stole Caesar's breath away, both of them groaning against the other's lips.

When Lydia pulled back, it was with an expression filled with desire and devious intent, and Caesar knew then that he was in for an exhilarating ride.

Though he had no idea just how accurate a metaphor that truly was…

She mounted him like she would a horse, swinging her long leg across his hips and lowering herself onto him until he was buried to the hilt inside of her heated core. A deep groan left his throat at the sensation and he reached his hands up to lie around her shapely hips as she began moving on top of him.

"I love to feel you inside me." She praised between moans as she stared down at him with hooded, lustful eyes. "You fill me up so well…"

He felt his member twitch and did a sharp intake of breath, doing his damned best to keep himself in check.

Either Lydia was caught up in her own passion and didn't see the strain on his face, or she knew _exactly_ what she was doing to him and took pleasure from his visible, internal struggle. Somehow, Caesar was convinced it was the latter of the two – either way, she kept on with her filthy praise, putting on a show for him for good measure as she reached up to let her hands skim enticingly along her own body.

"That's it, Caesar – oh! I told you I could do better." She said as their eyes connected, and a thrilling shiver ran up the Ape King's spine. "I would do this all day for you. If you would let me -ah! Just lie back and let me _have_ you."

Caesar's chest rose and fell in quick succession as his breath came out in laboured pants. He felt the muscles in his legs tighten as he reciprocated his mate's thrusts. Lydia's pace wasn't hurried or desperate by any means, but thorough and passionate, giving Caesar ample opportunity to admire the way her body moved above him – and pay extra close attention to her wanton talk.

"If you continue to speak like this, I will finish before you…" He grinded out in a strained voice, releasing harsh pants at nearly every second word. Before she had become his mate, Caesar would never have thought mere words could affect him like this. Could heighten his pleasure so much. It was hard enough to hold back _without_ hearing them.

But then again, it _was_ Lydia who spoke them – and knowing she meant it was what made it that much more exquisite for him.

"Maybe I _want_ you to finish." She replied breathlessly. "Maybe I-Ah! Maybe I want to see your face, mmmh, when I make you lose it... When I make you feel _so_ good."

All these filthy words, low and heady and accompanied by the sensual swaying of her body as she moved on top of him, back and forth, up and down, grinding herself against him in a leisurely, steady rhythm that set his soul aflame with want…

Had he been any lesser male, had any less control of himself, Caesar was certain he would have been a desperate, howling mess by now – spent, as Lydia wanted, before he had even been able to try and return the pleasure she was giving him.

"No." He shook his head at her, maintaining eye contact as he stared up at her with equally hooded eyes. "I want to finish with you. _Always_ with you."

His voice was dark with lust and yet, the love and devotion of his words could not be more obvious.

Caesar reached one of his large hands down between them and began rubbing his thumb against her sensitive clit in rhythm with the movements of her hips, splaying his warm hand across her abdomen.

She gasped, her hands reaching down to grab at his arms – more for purchase than to control his movements, he realised.

"Oh, Caesar!" Came her voice, sweet and broken as she rolled her hips into his touch.

His eyes lowered to stare at their joining, the Ape King finding himself strangely fascinated with how his cock so easily slid in and out of her, glistening with the slick of her tight heat. Like the two of them, completely different as they were, had been meant to do this all along. The obscene sight served to stroke Caesar's male ego immensely, and had his loins tighten with impossible need.

"Let me see it, Lydia." He coaxed her hoarsely, pulling her firmly down onto his cock by the firm grasp he had on her hip, while his other hand continued to stroke between her thighs.

The Ape King managed a small, triumphant smile as she moaned in response.

Despite all her efforts to render him a desperate, lustful mess – and nearly succeeding at it – it was Lydia who was now crumbling as she began cresting the peak of her pleasure, eyes closed and lips parted as her body writhed and quaked at his touch.

And then it hit her, washed over her like a flash flood as her hips jerked with urgency against his hand and a loud moan tore from her throat.

Caesar licked his lips at the sight – and feel – of her coming undone on top of him. The way her tight heat almost seemed to try and force his length to stay inside her. How her entire body was pulled taut in pleasure. The rise and fall of her chest as she drew in one ragged breath after another.

And then, as the flood of pleasure began to recede, she looked so vulnerable, almost halfway broken as she moaned and rocked against him to prolong her own bliss.

The movement almost stopped entirely as Lydia's posture slumped above him, her high reduced to all but a tingle now. He watched, arousal still tight in his belly, as she released pant after shaky pant, her pale skin covered in a thin sheen of sweat despite the relatively cool air of the room.

He sat up with Lydia still in his lap – and his cock still comfortably seated inside her core – and took hold of her jaw with both of his hands as he drew her into a heated kiss.

Though he had yet to reach his own peak, Caesar was as breathless as his mate once he finally pulled back – by no more than a fraction of an inch – and gave a low rumble from within his chest as their eyes met.

"Lie back." He spoke against her mouth. "And let _me_ have _you_."

Though dazed, she still managed to smile at the way he echoed her words from before and complied as he pushed her let her down until she was flat on her back in their nest, with Caesar now being the one on top.

And for a brief moment as she lied there beneath him, hair spread around her face like a soft, dark frame and hands clutching his impatiently at his shoulders, Caesar found himself marvelling – not at her beauty – but at the deep feelings of trust, love and devotion she looked at him with.

The Ape King bent down over her, large and powerful, and placed a tender hand against her cheek as he let his forehead meet her own. With closed eyes, Caesar released a calming exhale as he focused on the way she felt. Soft flesh and smooth skin beneath his palms. Ragged breaths across his face and neck. A tightness as her heat gripped around his length.

Then, he began moving his hips.

The thrusts were gentle at first. Drawn out. Unhurried.

Lydia shivered under him, pushed her head into the nest's soft padding as she bit her lip.

He watched it all with keen eyes, drinking in the effect he had on her. Revelling in it as he slowly began to pick up his pace.

And the feeling of those exquisite, gratifying spikes of pleasure that shot through him with every quickened thrust.

Caesar didn't need to look at her hands to know they were clutching their bedding, nor at her feet to know her toes were curling with pleasure as he ravaged her. He knew Lydia's tells. Had studied them closely ever since they had first mated. By now, he knew when to be slow and soft – and when to be hard and rough.

A deep, reverberating rumble left his chest as she arched her back against him, and her moans of praise only adding to the lustful pyre that roared in his gut.

"Caesar…!" She gasped. Her nails were clawing at the skin beneath his fur and Caesar grunted in reply. "H-harder…"

Ah, there it was. That sweet, broken begging of hers, starkly contrasting her usual independent nature.

He complied instantly, so desperate by now that he didn't care for anymore of their previous teasing and banter.

Instead of locking her legs around him, like she so often did, Lydia only spread her thighs further, opening herself to Caesar and welcoming his hard thrusts with eager moans and whimpers.

The rhythm he had built up to was steady, yet forceful as he grabbed onto one of her thighs with one hand, keeping her in place as his hips jerked forward again and again. His other arm slid around her shoulders as he leaned on it, helping Caesar keep his full weight off her.

Their eyes met, misty from pleasure, with his face was inches above her own, his hard breaths and groans mingling with her pleasured moans.

His release rolled over him like an overflowing river as he felt her convulse around him a second time. It spread from his loins and all the way out to the tips of his fingers and toes, reducing Caesar's relentless pace to nothing more than a small succession of slow, deep ruts as he spilled himself inside her.

Lydia keened against his mouth, the sound ebbing slowly into a series of sweet whimpers and exhausted pants. He kept their mouths connected until he felt her relax around his shaft, and then gently pulled back to stare lovingly down at her face.

 **(Smut Ends Here)**

Lydia looked beautifully wrecked beneath him. Out of breath and completely sated as she stared back up into his eyes.

"I love you." Caesar breathed, reaching up to cup her face in his large hand.

She nuzzled into his palm, briefly closing her eyes in contentment at the contact as her breath slowed.

"I love you too."

It came out as the softest of whispers, but Caesar heard it well enough in the silence of early morning, as the sun's first, golden rays cast a beautiful light across them both through the narrow gap between the hide curtains.

Calm prevailed for a long while after that as their breathing slowly evened out. Then, out of nowhere and with a laboured grunt, the Ape King gracelessly rolled over onto his back, with Lydia yelping in surprise as he pulled her with him to lie on top of him.

She shot him an unimpressed look, as if to ask him what the hell that was even for, though once Caesar had laid his arms around her, it was replaced by an almost indulgent-looking smirk.

"I thought you said you wanted to finish with me." She spoke up, still dazed, but with a slender, dark brow now quirked up at him. "I finished twice."

A subtle, warm smile found its way across his rough lips. Trust Lydia to take notice of such a thing and hold it against him.

The Ape King chuckled at his mate.

"But it ended with both of us." He pointed out as he pulled her further onto his chest, reaching down to her thigh wrapped around his hip. "You have more… 'arrows in your quiver' than I do."

She couldn't contain the sudden bout of laughter then, and Caesar felt his lips stretch into a smug grin at the sound. He knew it was rare that he made attempts at being humorous, but he liked to think that he was quite skilled at it when he actually put his mind to it.

Seemingly, Lydia thought so as well.

A satisfied sound, something akin to a purr, reached Caesar's ears then, and he cracked an eye open to look down at his mate, still draped over his body.

"How about we stay in bed a bit longer?" She suggested, nuzzling into the thick fur on his chest. " _Your Majesty_."

With a deep, exhausted chuckle, Caesar reached for the pelt Lydia usually slept with and covered them both with it as best he could without moving around too much.

"Let us do that." He replied, only for a roguish smirk to appear on his face, unbeknownst to Lydia. " _My Queen._ "

His gravelly laugh filled the air as she gave a playful, yet slightly irate smack to his arm, his only means of retaliation being the tightening of his embrace.

* * *

 _ **Ivy**_

With her eyes still closed, Ivy felt more than heard Orion crawl back into the nest, having left to tend to the small fire they had kept burning through the night to keep the hut warm and pleasant. The soft bedding dipped beside her under his weight, and Ivy shivered involuntarily as he pulled the large bearskin aside to join her underneath it.

"Sorry." He said softly, scooting up and embracing her from behind. "I did not mean to wake you."

His words were accompanied by a gentle kiss to the shell of her ear, and Ivy found herself shivering again – this time for an entirely different reason.

"It is okay. I was awake already." She admitted, though she knew her voice must have betrayed her words, sounding groggy and thick with sleep. Truly, it was way too early for either of them to not be sleeping, in her opinion.

And sure enough, a disbelieving huff sounded behind her, the rush of air tickling the fur around her ear.

"Why do I not believe that?" He said, voice dripping with sarcasm. Ivy could easily picture the smirk playing on his lips, as well as feel his eyes studying her as he shifted onto his elbow to lean over her form.

The arm he had wrapped around her midsection when first getting back into the nest now moved backwards and his fingers began tracing her flank ever so gently, the threat of a tickle just beneath the surface.

The act alone made her giggle softly and crack open an eye to give him a sideways glance.

"Would I lie to you?" She asked, as innocently as she could manage, knowing he couldn't resist the look in her emerald green eyes as their fire's light reflected in them.

He shrugged behind her.

"Maybe to make me feel better?" Orion suggested in return, heavy brow raised at her. "For waking you up?"

Now it was Ivy's turn to huff in disbelief, turning her head fully to catch Orion's gaze with a deadpan stare of her own.

"I have other ways to do that." She spoke bluntly before catching him off-guard with a sudden, passionate kiss.

The smug smile she saw on his face as she pulled back told Ivy that, despite his initial surprise at her move, it was exactly what he had wanted to achieve all along.

"You do." He agreed with a warm, almost heady look in his eyes which made Ivy's spine tingle.

At this point, turning her head over her shoulder was beginning to hurt her neck, and so Ivy moved to lie on her back instead, a hand resting daintily against his chest as Orion went about running his muzzle down the side of her face in a teasing manner. Meanwhile, his free hand travelled down her side, dragging, hot and heavy until it reached her hip, where he proceeded to squeeze and hold her in place.

Oh, if others knew how endearingly mischievous – even downright _naughty_ – he could be sometimes… How he, with a few spoken words or even a simple look, could play her exactly how he wanted, sometimes without either of them even realising it.

Then again, Ivy wasn't sure she would even _want_ anyone else to know after all. She quite enjoyed having this side of him all to herself.

But this morning, before anything along _those_ lines would be taking place, Ivy had something she wanted to share. Something that had happened. Something she had kept from him, and which had been sitting there, at the tip of her tongue, ready to burst out, ever since.

Here goes nothing…

"Can I tell you something?" Ivy spoke, her sentence cut short by a sigh as he nipped at her neck. "It's a secret."

"Of course." He replied lowly – distractedly – as he drew a slow breath, taking in her scent.

Chuckling, she let the hand on his chest trail up to settle at his jaw and raised her head so that her cheek rested against his own. Closing her eyes in preparation, Ivy let excitement fill her heart as she told him her secret – one she had held on to, waiting for a moment just like this one, private and intimate, to tell only to her mate.

And at this rate, she had to tell him now before she was completely lost in his touch.

"I am with child." She whispered against his ear, simple, soft and light.

It was like the air itself stilled inside their hut as she spoke those words, the sound of the crackling fire and the early birds' chirping outside seemingly vanishing in an instant.

Orion's soothing hand immediately halted its venture along her hip, and he pulled his head back to stare down at her with wide, green eyes full of surprise.

"You… You are what?" He asked, clearly dumbfounded and Ivy resisted the urge to roll her eyes at him. It was not a state Orion was found in very often and had the moment not been such an intimate, vulnerable one, she might have given him grief for it.

Instead, with a patient smile, she took gentle hold of the hand still resting on her hip. Orion followed the move as she then moved it to lie flatly against her stomach, keeping it there even after his gaze had returned to her face.

The stare she regarded him with left no room for interpretation.

"With child, Orion." She repeated and squeezed his hand for good measure. "Our child."

Comprehension came slowly to him, though when it finally did, the smile that stretched across his face, the spark that lit up his eyes, made Ivy's heart ache with fondness and joy.

"You mean it?" He asked, and she couldn't help but chuckle at his tone, so gentle and hopeful as his gaze once again went down to the hand on top of her belly, which he caressed with something close to reverence now.

"Would I lie to you?" She asked for the second time that morning and kissed the crown of his head. She doubted she could make him look up at her at the moment, what with his fond stare so utterly transfixed on her midsection – it was a wonder he was even able to answer her, really.

"How long?" Came his voice, nothing more than a soft whisper, and Ivy shook her head, though she doubted he actually saw it.

"Not too long yet. I visited Sparrow two days ago, remember that morning I felt unwell?"

Finally looking up at her, slight concern marring his face as he remembered, Orion nodded.

"She said it is still very new." Ivy continued, reaching up to cup his cheek. "That we will be parents by summer."

That little piece of information, spoken not as a possibility, but as a fact, seemed to knock the breath out of Orion's lungs, forcing him to release a breathless gasp of elation.

"Ivy…"

Suddenly, he was looming over her, one arm cradling her around the shoulders and the other reaching up cup her cheek in his large hand as he drew her into a passionate lip-lock. She was helpless to resist – not that she would have ever wanted to – and melted beneath him.

She hadn't feared telling him at all. They had discussed the topic plenty of times and she knew he would be overjoyed at such news – but she truly hadn't expected this, such a pure, undiluted happiness and the absolute passion it had brought with it. Passion Orion was currently expressing through deep kisses and tender caresses.

Their intimate celebration didn't last long though, as the quiet atmosphere of early morning was suddenly pierced by a loud, excited-sounding voice.

"Brother!" It came from beyond the entrance to their home, soon followed by a series of hurried steps and an urgent series of knocks on their wooden door. "Brother! Are you awake?"

Before either of the two could think to answer, much less untangle from each other's embrace, the door was pushed open to reveal none other than Cornelius.

Still cradled in Orion's loving embrace, Ivy could do nothing more than shake her head at their predicament. Of course it was Cornelius. Who other than the young Ape Prince would come knocking at their door before the sun had even risen, yelling 'brother' at the top of his lungs?

She just hoped their neighbours hadn't been disturbed too much – not to mention the rest of the village. After all, the sun was barely peeking past the horizon.

The Ape Prince stopped in the doorway and stared at the two adults, nose wrinkled at the sight. Ivy couldn't quite tell if the expression was from confusion, childlike disgust or simply exasperation – maybe a mix of all three?

"You two are worse than Mother and Father." He stated matter-of-factly, rolling his green eyes.

 _Yep, definitely all three_ , Ivy thought amusedly. Well… It _was_ a rather compromising position he had found them in – and no doubt would they have taken it further, had he not barged in when he did.

"Are you done?" Cornelius spoke impatiently, still standing at the door with one hand on the handle. "You promised we would go fish today, remember? Don't say you forgot."

Above her, Orion wore an expression of equal parts exasperation and mortification before he closed his eyes to compose himself and sighed at his younger brother.

"I did, actually." He said truthfully, making Cornelius shoot him a disapproving pout that only a five-year-old ape could muster. "But I am coming now. I keep my promises, do not worry."

The Ape Prince's expression brightened instantly as Orion got up and made to leave the nest, leaving Ivy to stare fondly at the two from underneath the warmth and comfort of the bearskin.

"Oh, and Mother told to say hello from her." The Ape Prince added, more as an afterthought than anything else before darting back out the door, Orion making to follow him, albeit at a slower pace, before Ivy reached out and grabbed his hand.

"Speaking of your mother." She spoke lowly, so that Cornelius wouldn't accidentally hear. "Please do not tell anyone yet. I want to tell our family together… And see their faces."

It wasn't like she thought that Orion would deliberately just run off and tell everyone before Ivy had a chance to, but it didn't hurt to tell him, she figured. His reaction to her telling him the news had been precious to Ivy and now, all that was left was to tell the rest of their family – Mother, Father, Lydia, Caesar, Cornelius and everyone else – and she wanted to be there for it.

"Of course." He agreed with a soft look in his eyes, nodding. "I promise."

"Good. Just do not forget that you did." Ivy replied teasingly and winked at her mate before settling back against the softness of their nest. "Now, go have fun with your brother."


	84. Brotherly Bonding

To say that Orion was distracted this morning was a gross understatement. The news Ivy had given him that morning bounced around inside his head and kept pulling his attention away from Cornelius and what he had wanted to show him. He felt rather guilty because of it. After all, he had _promised_ to go fishing with him this morning, and he had just plain-out forgotten. More than that, he had actually not wanted to go at all after what Ivy had told him, suddenly finding the prospect of a lazy, intimate morning with his mate far more interesting than any other social interaction, promised or not.

It wasn't like he didn't want to spend time with Cornelius in general, however. In fact, the two of them would sometimes spend most of the day together. No, his little brother simply had a strange knack for interrupting at just the wrong moments in a conversation, much like he had done today. All the same, Orion still very much enjoyed the time he spent with his little brother and cherished every chance he got to teach him something new.

Would it be the same with his child? Would he teach them how to fish? How to hunt? Would they want to learn? Would they take to it easily, or struggle? Goodness knows he had struggled with fishing at first, though his father's patience when teaching him had rivalled even Maurice's. Orion hoped he could be just as patient as his father – goodness knows practicing with a lively and at times impatient Cornelius was sometimes a test in and of itself.

Orion shook his head. There he went again, pulling himself away from the task at hand.

He hoisted the quiver further up onto his shoulder, and the arrows clattered together in response.

Cornelius eyed them with obvious curiosity as they trudged further down the bank of the huge lake. The one down the hill from the ape village. They were going towards a small inlet not far from their home, where a wide creek flowed from the mountains and into the lake and where Orion knew from experience that the fish liked to gather.

"I didn't know you could fish with bow and arrow, Brother." Cornelius said, admiration in his voice.

Orion squared his shoulders.

"Did I not tell you I can fish in every way there is?" He shot back teasingly. Crawling over a fallen log, Orion extended his arm for Cornelius to grab with both hands, and the Ape Prince used it to playfully swing himself over the obstacle in much the same way he would swing from a branch in a tree. He landed with a dull thump on the ground.

"You did. And you promised to teach me all of them, too!" Cornelius reminded him with an eager smile, to which Orion responded with a nod and a laugh.

Today's lesson would indeed include bow-fishing, a technique the apes had taught themselves shortly before leaving their old home, back when they had first begun making their own bows to fight the soldiers. It was a difficult technique to master, but it had the advantage of not having to wait for the fish to swim within striking-range, such as was the case with a spear.  
Now, Orion would readily admit that he wasn't as proficient with a bow and arrow as, say, Ivy and Mother. He much preferred his trusty old fishing spear, light and thin in his hand. Nonetheless, he liked to believe he was versatile enough to be able to teach Cornelius all the different fishing techniques the apes had at their disposal, be it with a spear, bow or net.

 _And perhaps I can also teach him some much-needed patience while we are at it_ , Orion thought with mild amusement as they came upon their destination.

The waters of the creek flowed along steadily, not at all rushing and foaming like the river back in the forest had been most of the time. Though wide, it wasn't deep, and only reached up to just below Orion's navel at the very centre. Cornelius would probably have a hard time at that depth, however. While slightly bigger than most of his peers – taking after Caesar in that regard, Orion assumed – fishing in water that reached just past one's ribs wasn't ideal for anyone.  
Luckily, they weren't going to be standing in the water all that much today.

"Come," Orion called while pointing to some partially submerged boulders of differing sizes and shapes. Most of them were spaced rather nicely from each other halfway across the creek, around jumping-distance, and were most likely the result of a long-past landslide. "We will start at the top of those rocks. They will give us a good view of the water."

"To spot the fish?"

"Exactly."

They came up on the boulders, Orion dropping the weighted net he carried over his other shoulder, opposite the strap for the quiver. He would leave that on the bank for now and, if the bow-fishing lesson went well, they would move to the lake itself and try a few throws.

"Now, we are going to jump out to the rocks near the middle of the water." He explained as he folded the net so it wouldn't be tangled when they would actually need it. "Just make sure to- CORNELIUS!"

"What?" Came the confused reply as he turned around to face Orion. He had already jumped to the third boulder from the bank, not at all waiting for instructions, as per usual.

Orion reached up to rub the flat bridge of his nose in frustration.

"What did we talk about before coming out here? You must listen before you act." He said as he made his way towards the boulders as well, bows in one hand and quiver still on his back. "These rocks may be slippery. What if you fell and hurt yourself? Hit your head or cut something on a sharp edge?"

He did his best to keep anger and fright out of his voice, while still trying to convey the severity of the situation. Cornelius looked slightly embarrassed, but also somewhat… defiant?

"But why are we doing it like this if it's dangerous? I can listen all day, and I might still fall and get hurt." He responded cleverly, crouching down on his haunches and leaning his long arms on his knees. His eyes were large and curious as they waited for Orion's reply.

"Hunting is dangerous as well, but we must do it to eat." The older ape responded calmly. "Most things in life involves risk, and most apes tend to focus on the big ones. Like a mountain lion lying in wait or a flame outside the firepit. But small things can hurt you just as easily, if you are not aware of them. That is why I need you to listen. And why you need to tell me before doing something."

"And if I still fall?" Cornelius said, and Orion could tell that he was subtly testing the surface he was standing on with his toes.

"Then, I will catch you." Orion said with confidence. "On a hunt, each ape knows the others' positions. That way, they can help each other if something goes wrong. It is the same when fishing. We both need to know what the other is doing, because it is the only way we can help each other if something goes wrong."

"I understand, Brother." Cornelius said with an apologetic smile. "Sorry for rushing."

"All is well, Brother. Now," Orion replied with a smile before he leapt forward, landing on the rock beside Cornelius' own. The younger ape gaped at him, clearly impressed with the distance Orion had been able to leap, which was still too great for him to be able to copy – for now. "Let us see if we can catch some fish, hm?"

Cornelius nodded eagerly, getting up from his crouching position to follow Orion as they carefully leapt from one boulder to the other. Emboldened by the look of admiration on his little brother's face, Orion tried to remind himself not to get too cocky and actually follow his own advice. It would do that he fell and hurt himself just because he liked to impress his little brother with his knowledge and prowess, no matter how nice it was to be looked at with such idolising eyes.

 _Will my child look at me like that as well?_ Orion wondered, but quickly caught himself and shoved the thought to the back of his mind once more. Now was not the time for such pondering. He might be one of the best fishers in the colony – Rocket's words, not his own – but if he didn't focus, no amount of skill or experience would help him pass on his knowledge to his little brother, much less help him actually catch something in the first place.

When they had found a suitable spot, Orion handed Cornelius one of the bows and one arrow with a thin rope attached to the end. The younger ape tested the string of his bow and put the arrow in place, though he kept it loose as he readies himself, copying Orion's stance.

"Now you must observe. Have patience. Find a comfortable stance and focus on staying completely still." Orion instructed and watched as Cornelius nodded dutifully.

It took a long time for the fish to gather after the two apes had found their places, not that Orion minded in the slightest. He had grown to enjoy the peace and quiet required for fishing, and the opportunity to simply observe the beauty of the nature that surrounded him. The sun rising over ice-capped mountaintops, and rolling hills dotted with patches of forest. The songs of various kinds if birds and the

"Brother…!" Cornelius whispered beside him, excitement clear in his voice. "I see one!"

Orion followed the point of Cornelius' arrow as he slowly aligned it in the air, nodding with approval at how careful his brother was with his movements so as to not startle the fish.

"Good. It seems a decent sized one." He answered as he spotted the fish just a few paces ahead, swimming unsuspectingly near the shallow of the creek. "Make sure your aim is true. Breathe."

Cornelius had used a bow and arrow before. Mother had trained him herself, Orion knew, but it didn't hurt to remind him to keep his focus. It wouldn't do to get overly excited just yet.

With a whoosh, Cornelius's arrow shot through the air and for a split-second, Orion actually thought it was going to hit its mark. On the first try – that would've been amazing! Unheard of, even.

But even the Ape Prince wouldn't succeed at everything he touched, and the arrow missed the fish by a mere inch or so, startling it. Around it, other fish sped away as well, leaving the clear water seemingly void of life once more.

"That was so close!" Cornelius said and to Orion's surprise, his voice maintained the excitement from before, not a trace of disappointment or frustration to be found. That, to him, was more impressive than the fact that the arrow had missed the fish by little more than an inch.

 _This is the kind of thing I will look forward to as a father_ , he thought, _seeing my child like this, excited even for the small victories._

"I will try it again!" Cornelius exclaimed and pulled in the arrow he had just shot at the fish. It stuck to the bed of the creek at first but relented after a good yank or two from the Ape Prince. He pulled the arrow all the way back through the water by means of the string, laughing heartily once he grabbed hold of it and raised it to reveal a huge, rather pathetic-looking lump of mud and entangled grass, the mass, thick and rather gross, dripping slowly back into the water. Orion laughed too at the sight.

"Quite a catch, Brother." He said humorously and continued to look on as Cornelius carefully dislodged the lump from the tip of his arrow. It took a while, the Ape Prince being a meticulous sort, but as soon as he had all the bits and pieces of filth removed and thrown it towards the bank of the creek, he returned his attention to Orion once more.

He seemed surprised to find the older ape still watching him with such interest.

"Why do you look like that?"

Orion frowned.

"Like what?"

"I don't know." Cornelius said with a shrug, putting his arrow against the bow as he prepared to take another stance. "You seem… different today. Happy but… weird happy."

The Ape Prince grimaced at the word 'weird', probably unaccustomed to using it, but lacking an alternative.

"I am just proud, that is all." Orion said, hoping the smile he offered his little brother seemed genuine enough for him to believe it. "You are learning quickly and making good progress already."

The raised brow that Cornelius sent his way told Orion that he wasn't convinced for a moment, but it seemed like he chose to let it slide for now as he gave a shrug and turned towards the water once more.

"If you say so." He said, and Orion very nearly drew a sigh of relief.

So, his little brother could tell he was distracted. Perhaps he was more perceptive than Orion initially gave him credit for. Either that, or Orion was being really, really obvious. Then again, he wouldn't be surprised if either was true. This was, after all, Caesar's son, and Orion would readily admit that the news of him becoming a father were hard to put aside, even for a moment. Still, it would seem like he would just have to try harder if he didn't want Cornelius to become even more suspicious of his behaviour. Goodness knows the Ape Prince was persistent when he caught the scent of something.

The lesson went on for the entire morning, spilling into early midday. Time and time again, Cornelius tried, more often than not coming out with nothing more than clots of wet dirt and grass at the tip of his arrow rather than a fish, though it didn't seem to dampen his spirits one bit. The one time he did manage to make a catch, the fish was barely of a size fit for eating, but Orion assured him that they would keep it anyway. It could still be used and being pierced through, it was dead either way. He also managed to catch some fish himself, all five of them of a decent size, so at least there was that. Orion, however, did also fail quite a few times, though he didn't know if he was simply out of practice when it came to this particular technique or if it was due to his distraction in general. Either way, he figured it was a good way to remind Cornelius of the fact that no matter your skill-level, there's always a chance you will fail. It was a good thing to have in mind, Orion figured, even though Cornelius really wasn't the type of ape child to become overconfident of himself in the face of too much success.

Then, as the sun stood highest on the clear sky above, Cornelius had a stroke of luck – or was it the first trace of skill? Orion would never know.

The arrow zoomed through the air and pierced the water with deadly speed and precision, and a barrage of splashes ensued as the fish Cornelius had caught made a few feeble attempts at escaping. The excitement was obvious in Cornelius' green eyes as he pulled in his catch, and they positively gleamed as he dragged the fish out of the water to reveal its size.

Orion gaped, impressed. It was a massive one, alright! Fat and still-writhing on the arrow in Cornelius' hand.

He looked triumphantly up at Orion and showcased his prize.

"Look at that, Brother! I did it! I finally caught a big one!" He exclaimed and nearly slipped off the rock he was standing on after doing what Orion could only describe as a victory-jump. He quickly straightened himself again, now with a hint of sheepishness added to his excitement.

Orion chose to let it slide, smiling big at his little brother.

"That one is bigger than anything we have caught today, Brother! I am very impressed! Just wait until Mother and Caesar sees it."

He was sure they would both be just as impressed as he was with this catch. Honestly, Orion was surprised that the younger ape managed to reel it in at all. Even now, the fish was still twisting and writhing on the arrow, though it was getting less and less erratic as time passed.

"Does this mean I'm already getting better at fishing than you?" Cornelius then asked in a teasing manner as Orion put the fish into the satchel where they kept their catches, which he then swung back over his shoulder. He couldn't help but burst out laughing at the friendly jab at his pride.

"Do not get ahead of yourself, Cornelius. Ask me again when you have caught more fish than me."

"Mother always says 'quality over… quanitity…? Qua-quarili…' – bigger fish is better than more fish!"

Another bout of laughter erupted from Orion's chest. Oh, he had definitely heard their mother say something along those lines, but he had never expected Cornelius to know what it meant at such a young age, much less be able to use it as a counter-argument. He could only marvel at how fast his little brother was growing up. It seemed only yesterday that he had been a small infant ape, only just beginning to grasp basic sign language.  
He smiled and looked fondly down at his defiant pout. The Ape Prince had come such a long way since then, now that Orion thought about it.

 _If my child becomes just half as gifted as Cornelius, I shall be a very proud and happy father_ , he found himself thinking, realising only too late that he was going down that road once more and that this time, Cornelius had would definitely not let it go that easily. The curious spark in his eyes told Orion as much…

"You have that look on your face again." The Ape Prince pointed out, catching the older ape off-guard for a moment.

"I really do not know what you mean by that, Brother." Orion said dismissively, giving a huff of laughter that was meant to sound easy-going, but ended up sounding rather guilty instead.

Of course Cornelius caught on to that as well. He was Caesar's child through and through.

"I look the same as I do every day." Orion tried again and nearly winced at how poor an act he was putting up. Well, Mother had always said he was bad at lying.

Sure enough, Cornelius narrowed his eyes suspiciously, not at all believing it for a minute.

"No, I'm sure." He replied. "There is something different today."

"Perhaps you can keep thinking on that while we continue fishing?" The older ape tried again, his attempt on taking on the voice of a stern teacher failing miserably. "Unless you want to return to the village with only two fish."

Unsurprisingly, neither the stern-teacher-act or the challenge worked to deter Cornelius.

"You have a secret." He stated, and another triumphant grin appeared on his face. "What is it? Tell me!"

 _Okay, I take that thing from before back_ , Orion thought. _If my child becomes even half as gifted as Cornelius, I will probably go as bald as Bad Ape from sheer frustration!_

"If I told you, it would not be a secret anymore." Orion pointed out evasively. Really, there was no point in trying to deny it at this point. He would just dig himself into an even deeper hole – best thing he could do now was… what did Mother call it? damage control? "Now try to be quiet. You are scaring the fish away."

"It would be!" Cornelius insisted, completely ignoring Orion's admonishing. "If you don't tell anyone else, it would still be a secret. I can keep it, Brother! I promise!"

He most definitely could not, Orion knew. It's not that he didn't trust his little brother. In fact, Orion knew for certain that Cornelius was far better at keeping secrets than he had ever been, especially at that age. It was just that _neither_ of them was particularly good at keeping secrets from Mother. She was better at sniffing out odd behaviour in her children than their dogs were at sniffing out rabbits in the forest.

"I cannot tell you. I promised Ivy not to tell anyone." He said. At least that wasn't lie.

And yet Cornelius frowned.

"You have a secret with Ivy but not with me?"

 _Shit…_

"Ivy is my mate. Of course I talk with her about things I do not talk about with you." He tried to salvage it, hoping that Cornelius would at least understand that. "And it is a topic for adults anyway. It would not interest you."

But either he was simply too young to do so, or he simply chose not to. Either way, he persisted, leaning over from his rock and right into Orion's face with a deep frown that the older ape could swear was identical to that of the Ape King himself. It was almost scary to witness, really.

"That's just an excuse not to tell me." He said, arms crossed. "Come on! Just tell me! I'm big enough to know about adult secrets!"

Then, as he leaned forward even further, the frown on Cornelius' face was quickly replaced with one of surprise and horror. Orion had only a fraction of a second to react as his brother fell forward into his chest, having overbalanced on the rock he stood on and slipped.

Screeching in unison, the two of them fell into the water with a splash, the last thing Orion saw being Cornelius' look of instant regret, framed by the clear blue sky above as the older ape fell backwards.


	85. Brothers Have No Secrets

_**Lydia**_

Lydia looked on in a mixture of surprise and amusement as she watched her two sons walk back into the village from their fishing trip, both completely drenched. Beside her, Caesar let out a low, warm chuckle.

"What happened?" Lydia asked, barely able to contain a snort of laughter at Orion's pointed look towards Cornelius. "I thought you were supposed to catch the fish, not take swimming lessons from them?"  
Maurice, who Lydia and Caesar had been engaged in pleasant conversation with when the pair arrived home, rumbled amusedly, his hulking form shaking ever so slightly from it.

Black fur hung from both apes' bodies in glossy, wet tresses from which water still dripped, leaving a trail of wet dots behind them wherever the two walked. When they finally reached Lydia, Caesar and Maurice at the centre of the village, a puddle quickly appeared beneath both of them.

Neither of them said anything at first, Cornelius simply fiddling with the bows and arrows he had been made to carry, while Orion hoisted the rope, net and satchel for the fish further up onto his shoulder. She noticed that the latter was completely soaked through as well.

Lydia peered at Caesar out of the corner of her eye to find him with his arms folded over his chest and staring expectantly down at Cornelius. There was still an obvious hint of amusement of his face, as well as curiosity, though Lydia could tell that he was trying very hard to school his features in case a scolding would be necessary.

"Well?" He said with a raised brow. "What happened?"

Cornelius sucked in his bottom lip, looking sheepish.

"We slipped and fell into the water."

Both Lydia and Caesar looked to Orion immediately for verification, only to find him shooting an exasperated look down at Cornelius and crossing his arms. He then looked back up at the pair, but only managed to open his mouth in an attempt to explain himself before Cornelius shook his entire body, not quite unlike a wet dog would, forcing his older brother to unfold his arms once more and lift them up in an attempt to shield himself from the droplets. When the shaking had finally stopped and Orion lowered his arms once more, he and Cornelius sent a dirty look to one another, the latter sticking his tongue out.

Caesar and Lydia shared a brief look with one another. Ah, the wonders of brotherly love.

"Yes," Lydia took over from her mate. "I think that's quite obvious to everyone, Cornelius. What we're getting at is _why_. I assume you got distracted and didn't heed Orion's advice? About being careful around water?"

She knew that would get a reaction out of him. After years of raising these two, Lydia had learned what worked and what didn't with either. Orion had always been bad at dancing around the truth and had never been all that mischievous as a child. Cornelius, on the other hand, while never ever actually malicious in his intent, had a knack for getting into trouble, mostly brought on by insatiable curiosity, a trait Lydia had come to learn that he had inherited from his father.

And so, when her boys did find themselves in a mishap, nine out of ten times it had been because Cornelius had either been distracted, mischievous or downright bored. And yet, it always managed to slightly irk Cornelius when it was assumed that he was the one responsible.

It turned out to be a great way to wiggle the truth from him, though.

"Why do you think _I_ did something? What if _Orion_ forgot to tell me?" Cornelius said with a pout, looking to his father for support.

Unsurprisingly, he found none. Like Lydia, Caesar was, thankfully, well aware of his son's antics, as well as Orion's responsible nature. In fact, the two had developed a very close friendship, of which Lydia was glad.

"Is that what happened?" Caesar asked. It was obvious from his tone that he didn't believe for a second that it was. Besides, they way Cornelius began to avert his gaze and shuffle his feet only served to confirm that it wasn't.

"…No." He said. "We were arguing, and I fell onto Orion… And we lost all the fish we caught, too…"

At this point, some of the colony's other members had started congregating around the group, among them Rocket, Tinker and Shale.

Lydia and Caesar both frowned at Cornelius' phrasing, and even Maurice rumbled in confusion.

"You were arguing so much that you fell? Am I to understand that you two got into a fight?" She had a hard time believing that. Sure, Orion and Cornelius bickered from time to time, as brothers do, but Lydia had never imagined that her boys would ever get physical. With Orion being so mature and mild-mannered, and Cornelius usually acting as peacemaker among his peers, it was hard to picture how these two apes in particular could ever get into a tussle with one another.

A sigh of relief barely managed to escape Lydia when both apes shook their heads in unison.

"No, no. I leaned over and lost balance." Cornelius was quick to say while making a vain attempt to smoothen down the fur that now looked tussled after he had shaken the water out of it. It stuck out to all sides on his entire body, making him look like a wet, angry cat trying to raise its hackles.

"Then why-?"

"Because Brother has a secret, but he won't tell me what it is!" Cornelius interrupted her, folding his arms over his chest. It did nothing to make his appearance less comedic. Orion's eyes widened and his face, rosy just moments ago from the chilly air, suddenly turned pale. He reached up to pinch the flat bridge of his nose in obvious annoyance. He looked like he half-expected her to round on him and begin digging for information, though both Lydia and Caesar ignored his aggravation for the time being.

"And why do you think he should tell you?" Caesar asked, perplexed.

"Because he's already told Ivy. It's not fair."

"Son, that's what a secret is about. You don't tell everyone. Otherwise, it's not a secret." He reminded him, amusement back on his greying face. Cornelius didn't seem to find any of this all that funny. In fact, he seemed rather frustrated at the fact that nobody seemed to see things from his point of view – which, Lydia would grant, was rather understandable.

"But we're brothers!" He argued, kicking the dirt while still having his arms crossed. "Brothers don't have secrets!"

To call this a tantrum was a gross overstatement, as Cornelius seemed more annoyed and indignant overall rather than angry.

Just then, almost as if the mere mention of her name had summoned her, Ivy appeared, walking through what was now a small gathering, her mother Juniper and Lake in tow, along with a few other females. Seems like they had just come back from stowing away what they had gathered on their foraging trip that day. The moment she laid eyes on Orion and Cornelius her green eyes widened in surprise, and she rushed to the elder ape's side to take hold of his arm. Ivy quickly recoiled, however, when her skin came into contact with Orion's wet fur, no doubt freezingly cold to the touch.

"What happened?" She demanded with a furrowed brow as she looked from one to the other.

Lydia raised an impressed brow at the way her daughter-in-law seemed to immediately invoke respect in the two brothers. Both got a sheepish look on their faces and looked between each other as Ivy stood in front of them with her hands now resting on her hips. Her emerald stare demanded they give an answer and the twist of her mouth only grew more severe the longer the two remained silent, obviously weighing their words very carefully.

It wasn't so surprising when it came to Orion. Any sensible male receiving a look like that from his mate knew immediately not to aggravate her further. No, what was surprising was that _Cornelius_ fell in line just as quickly, completely forgetting about his tirade for the time being. Then again, Lydia couldn't remember Cornelius being on the receiving end of that stare. Perhaps that was a sobering experience for the 5-year-old ape?

Orion was the first to regain his voice, shoulders slumping, and hands raised in an appeasing manner as he spoke.

"We just had a disagreement and fell in the water while fishing. Do not worry, Ivy."

"Do not try to brush it off, Orion." Ivy said with a certain firmness in her voice. "You go out to fish and I come back to the two of you surrounded by half of the village and looking like you tried to drown each other. What is so important that neither of you have gone inside to get dry the moment you came back? You will both get sick in this cold!"

Out of the corner of her eye, Lydia saw Caesar and Rocket share knowing glances, and she barely managed to withhold a chuckle at their expressions. Not for the first time, she found herself thinking that some things simply transcended species. And seeing as neither of them seemed to get tangled up in this, Lydia decided to

"It's only because you and Orion are keeping secrets!" Cornelius accused, causing Orion to cover his face with his entire palm now. Seems like even Ivy's stern eyes couldn't dissuade him from seeking the truth. As always, her youngest was as persistent as they come.

And after a second or two of utter confusion showing on Ivy's face as she stared down at the young Ape Prince, realisation seemed to dawn on her.

"What makes you think we are keeping secrets, Cornelius?" She said once she had regained her composure, to which Cornelius rolled his eyes as if to say that was a ridiculous question.

" _Everyone_ knows Orion is bad at lying." He pointed out, earning himself a half-hearted look of offence from his older brother as well as a few, scattered chuckles from the gathered apes. "He has been acting strange all morning. Not listening, smiling at nothing and avoiding it when I ask about it. Then, when I tell him I know he's keeping a secret, he still won't talk about it and said Ivy told him not to tell!"

At this point, Lydia decided to finally intervene.

"People have the right to keep their secrets, Cornelius. You can't force someone to tell it if they'd rather not. Not even if you're family." She explained and laughed along with a few others, though the gears in Lydia's head had started turning now, tentatively putting the pieces together, one by one.

So, Ivy had a secret together with Orion that she had asked him not to tell anyone about. Well, that could be a number of things, really, and Lydia didn't want to assume. Goodness only knows how many secrets a couple can have together. Things only meant to stay between the two. She cast a sideways glance at Caesar, biting her lip. The first two years of their relationship had been like that, after all. And so far, neither of them had ever spoken to anyone else about how she might one day end up unable to speak, just like Nova. It obviously hadn't happened as of yet, and hopefully, it never would. In fact, at this point, Lydia was pretty certain she had developed a sort of immunity to it but even then, the threat always loomed in the back of her mind. The virus could change again, after all.  
So, yes, there might be several things that her son and daughter-in-law could want to keep a secret. For all Lydia knew, Ivy might be crafting yet another gift for a family member, as she had a habit of doing from time to time. There was also the possibility that she might be sick, which Lydia didn't even want to consider…

Besides, if Orion had seemed _happy_ about it… Could it be? That Ivy was? No, she shouldn't make assumptions like that. Then again, it was natural at their age to-. _No, Lydia_ , she thought, nearly shaking her head at herself. _Don't start making up theories. It might not even be what you think._

 _But what else could it be, then?_ Another voice echoed inside her head.

Still standing beside Orion, Cornelius gave a pout.

"I still think it's unfair. And now everyone knows they have a secret, so why still keep it?" He said in an exasperated manner.

"And who's fault is it that everyone knows, hm?" Orion asked pointedly as he once again hoisted the rope, net and satchel up onto his shoulder from which they had been slipping. A triumphant look appeared on Cornelius' face then as he pointed a finger at Orion's chest.

"Ha! So you admit that it _is_ true?"

The sigh and subsequent slump of his shoulder that Orion did just then was nothing short of defeated.

"When will you let this go?!" He asked, more exasperated than ever now. He seemed about at the end of his rope and Lydia honestly couldn't blame him. Even she was surprised at Cornelius' persistence on this matter.

"When you tell me. You always told me that brothers shouldn't keep secrets from each other." The young prince pointed out yet again, and this time Lydia noticed that Orion did look sort of guilty at those words. She guessed that he had probably said it to Cornelius at one point or another to make him talk about why he was upset or something along those lines, though now it seemed that technique was coming back to bit him royally in the butt.

Luckily, in that moment, Ivy decided to speak up.

"Well... Everyone seems to be here… And since you are so _bad_ at keeping things a secret" She paused, casting a sideways glance at Cornelius "… Perhaps we might as well…?"

Distracted, Orion looked around at the surrounding crowd to confirm that what she said was true, and then turned to Ivy with tentative, questioning eyes, almost as if to ask if she was completely sure she wanted to do this. All she did was smile encouragingly, and if Lydia's curiosity hadn't been piqued before, it was safe to say that it _definitely_ was now. Could it be? That what that they had agreed to keep to themselves was…?

A smile of his own slowly stretched across Orion's face as he looked down at Ivy, and Lydia saw how his entire posture straightened and his shoulders squared as his mate took his arm.

Ivy didn't seem to know who to look at as she prepared to speak. One moment she was looking at Lake, the next at Juniper, Lydia, Shale, Caesar, Maurice, Juniper again, then Lydia, all while chewing on her bottom lip. It took a while before she finally decided to simply look up at Orion with eyes full of adoration, hugging his arm closer despite the cold, wet fur.

"We are going to be parents." She finally said, and the smile on Orion's face broadened in response to the words. Then, after a second or two, the pair turned their gazes back towards the gathering, anticipation and just a tiny hint of anxiety in their expressions.

Now, an ape couple telling their relatives that they were expecting a child was just about as big of a deal as it had been for humans, which quickly became apparent when, after a few moments of complete silence as comprehension settled in, the sound of excited huffs and hoots filled the air. The first one to react was, perhaps unsurprisingly, Juniper, who clasped her hands together in front of her mouth and, with already-moist eyes and a soft smile on her face, approached her daughter. At seeing this, Ivy began to tear up as well and disentangled from Orion's arm to lay her forehead against Juniper's.

Lydia, for a while, simply stood still and watched as Shale came over to embrace his daughter, then laid a hand on Orion's shoulder and, with a proud nod, congratulated him. She let out an almost inaudible giggle when she saw the tips of Orion's ears redden ever so slightly, but he nodded back at Shale in thanks all the same.

Lydia stepped forward just as Shale turned back to his daughter and wife, needing only a step or two before she was right in front of Orion with a broad smile on her face and pride blooming in her chest.

And there it was. That unmistakable twinkle of excitement, joy and pride in his eyes. How had she not noticed it before? Sure, she hadn't seen him that day up until the boys came home from their trip, but with all this talk of secrets, Lydia was surprised that she hadn't seen it. Hadn't guessed it.

She could already tell that fatherhood would suit him very well.

Lydia hugged her eldest son fiercely, though she didn't immediately feel his arms close around her to reciprocate it. Instead, they seemed to hover awkwardly in the air a few inches away from her.

"Mother, your clothes will get wet." He said, though Lydia honestly couldn't care any less about that right now. How could she? She had just been told that her son was going to have a child. She was going to be a grandmother, for crying out loud!

"If you think a bit of wet fur will stop me from properly congratulating my son, think again." She responded and squeezed him even tighter to proof her point, to which Orion finally decided to give in and hug her back, closing his arms around her in a great, somewhat wet bear hug.

Lydia immediately shivered in his hold.

"Brrrrrh!" The chill of the winter air seemed to cling to his damp fur and quickly seeped into her clothes, despite their thickness.

"I did warn you." Orion pointed out as a few, scattered huffs of laughter could be heard, most notably the deep, easily recognizable rumble of Caesar, as well as Ivy's light, easy-going giggle.

"Still don't care." She answered into his fur, clutching at his back for just a moment longer before finally letting go and allowing Maurice to approach him next. In the meantime, Lydia looked down at her clothes to assess the state of them, discovering, perhaps unsurprisingly, that her entire front was covered in a large, damp patch now. Well, what was another change of clothes compared to being able to hug her son on such an important occasion?

"Congratulations to you both." Caesar said warmly as Lydia went to give Ivy a hug next. The young female seemed to care even less about the state of Lydia's clothes than she did, and instantly reciprocated the hug. The Ape King had come forth and now stood together with Cornelius, a large hand on his son's shoulder. The Prince himself, while definitely looking happy, also seemed rather perplexed at the whole spectacle.

" _That's_ what you tried to keep a secret?" He asked, almost sounding incredulous. Then, in almost the same breath of air, he continued. "Am I going to be an uncle, then? When will it be born? Can I teach it how to fish?"

"Perhaps when you bring home a catch and don't just go for a swim, we can talk about that, Cornelius." Caesar teased and now, it was the Ape Prince's ears that turned slightly red as those around them began to chuckle. Then, Caesar turned to the young couple. "But I'm also curious to know when it will be. Have you been told?"

Once again, Ivy and Orion looked at each other, all smiles and tenderness before they turned back to the Ape King.

"Sparrow said sometime in the summer." Ivy said, a faint blush on her pale cheeks.

Caesar nodded in approval, and Lydia had to say she was relieved by this news as well. Spring and summer were good times to have a child, especially for first-time parents. The weather was nice and warm, and food was usually plentiful. Even with all the advancements the apes had made, it was still something one needed to think about.

"I didn't 'just go for a swim'! And I _did_ catch something!" Cornelius ranted, still stuck on the topic from before and looking rather offended by his father's little joke. "I caught the biggest fish before we fell in the water! I even hit it with an arrow!"

The look on Caesar's face was one of both amusement and scepticism. Honestly, Lydia was finding it a bit hard to believe as well, knowing this was supposed to have been Cornelius' first try at that fishing technique. Surely it had been Orion who had hit it, and then let his younger brother reel it in to give him a sense of accomplishment?

 _I suppose apes and humans both share grandiose fishing-tales. Yet another thing we have in common – who would've thought_ , Lydia mused.

Orion must have noticed the looks of disbelief on their faces, because Lydia had barely finished the thought before he came to Cornelius' defence.

"To be fair, he _is_ telling the truth. Look." He said with a small smile, only to reach into the satchel still hanging from his shoulder and procure a large fish from inside of it. Lydia and Caesar, as well as several others, could only stare at it for a moment in mild bafflement. Cornelius had caught that? All by himself? On his first try at fishing with a bow and arrow?

Well, sure enough, Lydia thought as she examine the catch a bit closer. It _did_ indeed seem to have a puncture wound going straight through it. Perhaps he had actually learned more than she thought from the scattered archery lessons she and Ivy had put him through?

Today really was full of surprises.

"Brother! You saved my fish!" The Ape Prince exclaimed jubilantly, and he seemed to grow about an inch or so at the surprised looks from all around him.

"Actually, it was just too big to slip out of the satchel like all the others." Orion said with a small wink. "I guess if you keep catching them this big, I might just let you teach our child how to fish."

The look of determination on Cornelius' face after those words was all the confirmation Lydia needed to know that it was already settled in the Ape Prince's mind. He was going to teach this child how to fish – along with many other things, of that, Lydia was certain.

* * *

Later that night, Lydia, Caesar and Cornelius were back in their hut in the tree on the hill, with the Ape Prince already fast asleep in the nest after a full evening of switching between bragging out his catch and asking Orion and Ivy all sorts of questions about their future child. Most of these inquiries revolved around when _exactly_ they thought it would be born, if the child was going to have a wet nurse like he had as a baby – Lydia's poor heart nearly broke at that question – and when it would be old enough for him to teach it different things. It was clear that, after he'd had some time to think on the news, that he was absolutely ecstatic about the prospect of being an uncle – and, Lydia suspected, no longer being the youngest in the family and finally getting to be the one to share knowledge and experience.

Sitting on the balcony overlooking the village, legs dangling off the edge, Lydia looked on as a sea of stars twinkled against the dark sky high above. It was contrasted by the few hundred dots of warm, golden light from fires and torches down in the village, the sounds of which had died down quite a while ago as its inhabitants had begun to go to sleep. She had no idea how late it was, actually. By her own estimate it was probably somewhere around midnight but could just as well be several hours past. It's not like she had a clock to help her verify it, really.

Her eyes traced the wide, cloud-like strip that marked the Milky Way and, not for the first time in the years since the fall of humanity, Lydia marvelled at what had been so easily hidden by light pollution almost wherever one had gone. It was beautiful, more so on this night than it ever had been before – or maybe it was just because of the underlying contentment she was currently feeling that made it seem so?

"Are you not cold?" Came a low, baritone voice from behind her which might have startled Lydia, had she not already heard the floor creak as he had made his way out onto the balcony.

"A bit." She admitted as Caesar sat down beside her, wrapping a thick bear pelt and a strong arm around her shoulders. Lydia immediately snuggled closer, feeling his warmth seep into her. It was still chilly to sit there, and their breaths still came out as puffs of steam in front of their faces, but to Lydia, it was more refreshing than uncomfortable.

"What a day." She said after a while, to which he nodded. Then, Lydia chuckled. "I suppose I should've known it would happen sooner or later, but I was totally unprepared for it. I can't believe Orion is going to be a dad."

"It was only a question of time." Caesar said, his tone strangely sombre as he went on. "Your family has been growing fast these last few years."

Lydia's brow instantly furrowed at that, and she tore her eyes away from the starry sky to stare at her mate instead. He wasn't looking at her. In fact, he seemed to be stubbornly avoiding her gaze right now.

"What do you mean 'my family'?" Lydia asked, confused and already slightly hurt by his choice of words. "It's your family too…"

Caesar pursed his lips, releasing a deep sigh.

"I know… But you're the one who… binds this family together." He said, and though it did make sense, somehow, it still saddened her to hear him speak about it in such a detached way.

Lydia shook her head.

"Not just me, Caesar. _We_ bind this family together." She grabbed hold of the hand not wrapped around her shoulders and placed it between her own in her lap. The move caused him to look at her, for the first time since they had begun talking, and Lydia could now see the uncertainty present in her mate's eyes. An insecurity, a doubt, that she hadn't detected before that moment.

"That may be true…" He agreed, looking down at their entwined hands. "But I'm not Orion's father... I don't think he would have his child call me grandfather."

Lydia felt a strange pang of aching fondness spread inside her chest as she continued to stare at Caesar, touched by his obvious wish to be involved – and the underlying worry that he might not get to be. At least not to the extent that he hoped.  
Knowing her eldest son, however, Lydia had no such fears. True, Caesar hadn't raised Orion, but that didn't mean that the two of them weren't close. In fact, in human terms, Lydia supposed theirs was as close to a healthy stepfather and stepson relationship as anyone could ever get. Also, she knew that Caesar was eternally grateful to Orion for taking up the role of older brother to Cornelius – especially on days like this one.

Lydia shook her head at her mate, smiling softly.

"Caesar, of course he would. He might not think of you as his father, but I know for a fact that he sees you as family. There's no way he's not going to want you as this child's grandfather." She said, squeezing his hand. "And remember, this child is Ivy's just as much as it's Orion's. I'm sure that she would be able to talk some sense into him if need be. She's got him wrapped around her finger, that one."

Caesar gave a short, huff-like chuckle, nodding in agreement.

"Not just Orion, I think." He cast a meaningful look back over his shoulder towards the inside of their hut, where Cornelius still slept soundly in the confines of their family nest. Then, he turned back to Lydia. "I shouldn't be surprised, I suppose. You two are very similar like that."

"So everyone keeps saying… Though I don't think I've ever managed to garner quite the same reaction from you as Ivy did from Orion today. Might just be that the student has surpassed the teacher." She said jokingly, earning another chuckle and a squeeze of Caesar's arm around her shoulders. She leaned over then, softly petting his weathered cheek. "Seriously though, don't worry too much about it, Caesar. This child won't be born until sometime in the summer, remember? Plenty of time for you two gain some extra grey hairs so you can look the part too."

"Is this you calling me old again?" Caesar asked, heavy brow raised in question. Lydia, smiling, hid her face in the crook of his neck, reminded of their playful banter earlier that day – as well as what came after. "I told you, _venerable_." She said, squeezing his hand within her hold. Another low chuckle sounded, followed by comfortable silence as the two contented themselves with watching the village once more.

Lydia was glad she had been able to cheer him up. Ease his worries a bit, even if he still didn't seem entirely convinced. Lydia suspected that he wouldn't be until Orion himself had told him what role he wanted Caesar to play in this child's life. Still, it was good to see that he wasn't so concerned that he couldn't have a laugh about it.

By now, many of the lights down in the village had disappeared. Windows had been covered up by animal skins to ward off the cold of the night, and torches had been put out to save on the fuel that kept them lit. Among the many huts, Lydia's eyes easily found Orion and Ivy's. Their windows had yet to be covered up.

"Jeez, I really never would've thought I'd end up being a grandmother at 31…" She said after a long while, voice soft and disbelieving.

Caesar didn't reply immediately but hummed as he rubbed his thumb against her shoulder through the thick pelt. Then, he turned to kiss the top of her head affectionately. "You're a good mother. You'll make a great grandmother."

"Great-grandmother?" Lydia asked, smirking up at him. Now, there was a thought!

Caesar didn't falter, however. Didn't even flinch or try to tell her that obviously wasn't what he meant. Instead he returned her smirk with one of his own, looking positively impish as he replied.

"Probably that too, someday."

 _Well_ , Lydia thought, _that was probably true_. _Heck, at this rate, I could even make a great-great-grandmother by the time I'm 60 or 70… What a wild thought._

Though for now, Lydia was more than content with what she had – and what she knew was going to come in about 6 months' time.


End file.
